Reader Response Journal Topics:
Character Type Questions
1. This (character, place, event) reminds me of…..because…
2. The character I like the best is….because….
3. If I were this character, I would….
4. If I could be any character in this book I would be….because…
5. Three words that describe______ are…. because…
6. There has been a change in _________ because….
7. I think ________ made this choice because…
Plot Questions
8. I predict that… because…
9. To summarize the text I would say…
10. The author got me interested when…
Setting Questions
11. This story takes place (setting-where and when)…
12. The setting of this story is important because…
General Reactions
13. I learned….
14. My feelings about (the book, characters) changed when….
15. I like/dislike this part of the book because…..
16. This situation reminds me of something that happened in my
own life. (Tell the story and make the connection.)
17. A question that I have so far is…
18. I didn’t understand when…
19. My favorite part of this book/chapter was when….
20. I would/would not recommend this book because…
21. This book is reminding me of another book that I read. (Tell
the book and why.)
Responding to Character Type Questions:
You must provide at least one example from the book that
supports your thinking.
Ex: 7. I think ________ made this choice because…
“I think Charlotte made the choice to go to the Fair with Wilbur
because she was afraid if she didn’t go, Wilbur would not win a
prize and then be killed for the holiday dinners. Charlotte
wanted to make sure she did all she could to help Wilbur stay
alive.”
Responding to Plot Questions:
You must provide details from the book to explain why you think
things are happening or why something might happen later on.
Ex: 8. I predict that… because…
I predict that Templeton will end up helping out at the Fair
somehow because even though he is a grouch, he always ends up
helping Charlotte when she asks him.
Setting Questions
Supporting the setting is probably a more challenging task. It
requires you to give more than just when and where. What clues
does the author give to help you visualize where and when the
story is taking place?
Ex: 11. This story takes place (setting-where and when)…
Charlotte’s Web takes place on a farm, at least 20+ years ago. I
know this because no one has a cell phone, there is no mention of
a TV or the internet. And, some of the sketches show clothing
that people wore back in mid 1900s.
General Reactions
Once again, you must provide support or details from the story to
justify the way you feel about what you are reading.
Ex. 13. I learned….
In Charlotte’s Web, I learned that is someone does something
nice for you, you should return the favor and do something nice
for them. Wilbur saved Charlotte from Avery, so Charlotte
decided to help Wilbur stay alive.