Literature Response in Primary Classrooms
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Overview
This is a five step guide for setting up a framework for ongoing written literature response with primary students, especially Kindergarten. Designed to help teachers “set the stage” for ongling literature response, the procedure begins with drawing/labeling and moves through increasingly complex writing requirements that address higher-order thinking skills and foster student creativity. The lesson uses picture books from one author to model, demonstrate and describe the steps in detail. Ready-to-use templates are included. This recurring lesson assumes that students will be responding to literature in writing on a regular basis throughout the school year, with increasing complexity.
Featured Resources
From Theory to Practice
Writing for young children starts with conversation and other oral language. NCTE (2004) tells us, in their guideline on beliefs about the teaching of writing, that through talk, children figure out how to write, that they decide what to write down through a variety of oral language experiences, including “explaining orally what is in a text, whether it is printed or drawn.” Further, in “Text Talk,” Beck & McKeown (2001) show that all questions and responses are not of equal value, and discuss the importance of using open-ended questions in discussions about read-alouds to help students more deeply understand the stories read to them.
In this lesson, oral responses to read-aloud stories precede students’ written responses to literature. Through conversations and discussions about texts, students are given time to clarify their thoughts, get new ideas from others, and establish a core understanding of fiction texts that enable them to respond to prompts in individual, open-ended ways.
Further Reading
Common Core Standards
This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.
State Standards
This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.
NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts
- 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
- 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
- 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
- 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
- 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
Materials and Technology
- Jan Brett books or four other related read-aloud books
- chart paper and markers
- crayons, colored pencils, or other appropriate drawing tools
Printouts
Websites
Teachers might use these downloadable bookmarks from UCONN as a resource when developing ongoing literature response prompts. They include a variety of questions that apply to most books, for fiction, non-fiction and many genres.
This Timmons Times blog post describes the creation of a 3-point student-friendly literature response rubric. Teachers creating rubrics with students can use this website as a resource.
This author website includes many activities and resources related to Jan Brett’s books, including “how to draw” videos.
Preparation
Note: In order to specifically illustrate and model in detail the progression of literature response prompts and to serve as a starting point, this series of lessons uses four books written by Jan Brett. Presumably, students will be responding in writing to many different books throughout the school year, using a variety of prompts as well as their own open-ended responses.
- Gather Jan Brett books for read-aloud: The Mitten, The Hat, The Three Snow Bears, and Annie and the Wild Animals, OR choose alternate picture books with interesting characters, clear plot points, clear problem/solution, and/or interesting conflict.
- Make copies for all students of the Literature Response Prompts for Jan Brett Books templates. For suggestions, see Sample Prompts for Literature Response in Primary Classrooms.
- Make sure all students have access to crayons and/or colored pencils in a wide variety of colors.
- Arrange for adult presence/assistance in classrooms with students students who are not ready to write or who need help; the adult can transcribe or assist as appropriate. For example, in Kindergarten, the literature response can be done during “centers” or “stations” if the read aloud has taken place immediately prior to this time.
- If you are planning to use the online Venn Diagram interactive, test the interactive and make sure that you have the appropriate software installed for it to run effectively. You will need computers with internet access for each student to use this interactive. If computer accessibility is a problem, print out paper copies of the interactive and make enough copies for each student. If you need additional help with this interactive, please visit our Technical Help page.
Student Objectives
Students will:
- listen to read-aloud stories and participate in discussions about those stories.
- draw and write responses to read alouds.
- compare characters, plots, and/or other elements of two stories.
Session One: Literature Response - Draw and label with individual words
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Read Aloud: The Mitten. During the read aloud, stop as appropriate to ask prediction questions and to discuss details in the illustrations that depict what is being said in the story.
- Whole Group Discussion:
- How did this story start?
- What did Nicki want ? What did Baba want?
- What do we know about Nicki’s mitten?
- Why did animals get inside the mitten?
- Could this really happen? How do you know?
- What happened to the mitten?
- How did the story end?
- Turn and Talk:
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What animals went in the mitten? How many can you name?
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After talking with partners, have students name the animals. Write the animals’ names on the board and have students read them with you.
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- Individual Drawing and Writing Activity:
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Draw a picture of some of the animals in the story. Write the names of the animals or tell an adult about your picture. OR
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Draw three pictures to show what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Write about each picture.
To assess students' knowledge from Session One, use the following checklist (see Checklists to Assess Student Understanding for printable version):
- Student’s drawing shows more than one animal.
- All animals are labeled with student phonetic spelling (or transcribed by adult).
- Drawings show the beginning, middle, and end of the story, with enough detail for the viewer to recognize the action/sequence.
- Writing matches what is shown in the pictures.
- Drawings are colorful and detailed.
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Session Two: Literature Response - Finish or fill in the blank sentence and illustrate
- Read Aloud: The Hat. During reading, stop to ask questions about Hedgie, including what she might do next and how she feels. Point out important details in illustrations.
- Whole Group Discussion:
- How did the story start?
- What happened next? Then what?
- Why was Lisa chasing Hedgie?
- How did Hedgie feel at first? How do you know?
- How did Hedgie feel at the end of the story?
- How is this story like The Mitten? How is it different?
- Individual Writing and Drawing Activity:
- Write first, then draw a picture to go with your writing.
I think Hedgie felt ___________ because _____________ .
or
First, _______________________ .
Then, ______________________ .
At the end, ____________________ .
I think Hedgie felt ___________ because ____________.
To assess students' knowledge from Session Two, use the following checklist (see Checklists to Assess Student Understanding for printable version):
- Student’s justification is congruent with the story.
- Student uses phonetic spelling.
- Drawings are congruent with the writing.
- Drawings are colorful and include visual details.
Session Three: Literature Response - Draw, then write
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Read Aloud: The Three Snow Bears. While reading, stop as appropriate to ask prediction questions and questions related to comparing this story to a story students have heard before. Have students find details in the illustrations that tell more about the story.
- Whole Group Discussion:
- What is Aloo-ki doing at the beginning of the story?
- What is the problem in this story?
- What happened to Aloo-ki’s dogs? How do you think this happened?
- How do you think the dogs felt? How do you think Aloo-ki felt? Why?
- Whose igloo did Aloo-ki find?
- Was it a good idea for Aloo-ki to go inside the igloo?
- What happened when the three snow bears came back to their igloo?
- How did Aloo-ki’s problem get solved?
- Does this story remind you of any other stories you have heard?
- How is this story similar to The Mitten or The Hat? How is it different?
- Turn and Talk:
- If the three snow bears had not found Aloo-ki’s dogs, what might have happened?
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Individual Drawing and Writing Activity:
- Draw a picture that shows how the problem got solved. Write about your picture. OR
- Show the problem and the solution with drawings, then write aside “solution” then draw and write about the problem and solution. bout them. Fold a blank copy paper in half, label one side “problem” and one side "solution"--then draw and write about the problem and solution.l
To assess students' knowledge from Session Three, use the following checklist (see Checklists to Assess Student Understanding for printable version):
- Student’s response shows how the problem was solved.
- Student uses phonetic and appropriate spelling.
- Drawing is congruent with the writing.
- Drawing is colorful and detailed.
Session Four: Literature Response - Write, then draw
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Read aloud: Annie and the Wild Animals . While reading, stop as appropriate to ask prediction and/or comparison questions. Have students describe details in the illustrations that help us understand the story.
- Whole Group Discussion:
- Tell about the beginning of this story.
- What did Annie want?
- What did Annie do to try to find a new pet?
- Why didn’t Annie find a new pet?
- How did Annie feel at the beginning of the story, and why?
- How did Annie feel at the end of the story, and why?
- How is this story similar to The Mitten, The Hat, or The Three Snow Bears?
- How is it different?
- Turn and Talk:
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If you were Annie, what would you do?
After partner talking, have students respond to the questions in the whole group.
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Then continue the discussion: How would you feel if you were Annie? Why?
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Individual Writing Activity:
- Tell about Annie’s search for a new pet. Draw a picture that goes with your writing. OR
- Tell what you would do if you were Annie. Draw a picture that goes with your writing.
To assess students' knowledge from Session Four, use the following checklist (see Checklists to Assess Student Understanding for printable version):
- Writing includes detail and responds appropriately to the prompt.
- Student uses phonetic spelling and/or conventional spelling.
- Writing is in complete sentences.
- Drawings are colorful and show detail.
Session Five: Compare two stories or two characters
Part One:
- Do a quick picture walk review of all four books. Have students “narrate” the story as you review the illustrations. Point out details in the illustrations and focus on characters’ actions, main plot points, and problem/solution situations.
- Turn and Talk: Tell your neighbor which story you liked best, and why.
- Individual Writing and Drawing Activity:
- Choose a favorite story, write about and illustrate a favorite scene or draw and tell something about the main character.
Part Two:
- Model use of the Venn Diagram Printout to compare two stories. Draw the Venn Diagram Printout on the board or a large chart paper (or project it for students to see); use student responses to fill in areas. Review process with students. Introduce and model the use of the Venn Diagram Interactive if students will be using it.
- Partner Activity:
- Choose two stories. Use the RWT Venn Diagram Interactive or the RWT Printout Venn Diagram to record comparison of two stories or two characters.
- Follow-Up Individual Activity:
- Choose something that is similar or different in the two stories/characters, and draw two pictures that show the comparison. Fold a blank copy paper in half, label each side with the story title, and draw pictures that show something the same in the two stories, or something different. Write a sentence to go with each drawing.
To assess students' knowledge from Session Five (Part 1), use the following checklist (see Checklists to Assess Student Understanding for printable version):
- Students’ writing is a personal opinion and includes reference to the story.
- Student uses a combination of conventional and phonetic spelling.
- Writing is in complete sentences.
- Drawings are congruent with the writing.
- Drawings are colorful and detailed.
To assess students' knowledge from Session Five (Part 2), use the following checklist (see Checklists to Assess Student Understanding for printable version):
- Comparisons and/or contrasts are accurate.
- Use of Venn Diagram is accurate.
- Writing describes similarity or difference with detail.
- Student uses conventional and phonetic spelling, as appropriate.
- Writing is in complete sentences.
- Drawing is congruent with writing.
- Drawing is colorful and includes detail.
Extensions
- Using all four books, make a graph of students’ favorites and analyze the data.
- Continue to have students respond to literature in writing on an ongoing basis, using similar prompts.
- Incorporate the use of drama, movement, dance, music, or three-dimensional constructions (i.e., clay, Legos, blocks) into literature responses.
- For added complexity, choose additional sets of books that have some unifying component, i.e., books by one author or books with similar topics, settings, or themes, and use literature response prompts that address comparisons of the books.
- Use literature response journals on an ongoing basis.
- Allow students access to different drawing materials and/or incorporate integrated art instruction using materials such as pastels or paints.
- Use the Character Map Printout to chart main character actions and interactions with other characters.
- Use prompt templates for reading at-home literature responses.
- For non-fiction books, have students draw and write about something they learned; create a class book with their pages.
- With students, create a simple rubric to use for ongoing literature responses.
Student Assessment / Reflections
- Teacher observation and/or use of checklists for literature responses (located at the end of each session):
- appropriate responses and/or text justification of responses
- drawings that match writings
- completeness and detail of drawings
- Teacher observation of student behaviors:
- listening behaviors and participation in discussion
- partner cooperation and participation