Handout 11 Response Journal Suggestions and Teachers’
Comments
Possible Starters / Questions for the Response Journal




Words, phrases, lines noted and liked
Comments on, reactions to words and expressions
Drawings, diagrams
Personal anecdotes linking the work to personal
experiences, other texts, thoughts, issues…
You could ask yourself some of the following questions:











Were you surprised by what happened?
What do you think will happen next?
What were your feelings at that moment?
What kinds of memories or images did the reading bring to mind?
What questions come to mind?
What did you learn about X (character or place or…)?
If you were in the character’s shoes, what would you do?
Is there something that surprises you in this extract?
Did this page/chapter remind you of anything else you read or saw…?
What, do you think, will happen next?
What kind of story do you expect to read now? (having read the opening)
You could compete some of the following sentence starters:









22
When I was reading this page/chapter/extract it reminded me of…
I loved…
I really liked…
I didn’t understand …
I wonder why …
I’m not sure about…
A question I have is…
What I learned is….
My questions are…
Teachers’ Comments - Response Journals
While I didn't read their response journals, they produced really lovely covers
and were very keen to start writing in them - even students who might struggle
more with writing- they never seemed to be stuck for what they should be
writing about, which I thought was really positive and a huge improvement
from two-line answers to questions at the end of a chapter that would often be
produced.
Students filled them out enthusiastically - showed they were engaged.
They love the reflective diaries.
I’ll never not do the response journal again because loads of students who
never write, are now writing reams of stuff. They love the idea of sharing only
what they want to. They are also more confident when they do not have to
read it out – parents love that too. One mother said ‘I think that’s a good idea’.
They also do sketches of what they see in the book. All bought their own
diaries – different shapes and colours. They are ‘kinder’ with their diaries than
they are with copies! The first activity was to draw a sketch in the diary.
I was surprised by the success of the journals as I didn’t think they would take
to them. They actually take out their journals without being told. Even for
myself I love doing it and sometimes if I forget I might say it to the kids and
they say ‘Oh Miss I’m like that too’! It’s good sharing some stuff with them.
23