What is a reading response?

A reading response is a written analysis of a text. A text can be an essay, a poem, a short story, a novel, a documentary, a movie, etc. A reading response is not simply a summary of what you have read. Everyone in the class has read the text; what we want to know is what you think. That doesn’t mean that you just talk about yourself, though. The goal of a reading response always is to come to a deeper understanding of the text. You can do this in three ways.

• Analysis: take apart the pieces of the text and show how they work. For instance, you might explore how the examples in a text do or do not support the main idea. Or you might look at how the descriptive details create the mood.
  
• Synthesis: combine different ideas to arrive at a new conclusion. Here you combine ideas of the text you have read with ideas from other texts and show what they have in common or show differences of opinion. You could also relate the ideas in the text to events in the world, past or present. You may also explore how your own experience relates to the ideas discussed in the text.
  
• Evaluation: judge the ideas brought up in a text. Here you state whether or not you agree with the ideas in a text. Be specific about what you are agreeing or disagreeing with, and be sure to clearly state why you agree or disagree. A good evaluation requires good analysis.
  

Most often, I will give you a prompt for the reading response. The prompt is a statement or series of questions for you to respond to. Make sure you cover the entire prompt in your reading response. The more specific details you can include in your response, the better.

Reading responses are 10 points each. They are graded on how completely you answer the prompt, the organization of your ideas, the amount of specific detail given to support your response, and the overall depth of analysis. I grade reading responses with a check system: