Keeping A Reading Journal (RJ)

* What do I need to do?

Find and read enjoyable books, articles and poems from a range of sources each week
and write about at least one in your reading journal or electronic wiki / blog.You can
also add relevant images, multi-media links if you wish.
* Why am I being asked to do this?
To improve vocabulary, to increase general knowledge, to learn about other people and
their lives, to notice and appreciate good writing so your own writing style improves, and
as a result of all this, to make you a more successful learner and better human being!
* How will it be assessed?
Bring your journal to class when required by your teacher and share it with other
students. Hand it in for assessment when the teacher asks for it.
You will be assessed on:
reading widely (a mixture of reading recorded)
writing in a convincing way about what you have read, showing critical thinking
organising your time to meet the requirements
setting out your bibliographic details correctly using MLA style (ATL:
Information Literacy)
* How do I set it up? (adapt to suit for an electronic format)
1.

Title page or front page decorate in a style suited to your reading interests.

2.

A Contents Page. Add the title of each thing you read as you read it and a
date. Leave about 2 pages for this. If your journal is electronic, design a navigation
bar.

3.

This instruction page glued in

4.

Reading Profile write a 100 word profile about your reading habits which
includes: how often you choose to read for leisure in a week, how you feel about
reading, what you choose to read when you do read, what you have enjoyed
reading most in the past year, your favourite author if you have one and your
reading goals for this year.

5.
Start your records / responses. For each entry in your reading
journal:
give bibliographic details in MLA format e.g. for a whole book it would
be: title,
author, city of publication, publisher and year of publication
genre, source ( where you found it), rating (1 low-5 high)
explain how much has been read e.g. whole article, 3 chapters etc
record 2 new vocabulary words and their meanings from the text.
add other relevant findings if you wish e.g. web links, images etc

write at
each time.

choose ONE of the following questions for each text you read and
least 50 words. Try to use a different question

1.

Comment on the opening. How effective? How does it try to hook you? What is
introduced?

2.

Who is the narrator? What do you find out about him or her?

3.

What is the setting? When? Where? How important is the setting to the story?
What effect does it have?

4.

What kind of writing style and language does the writer use? Quote examples to
support what you say.

5.
Describe the main character. How is she / he like or unlike you? How interesting
is she /he to read about?
6.

What ideas or issues are explored? What is your opinion about the issues?

7.

How does what you have read connect to your own experience?

8.
What conflicts or tensions happen in the story? Do any of these connect to your
own life?
9.

How is this text similar or different to other things you have read?

10.
Is there an interesting minor character? Describe him/her and explain why they
are interesting.
11.

Does the story or article connect to one of the MYP AOIs? Explain how.

12.

What is an exciting or horrifying or sad or funny part of what you have read?

13.

How has the writer used their own personal life in what you have read?

14.

If you disliked or found something you read very boring, explain why?

15.

If you are only part way through a text, make some predictions about how it
will end.

16.

Design a starter of your own.

Self-Check

To make sure that you meet all these requirements, read through them again and make a
checklist of what needs to be done.