Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Response to Literature


Question: How help students to interpret literature?

Answer: Students fold a sheet of paper in half. The first column is labeled “In the Text.” The Second column is labeled “In My Head.” “I direct students to quote five portions of text in the left-hand column (‘In  the Text’) during reading. Readers may choose a quotation because it raises questions, reminds them of a prior experience, seems important to interpret, or elicits an opinion, perhaps about the writing style…. Under ‘In My Head’ directly opposite each quote, students record personal responses.” P. 58.

Comment: Interesting. First, it causes students to pick significant quotes from the text. Next, it causes students to reflect, react to the quotes. Having students search for interesting quotes in literature is an excellent idea. The quotes could help support the student’s interpretation during discussion. They can help to find the theme of the literary selection. I like the idea. RayS.

 Title: “Two-Column Response to Literature.” Hilda E. Ollmann. Journal of Reading (September 1992), 58-59

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