Reading Response Strategies

Each week in their Reader's Response Journals, students are responsible for using one strategy we have practiced in class.  Students should apply the strategy to the book they are currently reading, providing evidence of deep thinking and supporting details from the text.  In order to help students meet expectations, we have provided samples of appropriate strategy use.  These samples can also be found in their Reader's Response Journals.  

Prediction

            I think that Rob will go back to visit the tiger in the near future.  He keeps thinking about the tiger to distract him from the difficult times in his life.  When Billy and Norton were bullying him on the bus, he was able to keep from crying by thinking about the tiger.  He is obviously very interested in the tiger and I know when I am interested in something, I want to investigate.  Also, looking at the cover of the book, I see two kids with the tiger in the woods.  I think those two kids are Rob and Sistine.  They might release the tiger together.  The title of the book is The Tiger Rising, so I imagine the tiger must play an important role in the story.

Connection

            When I read about Rob disliking school and not wanting to go, I could relate.  When I was in middle school, there was a girl who was unkind to me every day.  She called me names and made me miserable.  I dreaded going to school each morning.  Whenever I saw her, my heart would pound and my face would get all red.  I had to fight back tears whenever she was mean to me.  This makes me realize how Rob must feel every time he waits for the bus.  As it approaches, I bet his heart is pounding and with each step up into the bus he is probably more and more miserable.  I bet when he gets onboard and sees Billy and Norton smiling with anticipation, he wants to turn around and run right back off the bus.  That’s how I always felt. 

Clues in the Context

            As I was reading, I came across an unfamiliar word.  As Rob was waiting for the bus, he tried not to think about many things.  “He specifically did not think about Norton and Billy Threemonger waiting for him like chained and starved dogs, eager to attack.”  The word I did not recognize was “eager.”  Looking at the clues, it mentions dogs that are chained and starved.  This makes me think they are angry and hungry.  It makes them seem vicious and menacing.  Based on these clues, I would guess that eager means excited.  An angry, hungry dog would be excited to attack.  This makes sense when I plug it in, “He specifically did not think about Norton and Billy Threemonger waiting for him like chained and starved dogs, excited to attack.” 

Questioning

I wonder what inspired the author to write this story.  Maybe she had a difficult childhood, just like Rob.  Maybe she lost a parent at a young age and kept all of her emotions bottled up inside.  I wonder how Rob’s life would be different if his mom had not passed away.  The book says he “couldn’t stop crying the great heaving sobs that made his chest and stomach hurt.” This shows me that he loved her very much, so she must have been a caring woman.  I bet if she were alive, he would be more open with his emotions; he wouldn’t have to lock them up in the “suitcase” inside.  He seems unable to talk with his dad about things, but I bet he could have talked to his mom. 

Inferring

            I infer that Sistine is a very confident girl.  When she walks onto the bus and Billy and Norton make fun of her fancy pink dress, she responds by saying, “It’s not my fault you don’t have good clothes.”  She looks them right in the eye when she says this.  I know that when people are nervous or insecure, they usually look at the ground, but when someone looks you right in the eye, they have confidence.  When Sistine gets to school and has to speak in front of the class, she does not hesitate.  I get nervous in front of big groups of people.  I move slowly and look at the ground when I talk, but Sistine does not.  She stands up and insults everyone right to their faces, calling them “ignorant” and then looks around the room “defiantly.”  These examples prove she is not afraid of what others think.  She is a very confident girl!

Envisioning

            This author did a wonderful job painting a picture with words.  The morning Rob sees the tiger, the author writes, “The sky was gray and the air was thick and still.  Fog was hugging the ground.”  I envision Rob standing by the edge of the woods.  His feet are hidden by a thin layer of fog as he stares at the majestic caged tiger.  The text says, “It seemed as if the tiger was some magic trick, rising out of the mist.”  I imagine the dreary gray sky and the bright orange of the tiger, appearing through the fog.  “He was so astounded at his discovery, so amazed, that he stood and stared.”  I see Rob staring at the tiger with his mouth hanging open and his eyes almost bulging out of his head.  I bet he is thinking, “How in the world did this tiger get here?  Who is taking care of it?”  He probably wants to go and pet it, but he’s nervous it will bite him!