Critical Reading Journal – Semester Two—English 9A
What is a Critical Reading Journal?
The Critical Reading Journal is a collection of your thoughts on literature. For selected novels, poems,
and drama in this course, you will record your thoughts and answers to specific questions, then use your
written responses to guide discussions in class. In addition, you will reflect on your critical reading
process and document what you discover about yourself as a learner. This journal will help you reflect
upon and demonstrate your growth as a reader at the end of each semester.
Why are we doing this?
 To improve critical reading and thinking skills
 To improve writing skills
 To improve speaking and listening skills
What type of notebook do I need?
I will ask you to keep one notebook for English 9A separate from the rest of your schoolwork. A simple
spiral notebook or composition book works well. We will use this notebook almost every day, and I may
ask to read selections from your notebook any time, so bring it with you EVERY DAY.
How do I use the Critical Reading Journal?
Each of the following steps builds on the next; when you complete each one thoroughly, you will
become a better reader, writer, and thinker.
1. Active Reading: Read every assigned text (poem, essay, or novel) and keep personal notes about
the details you notice. These notes should be in your Critical Reading Journal but may begin on a
separate piece of paper, on sticky notes, or in your book (if you own it). This is your time to record
ANYTHING interesting, confusing, surprising, frustrating, etc. about the text. These notes can be as
organized or disorganized as you like. Since you won’t remember EVERYTHING about the text, it’s
important to keep a record of your insights for later. I should see evidence of active reading in your
critical reading journal.
NOTE—These bullet points below are what you will use for your getting started on your writing.
Here are some specific suggestions for your reading notes:
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Surprises and details:
You notice something you didn’t see before.
You recognize a pattern—the images start to overlap, gestures or phrases recur, some details
seem associated with each other.
The story suddenly seems to be about something different from what you thought.
You realize the author has introduced a new perspective.
Note details that seem important and make you look again.
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Confusions and frustrations:
You discover you were misreading.
Something doesn’t seem to fit or is puzzling
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Things don’t make sense—write a specific question or problem that occurs to you.
Connections and reflections:
Note ways in which the story makes you speculate about real life or a connection to another text
or another class.
Note your first impression about the ending, including any questions or frustrations you may
have.
Note rhetorical and literary devices you recognize—how do they affect your experience with the
text?
2. Critical Reading entries: For some assigned texts, you will receive specific questions to answer
in your Critical Reading Journal. Record your answers to these questions in the Critical Reading half of
your Journal. Use your notes and reread the text to formulate thoughtful and thorough ideas. Quick
reactions to a text recorded with vague, general, short comments are neither thought nor useful. Your
thoughts cannot be completely expressed until you articulate them. Therefore, these answers must be in
complete sentences. An added benefit to this kind of active reading is improved thinking and writing.
When you follow your thoughts through to their full form, your thinking skills improve; when you have
clear thoughts, you have clear sentences. I should see evidence of critical reading entries in your
journal.
3. Class Discussion: Occasionally, your Critical Reading Journal will drive class discussion (which
is why working on it consistently is important—you don’t want to be caught “unawares”!)
I’ll always tell you when we are using it ahead of time, on discussion days, you may be chosen to begin
class discussion by reading entries from your journal. Discussion in class is required. It will train you to
take time with your thoughts, to work until they are clear and articulate. This is one way your writing
will steadily improve through the Critical Reading Journal. Further discussion will branch off journal
entries, and you may want to add to your journal insights you gain in class. I should see evidence of
class discussion notes in your critical reading journal.
4. Reflection: At the end of each quarter, you will complete the other half of your journal:
Reflection. This is where you record your reflection on yourself as a reader and set goals for
improvement. Reread your journal entries and comment on your original thoughts:
 What were your strengths? What are you struggling with?
 What will you try to build on in the next text?
 What will you have to be more mindful of in the next text?
 Why did you misread when you did?
 What did you focus on? What did you care most about?
 What did you disregard, ignore, or skip over?
 Where did you have to strain to follow the story? What made it difficult?
 What did you miss? What did you get?
 What insights did you gain from class discussion?
You may also receive specific questions to focus your reflection on specific skills. I should see evidence
of reflective thinking in your critical reading journal.
5. Demonstrating Growth: At the end of each semester, you will present your growth as a reader
in an essay or conference. You will describe what you learned about reading, about yourself as a reader,
and your goals for improvement. You will refer to specific texts from your choice reading to your
Critical Reading Journal (the active, critical, and reflective entries). Tips on how to prepare for the
Critical Reading Journal Presentation will be on the website.
As an Accelerated English student, I would expect a bare minimum of 5 novels developed and
discussed in your journal for 2nd semester. While quality is more important than quantity, in order for
you to truly be excelling at the level I would like to see for my 9A students, aim for at least 5 novels….