3 Meaningful Ways to Get Students to Write about Reading
Readers are writers, and writers are readers. There is nothing more important to me as a teacher than instilling that sentiment into my students each school year.
Typically, when teachers and students hear the words, writing about reading, they tend to think about test prep. While responding to literature is an expectation on standardized testing, writing about reading is much more than that.
Writing about reading should be a daily expectation for students. It goes beyond following any recipe on how to respond to a question about something that was read. When students write about what they are reading they show that they can comprehend what they read and that they are able to explain their critical analysis to others, a higher order thinking skill.
Being able to express their thoughts about reading is an important step in our students’ development of becoming a truly independent reader. Help your students succeed and grow as readers and writers by having them write every day about their reading.
Here are three simple, yet meaningful ways that students can write about reading in your classroom each day during reading workshop, independent reading, or any time!
Pose a Reading Question of the Day
No matter what unit of study you are teaching during reading, by posing a single prompt, or reading question of the day for students to focus on while they read, you will be improving their reading focus and their writing skills. To do this, I write one question on a large piece of chart paper. We talk briefly about the question before they head off to read. As they read, they jot down ideas in their notebook that answer the question of the day. When they are done, they take one of their jots and write it on a sticky note and place it on the chart paper to share with the class. Students then take all their jotted ideas and use them to craft a paragraph that answers the reading question of the day. When we wrap up our lesson, I share a few sticky notes and have the students who wrote them read the paragraph they wrote that came from their jots.
In action in my classroom: During a character study unit, a reading question of the day would be any of the following:
How did a character respond to a challenge that they faced?
Compare two characters.
Collect evidence to make a theory about the theme of the book.
Find a “new to you” word and explain what it means.
Offer a Variety of Graphic Organizers
Bust out your accordion file folder and fill it up with a variety of graphic organizers that match the unit of study you are working on with your class. Allow students to select an organizer that they want to complete to respond to their reading for that day. Encourage students to complete the organizer as they read. When they are done, have them take the information that they recorded and write a focused paragraph about their day’s reading. I have found that this simple choice is a huge motivator for writers of all levels.
In action in my classroom: During a character study unit, my accordion file folder would have these graphic organizers:
Venn diagram to compare characters
Character trait chart
Character actions that support their theories about the theme of the book
Use a Question TCHART
I LOVE having students ask and answer their own questions as they read. Teaching students to ask questions as they read is a great way to help students grow as readers and writers and self-monitor as they read, especially as they read more complex texts. Students can quickly jot answers to each question on their TCHARTs but are expected to respond in paragraph form to only one. Since students get to choose the question that they want to answer in paragraph form, it is a great way to motivate reluctant writers to write.
In action in my classroom: At the beginning of the year we do many formal lessons with picture books (try Sam Bangs and Moonshine and Knots on a Counting Rope) with TCHART organizers to illustrate the importance of asking questions to help you infer as you read. As the year progresses, students create their own TCHART in their notebooks about their reading. During independent reading students ask and record questions about the reading that they did that day. When it is time to write about reading, students select any one question from their TCHART and respond.
When it comes to writing about reading, make it meaningful. These activities encourage students to read, note take, and use their collected text evidence to write meaningful pieces about the books that they read. The more authentic the writing assignment is the easier it is for students to see the connections between reading and writing. Motivate your writers by engaging them in simple writing prompts about the books that they love and are reading.
Related Articles:
Get Your Students to Read Like a Writer (Teach Between the Lines)
5 Creative Response to Reading Activities (Reading and Writing Haven)
How Parents Can Help with Writing at Home (Think Grow Giggle)
About the Author
Jeanine has been teaching upper elementary students for 16 years, most recently fifth graders. When it comes to teaching, Jeanine includes her love of reading and writing into every lesson. She loves teaching writing and having the opportunity to bring out the author in each of her students. Jeanine holds a BA from Western Connecticut State University in American Studies and Elementary Education and an MA from Fairfield University in Educational Technology. In addition to being a certified elementary teacher, she is also a certified Reading Specialist for grades K-12. Living on the north shore of Long Island means that her free time is spent at the beach where she enjoys outdoor activities, reading, and spending time with her husband and three children.
