Reading response is an important part of the reading process. Incorporating reading response activities into your reading curriculum is important because it is extremely beneficial for young readers.
Benefits of Responding to Reading
- It allows students the opportunity to analyze and internalize what they have read.
- Readers have a better possibility of understand the text at a deeper level – including the author’s purpose and theme.
- It allows the teacher to assess students’ understanding of the text.
Purposes of Reading Response Activities
- It gets students to think while they are reading and reflecting after reading.
- Response activities hold students accountable during their independent reading time.
- It reinforces other communication skills such as writing.
Reading Response Activities Ideas
There are a variety of engaging activities you can provide for your students. Here are a few you can implement in your classroom.
1. Picture This! A Visualization Activity
Visualization is an important key concept as a reader. Have students choose a part of the book where the author uses descriptive language. Then, have them illustrate the image being described.
2. Character Traits Activity
One of the hardest parts for students to master in fictional text is character traits because it is so abstract. Students have to learn to piece together evidence in order to make an inference. However, identifying character traits is an important skill that helps students understand character development which leads to theme.
Have students come up with a set of scenarios the character was involved in. Then, have them create a character trait graphic organizer that explains how the character felt, acted, or what they said. Lastly, have them come up with the a character trait that supports each.
3. Comparing & Contrasting Two Settings
Have students illustrate two specific settings in the story. Then, have them describe the importance of each setting to the plot of the story. Lastly, have them write a short paragraph comparing the settings and the occurrences within them.
4. Complete a Plot Map
Give students a blank plot map to fill out. Have them complete the exposition, events in the rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
5. Determine the Theme
Have students come up with a theme for the book. Have them provide evidence that supports the suggested theme.
6. Write a Summary
Becoming proficient at summarizing is a standard in all of the upper elementary grades. Once a student becomes proficient in creating a plot map for a novel, it is easier for them to summarize. They can be taught to use the key information provided in a plot map to complete a summary.
7. Point of View Activities
Students really love many of the activities associated with the point of view of a character. Some of the point of view activities you can have students complete are:
- Sending out a text or tweet about an event or situation written from the point of view of a character in the story
- Write a letter from the perspective of one character to another
- Create a diary entry from the perspective of a character
- Write two counter perspectives from two characters in the story about an event they were both involved in
How to Implement
Implementation is always the most challenging part in teaching, so here are a few suggestions on how you can implement these activities.
- Include this as one of the centers during your reading block
- Incorporate it as an early finisher’s activity or as enrichment
- After reading a classing novel, implement an activity whole group
- Use them as an intervention activity after assessing what skill the group needs most work on
Keeping it Engaging
While routines help the classroom run smoothly, implementing the same activities over and over again will hinder engagement.
One thing you can do to keep it fresh and engaging is to change out the activities.
For example, if you are working on Point of View during the fall, choose one activity such as writing a diary entry. When you revisit the skill in the winter, use a different activity such as writing a text message to another character.
Another thing you can do to keep things appealing for students is to provide student choice. You can do this by:
- setting up a center with different activities and letting them choose one they find interesting
- creating a choice board of nine activities and having the students choose three in a row to complete
If you are looking to keep things fresh and engaging, but don’t want to have to create all the activities on your own, check out this reading response activities resource that includes over 20 activities covering many of the upper elementary reading skills and standards. Just print and go!
