Reading Log Directions and Rubric
Research has repeatedly shown that students who read for pleasure tend to be better readers and writers. Reading a wide variety of writing styles exposes readers to a variety of different sentence patterns and vocabulary and therefore helps the reader develop his or her own written and oral language abilities. In addition, students who read frequently tend to be better students in general. Reading for pleasure can also be quite fun. Really!!!
You are expected to read two books per nine weeks that has ten chapters or more. You are not required to read every night but are strongly encouraged to do so. You are then expected to complete a reading log after each chapter completed. The specific log requirements are as follows:
1. Logs should be typed, or neatly handwritten in pencil or blue or black ink.
2. The heading for each log should include the following:
· Your first and last name, period# and date
· Title of the book
· Author’s Name
3. Reading Notes: The log must include five excerpts (a quote or a
passage from the novel). Please cite the page number where your excerpt is located when quoting a novel. You must then respond to each excerpt with a personal reflection for a total of five responses.
The following is the list of notes you will take:
· Personal Quote – Quote from the reading words, phrases or sentences that for
you clearly suggest meaning or that you simply like
· Character Quote - Quote something from the reading that defines a character (characteristics)
· Question Quote -Quote something from the reading that you have a question about
· Dictionary Quote - Quote a passage that contains a word you don’t know (at least 2)
· Visuals - Draw a picture or diagram that reflects that chapter
The following is the list of reflections you will write:
· Personal Quote
o Explain why you found the quote significant or enjoyable
· Character’s Quote
o Analyze the character trait
· Dictionary Quote
o Consult a dictionary and write down definitions of words you don’t know
· Question Quote
o Write the question and try to answer it
· Visuals
o Explain your drawings to achieve further understanding of the reading
4. Summary: The summary must be a minimum of five sentences in length and written in correct paragraph format. The summary should include the title of the chapter, the author's name and elements of both characterization and plot.
Rubric:
Each Reading Note – .5 point
Each Reading Reflection – .5 point
Summary – 5 points
*Reading logs should be completed for every chapter unless your book has more than ten chapters. If your book has more than ten chapters then you must include the first and last chapter and eight other chapters.
Sample Reading Log
Title: We All Learn
Name: Lakesha M. Mendez Per. 1 Date: September 14, 2010
Chapter: Who is My Teacher? Author: Robert Washington Pages: 3-18
Notes Reflections
1. “Who is this lady? This is only the first day of school and she has the entire class in the palm of her hands.” Pg. 6 / This reminds me of my favorite teacher in 8th grade. The first day of school everybody loved her and the rest of the year was great too!2. “Justin stood there and looked them in the eyes as they called him every name in the book. He didn’t respond and just stood there and remained calm.” Pg.10 / Justin is a strong character and does not allow people to upset him easily. He was able to take the name calling because he is the type of character that can turn the other cheek. He represents the better person that everyone whishes they could be at times.
3. “Mrs. K was so upset when she came in the classroom and saw her students playing around. She walked, in sat down and began reading a book.” Pg. 16 / Why did Mrs. K not say anything to her students if she was upset? How could she sit there and read a book when she was so upset? I think this shows how Mrs. K is able to keep her temper under control.
4. “The rest of us were so Furious with Jackson that we couldn’t even concentrate on Mrs. K’s reading test.” Pg.3
“Mrs. K what does it mean to Decipher something? Pg. 9 / Furious -angry; irate
Decipher- make sense of
5. / Mrs. K is a great teacher!
Summary (Must be at least 5 sentences or zero credit on the log)
The chapter “Who is my Teacher”, by Robert Washington, is about an awesome teacher who gets her students to enjoy learning about how to critically read. She captures her student’s interest by showing them how to critically think first then applies it to reading. Once her students found out how to take there thinking to another level it became a competitive game between them all. The students became really good friends and supported each other through the assignments they had. At the end of the chapter Mrs. K introduced a contest that would require them to use there new reading skills. Everyone was excited because the grand prize was a trip to South Beach.