Throughout the year, you will be blogging in response to whichever book you are currently reading for your Book Challenge. Based on the your reading, each blog should include: title of what book you’ve been reading, page numbers completed (from page # to page #), your actual three paragraph response, and a graphic of your book or something related to your book.
Below you will see several different types of prompts that fall under two categories: ‘Miscellaneous’ prompts or ‘Test Readiness Terms’ prompts. You will be using these prompts to guide your writing. Please do not use the same prompt(s) every time you write a blog on your Independent Reading. When you choose a prompt, that will serve as your topic sentence and you will need to incorporate supporting details/textual evidence throughout the following paragraphs. The point of the blog is to share what you are reading with your peers and to practice your writing skills. Please do not spoil your book by writing a plot summary. You may in a few sentences summarize what you have read, but then you need to move on to whatever topic you have chosen to focus your writing on.
If you choose to do an Illustration for your blog post, you must still include a two paragraph explanation and then take a picture of the illustration and upload it to your blog. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me about them in class. Happy Blogging!
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Prompts: Test Readiness Terms
Analyze
When analyzing, look closely at all the parts or ideas to explain how they are
related.
• Analyze how your feelings change as you read this story and why.
• Analyze what motivates the main character’s behavior.
• Analyze the author’s ability to write. What does the author do most
effectively? What does the author do least effectively?
Compare
When comparing things, look closely to find all things that are alike between them.
• Compare what is happening to a character in the book with your own or a
friend’s life.
• Compare the plot of what you are reading with your favorite book.
• Compare where you live to the setting described in what you are reading.
Contrast
When contrasting things, look closely to find all thing that are different between
them.
• How does what you are reading contrast with a novel you were assigned to read
in school and didn’t like reading.
• Contrast the theme of what you are reading with something you read last
month.
• What would be a good contrast to the setting of what you are reading?
Define
When defining something, look at it carefully and identify the qualities that make it
meaningful.
• Define what is needed for a reader to be able to relate to a character in your book.
Describe
When describing something, use descriptive words and lots of details. Describe it
so that a person reading what you wrote can make a picture in their mind with what
you are saying.
• Describe the important ideas in this story.
• Describe the similarities and differences between the main character and you.
• Describe the main characters.
• Describe the mood of what you are reading.
Differentiate
When you differentiate, you want to explain the difference.
• Differentiate between the main character and someone you know.
• Differentiate between a good story or poem and a bad story or poem.
• Differentiate between the setting of what you are reading and where you live.
Discuss
When discussing something, closely examine the subject in detail.
• Discuss why you like or dislike what you are reading.
• Discuss what you think what moral, or life-lesson, can be found in what you are
reading.
• Discuss what images appear in your mind as you read & how the author helped
create those images.
Evaluate
When evaluating, look closely to determine what is important and significant.
• Evaluate whether the title fits the story.
• Evaluate the quality of the writing.
• Evaluate whether the main character would be worthy of your friendship.
Explain
When explaining something, give reasons why things happened or give reasons for
how you got your answer.
• Explain what kind of reader would like this book most.
• Explain why somebody should or should not read this?
• How would you explain the plot of this story to somebody interested in reading
it?
Identify
When identifying something, look closely and explain what makes it unique.
• Identify what the author has done to try to keep you reading the book.
• Identify the main characters. Describe what has happened that makes you
believe they are the main characters?
• Identify the protagonist. Identify the antagonist. Describe what has happened
that makes you believe they are the main characters?
Interpret
When interpreting something, think and examine it carefully, then give the
meaning or significance of it.
• Pick the phrase from what you are reading that made you think. Interpret what
the author meant.
• Pick out 2-4 words from what you are reading that you had difficulty
understanding. Interpret what you think each word means based on context
clues (other words around that word that might help you interpret what the
author means).
• Which characters would you interpret to be ‘good’? Which would you interpret
to be ‘bad’? What has the author written that leads you to those interpretations?
List & then explain in paragraph format to go into detail
When creating a list about an event or thing, provide all of the details or all of the
steps in order.
• List the reasons why another person should or should not read this.
• List the events, in order, that have happened so far in what you’ve been reading.
• List five characters and their personality and physical traits.
Main Idea
When looking at the main idea, look for the most important idea or reason.
• What is main idea? Defend your answer.
• Write the main idea of what you are reading and what are your reasons for
thinking it is the main idea.
Outline
When outlining something, you are creating a brief description.
• Outline the important events of what you are reading.
• Outline the plot.
• Using outline form, describe what is needed for an effective poem or book
Prove
To prove something, you give details and examples for what you think or believe.
• Prove what the author is trying to tell you about life (the moral).
• Prove how reading this can change or impact the reader’s life.
• Prove the theme of what you are reading (bravery, loyalty, friendship,
loneliness, etc.).
Summary
To summarize, give a brief description of what happened with only a few details.
• Summarize what has happened in the book so far.
• Summarize what you just read. Make me want to read it!
• In few paragraphs, summarize what you read today.
Usually
Usually is a way to describing something that often, but not always, occurs.
• Usually a reader imagines the places being described in the story. Draw a
picture of the image you have from this story. What do you usually see when
reading a story?
• Usually an author uses descriptive words to allow us to set the mood and
setting. How does this author do that? What words do you usually use?
Prompts: Miscellaneous
• After reading, I wonder…
• Are the characters realistic (do they seem like they could be read people)? Why
or why not?
• Describe a character that you would like to meet (which doesn’t mean that you
think you would like the character, but that you think the character would be
interesting). List 4 questions that you would ask.
• Describe something you have read that is similar to this.
• Describe the main characters.
• Describe the major conflict. What side are you on?
• Describe the most important event. Give at least three reasons why you think it
is the most important event.
• Describe the setting – when and where what you are reading takes place.
• Describe the setting’s time and place. Create a new setting that you think
would be better for the story and describe it.
• Describe what was either believable or unbelievable about your reading.
Defend your opinion.
• Describe the similarities and differences between the main character and you.
• Describe the theme (central meaning/message) of your reading.
• Describe your least favorite character and explain why. Describe your most
favorite character and explain why.
• Do any of the characters feeling change as you’ve read? Explain why or why
not.
• Do you like what you’re reading? Why or why not?
• Draw an interpretation of the passage – may be a picture, symbols, graphic
organizer - and then explain your pictures in paragraph format.
• Explain how you have been surprised by what you are reading.
• How did the reading make you feel? Why? How have your feelings changed as you’ve been reading?
• How do authors characterize their actors? (Dialogue, direct commentary,
actions…) Explain.
• If the author were here, what would you say and ask him/her?
• If you could change what you’re reading, how would you change it?
• If you could talk to the author, what questions would you ask? Why?
• If you were a character in this book, who would you be? Why?
• If you were the author, what would you change? Why?
• Is the setting described well enough that can put a picture of it in your mind?
Why or why not?
• List at least three problems the characters faced? Which was the most life
changing? Explain
• List five major events in order from which happened first to last.
• List the personality characteristics of the main character (feelings, interests,
behaviors, etc.)
• List the physical characteristics of the main character (clothing, physical
features, etc.)
• List three new vocabulary words from your reading. What can you tell about
them from their structure? What can you tell about them from their context?
• List three questions you have about what you read.
• Make a timeline of the events that have occurred in your book so far…
• Predict what will happen next and support your thoughts.
• Pretend what you are reading is nominated for a national award. Explain why
you think it should or should not receive an award.
• Pretend you are a talk show host and two characters are the guests on your
show. Which characters would you chose and why? List two questions that
you, the host, would ask each character.
• Pretend you are famous reporter on TV. Write a story about what you’ve read
for the evening news.
• Pretend you are the friend of one of the characters. Write him or her a letter.
• Pretend you get to create the music soundtrack for what you’ve been reading.
What five songs would you include? Write an explaination for each song: why
would you include it, how does the song connect to events.
• Select a quote from your reading that you liked. What made you pick it? How
does it make you pause and think?
• Quote a passage & respond to it. How did it make you feel?
• Tell me about the main character. What kind of person is he/she?
• Think of a problem that a character had to face. Write the problem and how the
character solved it or is working to solve it. If you were that character, what
would you do differently?
• Thinking about what you just read, draw the picture that appears in your mind.
• This text relates to my life because…
• What are some things you do when you don’t understand what you’re reading?
• What are the two most important ideas from what you’ve been reading?
• What are two emotions the main character has felt? What made the main
character feel that way?
• What character is like you? Describe how is he or she like you?
• What do you like about what you are reading?
• What does this book remind you of?
• What emotions do you feel about your reading? Describe what is going on in
the reading that makes you feel that way.
• What event could have happened in real life? What would be similar in real
life? What would be different in real life?
• What has been the most important part of what you’ve been reading?
• What has been the most interesting part of your reading?
• What has happened so far? What do you think will happen next?
• What have you been reading? What does it remind you of in your own life?
• What ideas do you have about what is going to happen? What clues have you
read to give you those ideas?
• What is the author trying to tell you about life in this story? Defend this moral.
• What is the mood of what you’re reading (happy, sad, funny, serious, etc.)?
Defend your idea.
• What is your favorite part of the book you’re reading? Why?
• What message or less was conveyed.
• What object is important? Draw it. Write an explaination for why you feel it is
important.
• What passage describes how you want to live your life? Why?
• What questions would you like answered about your reading? Would you like
the book/article better if you knew those answers now? Why?
• What special way did the author write (for example, flashbacks, told in first
person, multiple voice narrative, foreshadowing, lost descriptive words that
create visual images in your mind, etc.)? Did that make reading it better or
worse? Explain.
• What surprises you in this story? Explain why.
• What you are reading is going to be made into a movie. Create the movie
poster.
• What you are reading is going to be made into a movie. Make a list five
characters, what famous actor will play each character and what about the
character makes that actor the best choice for the part.
• What you are reading is going to be made into a movie. You are the movie
executive that chooses the location for the filming. Where would you chose
and why?
• Which character do you like best? Why? Which character do you like least? Why?
• Who are the characters? Describe who they are, what they look like and how
they are connected.
• Who is the author? What do you know about the author? What do you imagine
the author must be like?
• Why did you choose this to read? Give at least 3 reasons.
• Why do you think the author wrote this?
• Would you recommend this book to friends? Why or Why not?
• Write a journal entry as if you were a certain character from your reading.
• Write a quote from what you are reading that has meaning for you. Explain
why you chose this quote.
• Write a quote from your reading that connects to your life. What did it mean to
what you’ve been reading? What did it mean to your life?
• Write a review of what you just read (summary plus personal opinions).
• Write about a situation a character experiences. Write about a similar situation
you experienced.
• Write about how one character feels. Write about a time you felt that way, too.
• Write down one word from your reading that you didn’t know. What is your
guess about what it means? How did you make that guess?
• Write an editorial, an opinion essay, about an event from your reading.
• Write an obituary for the protagonist or antagonist.
• Write the biography for one character.
