|
[in Ideas Plus, Book 18. 2000. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of
English, p. 35.]
Post-Reading Response Activities
Here's a
list of response activities I use with my students after we read
a novel. These are general enough that they can help students think
more deeply and make connections with the themes and characters in
just about any work of fiction. The activities serve as good jumping-off
points for more lengthy writing assignments.
-
After reading the novel, which of the following best
describes how you feel: angry, awed, amazed, baffled, disgusted, disturbed,
dissatisfied, irritated, joyous, uneasy, untouched, sad? Elaborate
on your answer.
-
Complete any four of the following statements with a minimum of three
additional sentences each, reacting to what you have read.
- If
I were in this story, I would/wouldn't have...
- I
really admire the character of __________ because...
- I
realized...
- I
can't really understand...
- I
did/didn't like the way...
- The
character of _________ reminds me of myself when...
- I
know the feeling of ...
- I
began to think of...
- The
biggest thing that the character of ________ learned in this
story was...
- The
most important lesson that I, the reader, learned in this story
was...
-
Which of the following descriptive terms makes you think of one of the
characters in the story or novel we just read: lonely, angry, helpless,
uncaring, helpful, wise, responsible, unselfish? Describe the character
and explain why you think this character feels or personifies this
emotion.
Dodie Zolman
Grandville High School
Grandville, Michigan
|
