Reader’s Response Letter

1. Reader’sResponseLetter

2. Required Elements • Date • Greeting • Paragraphs indented • Author & Title of the book • Brief Summary • Response to the Focus Topic • Make a Connection • Closing • Signature • Neat handwriting!!

3. Brief Summary • Tell me what happened in your book using your own words! • 5 W’s and How • Who • What • When • Where • Why • How

4. Response to the Focus Topic • Each week I will give you a Focus Topic for you Reading Response Letter • You will have to make sure the Focus Topic is included in your letter. • This week Focus Topic is characters and setting. • In your letter you will have to tell me about the characters and setting of your book. • Who are the main characters? • Where does the book take place? • What does the setting of the book tell you about the characters’ role in the story?

5. Good Readers Make Connections • Text to Text • This book reminds me of a book I read… • Text to Self • This book reminds me of something that happened in my life… • Text to World • This book reminds me of something that happened in the world. • When making a connection make sure to include how it relates back to the book! • This book reminds me of the time I went strawberry picking with my family. I made this connection because the little boy in the story loved to go strawberry picking with his brother.

6. Scoring Guide • Reader’s Response Scoring Guide • _____/1 Date • _____/2 Greeting and Closing • _____/2 Author and Title • _____/2 Paragraphs Indented • _____/5 Focus Topic: • _____/10 Brief Summary • _____/5 Made Connection • _____/1 Signature • _____/2 Neatness • ___________/30 _________ Grade

7. Sample Reader’s Response Letter September 16, 2014 Dear Miss Magliato, I am reading a wonderful book this week. I am sure you have read it or at least watched the movie. The book is Matilda by Roald Dahl. I know you have probably read this book, but I want to tell you about what I read this week. At this point in the book, Matilda has just received her very own library card. Every single day after her rotten old parents leave for work, Matilda walks by herself to the library. The librarian is very nice to her and helps her find tons of books. She spends hours upon hours reading! Matilda reads so many amazing books, including books that high school students read. She’s only 5 and understands so much, it’s so amazing! When Matilda’s parents got home and saw her reading they got so mad at her. Her father screamed and yelled at her for reading!! Could you imagine?? Why would her parents yell at her for doing something that’s going to make her smarter?! I couldn’t believe it! Matilda then asks her parents if she could go to school and they tell her absolutely not! If I were Matilda I would be so disappointed! This is where I stopped reading for the week. I can’t wait to read on and see if Matilda gets to go to school or not. I think she definitely should because she is so smart and she will learn even more! In my opinion Roald Dahl does a wonderful job of making you feel as if you can really hear the characters. I can just imagine Matilda’s dad, as his face turns bright red and he screams at her for reading books!! I really can’t wait to dive back into my book tonight. I’ll fill you in on what happens in my next letter! Your student, ImaReader

8. Organize your notebook • Reader’s Response Letter Breakdown: put this on the inside cover of your notebook • Reader’s Repsonse Scoring Guide: • Put this on the first page of your notebook • Sample letter: Put this on the back of the first page • Letter from me: Put this on the second page