Literature Response Journal Prompts
Responses should be at least eight sentences long and include evidence from the book. For example, when writing about which character you most identify with, you may write, “Right now I most identify with Jen because she is so strong.” You then will use your statement as part of a paragraph where you provide concrete details from the book to support your answer. Your four journal entries must come from FOUR DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
Begin each response with the title of the book, the date of your journal entry, the pages or chapter(s) you read, and the category and prompt number to which you are responding.
Example:
We Beat the Street; October 5, 2014; pp. 30-40; Making Connections #5
Categories and Prompts
Tapping Prior Knowledge:
1. What do you know about the subject of this book?
2. What does this remind you of?
3. How is this book similar or different from another you have read?
4. If this book took place in a different setting, how would it change, and why?
Forming Interpretations:
1. Copy a passage from the text and explain why it is meaningful to you.
2. Explain how a part of the book is giving you a new idea about something.
Asking Questions:
Finish one of the following.
1. I wonder why…
2. What if…
3. How is it possible that…
Monitoring:
1. Describe parts of the book that confuse you, and why.
2. Describe a part of the book that you need to reread, and why.
Predicting:
1. Predict what you think might happen, and why. Describe what clues the author gives you.
Revising Meaning:
Finish one of the following, and explain why.
1. At first I thought _____, but now I…
2. My latest thought about this is…
3. I’m getting a different picture here because…
Visualizing:
Finish one of the following statements, and explain what makes you think this.
1. I can picture…
2. In my mind I see…
3. If this were a movie…
Analyzing the Author’s Craft:
1. What words or phrases stand out for you, and why?
2. What literary devices does the author use, and to what effect?
3. What mood is set by the author? How does he/she achieve this?
Making Connections:
Finish one of the following statements.
1. This reminds me of…
2. I experienced this once when…
3. I can relate to this to other readings because…
4. The argument here is similar to ___ because…
5. The character I most identify with is…
6. The idea I find most intriguing is…
7. I reject this author’s view because…
Reflecting and Relating:
1. What big idea (theme) is the author relating? What is he/she trying to help you understand?
2. What is your favorite part of the book, and why?
3. How is something in the book relevant to your life?
4. How might the fact that this text has been written make a difference in the world?
Evaluating:
1. What are your feelings about this book?
2. What did you not like about the text, and why?
3. How might a part of the book been more effective?
4. How did any of the characters change during the course of the book? Explain how they changed, and what forces caused these changes.
5. How would you change the ending of this book?
6. What do you know now that you didn’t know before?