Dear class,
Throughout the year you will write letters to me about books. Your letters will help us learn together. The letters will help you learn more about reading. When you write letters in your reading journals, do your best work and share your best thinking. For example, you might:
- Tell them what you like or dislike about a book and why.
- Tell them about parts of your book that puzzle you or made you ask questions.
- Tell them what you noticed about the characters, such as what made them act as they did or how they changed.
- Write about something in the book that surprised you or that you found interesting.
- Write your predictions and about whether your predictions were right.
- Ask for help in figuring out the meaning of your book.
- Tell about the connections that you made while reading the book. Tell how it reminds you of yourself, of people you know, or of something that happened in your life. It might remind you of other books, especially the characters, the event, or the setting.
- Write about the author's style and how it makes you feel.
- Write about the language the author used and why you think the author wrote this way.
- Write about the author's craft- what was effective about the way the author wrote.
Write a letter to me once each week. The completed letter is due on the day indicated on the response journal list. Use a letter form and include the title and author of your book. It is important that your letters are neat and easy to read so I can understand what you are thinking. Read through your letter to make sure that it says all you want it to say before you place it in the basket. When I read your journal, I will learn from you, and we will learn together about books. What fun we will have getting to know each other and books!
Eager to read your letter,
Mr. Borg