7-Step Reading Journal

Purpose: To practice reading strategies, develop the habit of reading, increase reading stamina, and improve reading comprehension. The reading journal is designed to allow students to customize and to think more deeply about their reading. The journal will help students to remember what they have read, highlight important moments from the reading, think through the reading and to find their interest in the reading. In order to be successful in this endeavor, students must spend time with their reading. They must be able to remember what they have read and think critically about the reading. Critical reading means students are able to synthesize, evaluate, analyze, apply, interpret, and translate their reading.

Directions:

1. The title of the article, date of publication, publisher, and author of the article.

2. Evidence of previewing: a couple sentences addressing what you think the article is going to be about and what you hope to learn from the article. Look at the title, subtitle, pictures, captions, first sentence of each paragraph etc. What do they suggest?

3. A statement (in 1-2 sentences) of the main idea. Read the selection more than once to determine the main idea. The main idea is the main point, central focus, gist, controlling idea, central thought or thesis of the reading. It is not the topic, but rather it includes the topic.

4. A brief list of the main supporting points. Supporting points develop, prove and explain the main idea. Supporting evidence may include reasons, incidents, facts, examples, steps and definitions.

5. A one-paragraph summary. Summaries contain no opinion, but do contain the main idea and supporting evidence and is written in your own words. Use complete sentences and paragraphs. After completing the summary, reread it to see if it makes sense.

6. A one-paragraph reaction, analysis, and or/criticism. React, criticize and/or analyze what you have read. Analysis means to break the reading into parts and then reassemble to discover each part’s significance or meaning. Take time to explore the meanings behind a theme, character, symbol, plot, or image. What is significant to you? What is your perspective on what you have read? If you read carefully, you cannot help but react to the reading. This level of reading is often emotional (angry, sad, happy) or associative (oh, that reminds me of…). For a journal entry of this type, simply record your emotion and explain what in the text inspired it or write down your association and what in the text inspired that. Criticism is an evaluation of your feelings – either positive or negative -- about a particular analysis. Feel free to vent your emotions but only after an analysis of a part of the reading which impacts you.

7. Definitions of at least five vocabulary words (you should list all words that you either you don’t know or could not explain well to someone else). You should use context clues, word structure, dictionary skills, and/or decoding skills.

Rubric:

Excellent

All seven steps are complete.

The main idea and supporting evidence are correct.

The summary is thorough, well written, and is written in the students own words.

Reaction is thoughtful and contains evidence of critical reading.

Satisfactory

All seven steps are complete.

The main idea and supporting evidence are essentially correct.

The summary is essentially correct but is not entirely stated in the student’s own words.

Reaction is thoughtful and contains some evidence of critical reading.

Unsatisfactory

All seven steps are not complete.

The main idea and supporting evidence are not correct.

The summary does not follow the rules of summary writing: e.g., in your own words, contains most important information.

Reaction is too brief, superficial, and does not contain evidence of critical reading.