Name:______Date:______
To Kill a Mockingbird Reading Sheet Chapters 11-16 Reading Journal
A reading strategy is a "trick" you can us to keep your mind focused on the book, and to help you make sense of what you're reading. For the first half of the book, you will try out as many strategies and assess how well they work for you. In the later half of the book, you will choose the strategy that works best for you.
What does "visualize" mean?
When you read, it's like there's a movie camera playing in your head. If it's a book you really like, the movie camera usually pops up automatically. If it's a book that's difficult or may not hold your attention right away, you have to tell the movie camera what to do. Example: If you're reading about Boo Radley, and your mind is visualizing a cheese sandwich, there's a problem. So, the trick is to be aware, and fix, the picture in your mind as you read.
How to do it: A) Draw a line down the center of the sheet. As you read each chapter, record five quotes on the
left side of the sheet. A "quote" is anything written in the book. When you record the quote, be sure to put quotation marks around it, and give its page number (see example). Choose quotes that:
• give you a strong picture (a "visualization") in your mind as you read them
• confuse you, and you want to figure it out by visualizing what's going on
• are points where your mind wanders, and you want to send it back to the book by visualizing what's going on * are beautiful/creative/imaginative examples of imagery
You should record the quotes AS you read, not after.
B) Next, draw or write in DETAIL what you visualize when you read this quote. Be truthful. For example, if your mind is wandering and you're visualizing the Giants/Eagles game, draw/ describe the Giants/Eagles game and, then, get your mind back to the book for the next quote. See examples.
Note: The "juicier" the quote, the easier it will be to visualize. Choosing quotes just because they're short will make visualizing VERY difficult, and won't help you remember what you read.
When I read...Quote&Page I visualized...(fill up the space!)
"Jem and I hated her. If she was on the porch This sentence confused me, and at when we passed, we would be raked by her first I was picturing what I wanted wrathful gaze, subjected to ruthless interrogation for dinner. Then I read it again, and regarding our behavior, and given a melancholy I saw: prediction on what we would amount to when we grew up, which was always nothing" (99).
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.