Guide to Nightly Reading Response Log FREEBIE

If you teach a Special Ed. class (like me!) you know the value of your commitments to modified work. Many of your students might have a stipulation (formally known as a modification) that says their assignments must be modified. I'm diligent when it comes to modifying for my kids who have that specific modification. However, I hadn't considered modifying our weekly reading response. It's pretty straight forward, already calls for only a short answer response, and is usable across a few grade levels.

Until I found that we weren't quite successful with it. It's time to revisit our weekly reading response log.

What is a Reading Response Log?
When I talk about a reading response log I'm talking about the handout that stays in their binder where they record their nightly reading and write a response. It differs from a typical "Reading Log" because they are asked to write a response. If you are teaching 3 grade and beyond,  a reading log on it's own isn't sufficient. They need to be writing a response.

The reason I say our accepted Reading Response Log wasn't successful is because of the reponses they were writing. Sure, sometimes I can see where sometimes it is because the learner isn't giving 100% ( I know my kids!) but sometimes they didn't grasp the task. At the end of the day I stick to one thing:

DO NOT LET THEM PRACTICE ANYTHING THE WRONG WAY

And if they aren't completing their reading response logs the way they are intended to, they are practicing it the wrong way.

Choosing a Reading Response Log
A reading response log should target vocabulary and key concepts. I know teachers who pick specific assignments tailored to whatever is being taught that week which I think is awesome, however there are more efficient and equally meaningful ways to go about this. Reading logs are a great time to get those tride and true, fundamental skills that you maybe cannot afford to teach all year. For example, story theme is taught once or twice throughout the year, but learning could be reinforced by having a theme question on each weekly reading response. I hate to throw this in, but it's also less work for you to tailor things this way. Rather than creating a new menu each week, create one with several choices that could be used over several weeks.

This is also a good opportunity for choice. Providing 6 or 7 choices for 5 nights of reading allow a little wiggle room and a chance for your students to choose.

Choosing Reading Response Log Tasks
Consider the following key parts of instruction to guide your RRL tasks.
-Elements of fiction. This includes plot, theme, genre, characters, setting, etc.
-Target vocabulary. What vocabulary will be used in this six weeks? How can your reader identify new vocabulary? What should they do when they are unfamiliar with a word?
-Figurative language. Similes, metaphors, hyperboles, etc.
-Bloom's Taxonomy- How can you be selective in choosing responses so that you might cover several levels of Blooms to enhance student learning?

To start you off, I've found a nifty little reading log to be used for the lower grades or in a special education setting. This reading log targets mutiple level of Bloom's Taxonomy. Click HERE to download this FREEBIE.


What strategies have you used in your classroom to make the most of reading logs?