The Literature Based Interview Process

Step 2

Step 1

Step 3
Keep a journal

When you have finished reading for the day, you and your students should individually write down your thoughts. It might be a scene that you can identify with, or an idea that you care about. It might be an event that upsets you or a passage that piques your curiosity. Respond to a part of the story that makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you want to keep reading. Don't summarize a segment, but tell how it makes you feel. Enter the world of voice journaling.

Tips From the Classroom

  One of the keys to having a successful ASK program is the journal entries. It is extremely important that students write in their journal every time they read. Students should try to write their reactions to what they have read, not a summary of what they have read. To help them with their journal entries, you may wish to share your reaction to a section.

In the movie, Ms. Burnett explains a time when she was young and she was hiding in the bushes from a stranger.

This is in reaction to the section of the story in Bud, Not Buddy where Bud is hiding from Lefty Lewis.

Modeling what you expect from your students will help your students in their journal entries.

 Another way to help students with their journal entries is to write some entries as a whole group. Below are examples of whole group journal entries done by Ms. Burnett's class.

Journal Example 1

Journal Example 2

Journal Example 3

These entries were provided by students and shown on an overhead projector for class discussion.

To view the journal entries, you will need Adobe Reader to view these PDF files. It is free from Adobe.

It is very important that the teacher model reading, journaling, and question writing for their students. Share an entry from your journal. Tell them a question you would ask.

You will need the QuickTime Plug In to view the movie. You may download it free at: http://www.apple.com/QuickTime/download/.

As students journal they should look for connections:

Self to Text: Connects of the text to their life. Have they or someone they know had a similiar experience.

Text to Information: Have the students read about this topic previously. Have they seen a movie about this.

 

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