DIRECTIONS FOR READING LOG
1. Put a correct heading on a sheet of lined notebook paper or type it in the header of a
computer document.
2. Fold the paper 1/3 from the left in Cornell style. Do not draw a line unless you are using a
computer table to complete your logs.
3. Head the paper with the title and chapter number. Leave a line for entering a subtitle that
summarizes the content of the entire chapter. If you were to give the chapter a title to replace
the number, what would it be?
4. On the RIGHT side of the paper, take notes as you read. After each event, summarize it in a
sentence and document the page number. You must have a minimum of FIVE notes for each
chapter.
5. On the LEFT side of the paper, list a minimum of TWO vocabulary words. Write what you
think they mean from the use in the text. Then write the dictionary definition that fits the
usage.
6. On the LEFT side of the paper, write a minimum of THREE questions or comments you
have regarding the text you have read. We will attempt to answer these questions in class.
There are enough unfamiliar vocabulary words, allusions, and idioms that you may have
more than three questions per chapter. You may comment on the action. Remember that
three is the minimum.
7. Leave room for other notes you may want to add during class. We will be looking for figures
of speech, allusions, and idioms, as well as data on the layout of the town and character
development.
8. You may put two chapters (one reading assignment) on the same piece of paper and may use
the back of your paper.
9. All entries must be legible and neatly done.
SAMPLE READING LOG
To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 1
Meet Maycomb and the Finch Family
Vocabulary:
Jem broke his arm when he was nearly thirteen, but the events leading up
to that accident began far earlier (1).
Imprudent:
“…were imprudent enough
to do it in the presence of
three witnesses…”(2)
Southerners are proud of their ancestors and the Finch Family goes way
back (1).
-im means not
The narrator’s father is an attorney and they live in a “tired old town”
named Maycomb, Alabama (2).
Not smart?
Stupid?
Definition: Adj. lacking
discretion, unwise
Malevolent:
The narrator’s mother is dead and a housekeeper named Calpurnia cares
for her and her brother (3).
A boy named Charles Baker Harris (Dill) visits his aunt and is a playmate
(3).
“Inside the house lived a
malevolent phantom” (5)
Mal= not? Malnourished
The Radley house, three doors to the south of the Finch house, has kept a
mysterious son named Boo prisoner since he had a problem with the law
many years earlier (6).
Scary?
Not friendly?
Definition: Adj. Evil
The children are fascinated with his story and the stories they have heard
about him and want to get him to come out. It is Dill’s idea (9).
Questions:
What year does this story take
place?
OTHER NOTES:
When was this book written?
What is the historical
background of this novel?
Chapter 2
Scout Starts School and Gets Into Trouble Defending Classmate