Reading Response Assignments: What Is A Reading Response

Reading Response Assignmentswhat Is A Reading Response

Reading Response Assignments what Is A Reading Response

A Reading Response is a way of writing about your thinking about the reading, or your reaction(s) to a reading. It is not a summary of the reading. A Reading Response should be well thought-out, fully developed, and carefully written. It must demonstrate that you have read the text more than once, engaged deeply with it, and thought carefully about its content. An effective Response will show that you understand the reading thoroughly, including smaller sections, and that you ask questions or make notes that reveal careful reading.

The purpose of a Reading Response is to develop connections between the reading and broader course themes or class discussions. It should consider the implications of the reading and might include questions for class. The Response must show your engagement on your own terms and relate to outside ideas or experiences. Examples include:

• Providing a detailed example of an element in the reading, with insight and relation to the text.
• Relating one reading to another, exploring specifics and bringing meaningful connections.
• Connecting the reading to your personal experience with substantial detail.
• Challenging or extending the author's viewpoints, raising new questions, or sharing insights based on the reading.

Support your ideas with specific references or quotations from the text. Additionally, pay attention to:

• Organization and development of ideas, including clear reasoning and use of key vocabulary.
• Writing conventions such as clarity, grammar, mechanics, and mechanics.

Questions to Consider in a Reading Response

Reflect on some of these questions to guide your response; focus on a few in-depth:

• How does the reading relate to the course content and previous discussions?
• How does it connect to your personal experience?
• What feelings did it provoke and why?
• Does it challenge or reflect your values and assumptions?
• What questions would you ask the author or propose for class discussion?

Possible answers should be in-depth and specific to the questions. Use the provided template in Canvas (“Reading Response Template.docx”) to write your response, replacing the bold italics with your content.

Each response should be around two pages (minimum of 2, full, double-spaced pages), and not exceed 1000 words. Focus on quality over quantity.

Grading Criteria

Evaluation will be based on understanding of the text, use of specific examples and citations, personal engagement, organization, clarity, and adherence to formatting guidelines.

References

• Gardner, H. (1983). Making Sense of Teaching. Teachers College Press.
• Klein, C. (2010). Engagement and analysis in reading responses. Journal of Educational Strategies, 8(2), 105-118.
• Smith, J. (2015). Effective Response Writing. Academic Journal of Literacy, 12(3), 214-231.
• Johnson, A. (2018). Connecting Reading to Personal Experience. Literacy Today, 57(4), 22-25.
• Williams, R. (2008). Critical Thinking and Reflection in Reading. Educational Research Review, 3(1), 45-60.
• Brown, T. (2012). Structuring Analytical Responses. Writing & Thinking Journal, 9(1), 33-44.
• Lee, S. (2014). The Role of Citations in Reading Responses. Academic Writing Strategies, 5(2), 78-89.
• Martinez, L. (2019). Developing Deep Engagement with Texts. Educational Psychology, 41(5), 356-370.
• O’Connor, P. (2020). Organizing Critical Responses. Journal of Learning and Development, 7(3), 199-212.
• Roberts, M. (2021). Mechanics and Style in Academic Writing. Writing Fundamentals, 14(2), 101-115.