Workshop Wednesday - Reading Response

I'm linking up with Workshop Wednesday from Ideas by Jivey again! This week's topic is how we get our kids to respond to their reading.

One of the big things I do is have my kids keep a reading response journal that they must write to me in each and every week. In fact, we count it as part of their "Write about Reading" during our Daily 5 rotations.

A rubric is included for the kids to make sure that they include everything they should. I ask them to briefly summarize their reading in one paragraph and then write two more paragraphs that include a thoughtful response. The kids have a ton of options to include in their response, and the most common ones are included in a list on the other side of their rubric. 

I read, score (using the rubric) and respond to each of the letters each week. This can be time consuming, but I really value doing it. It's almost like having another reading conference with the kids. I learn a lot about their understanding by reading what they've written, and it often gives me ideas about what to talk about with them during their next conference. 

I compiled my reading response journal materials in this handy packet that's available on my TpT store! Check it out!

Jivey may have had her last day of school, (I'm making my jealous eyes even though you can't see them) but I've got 13 days to go!

I try to make the last bit of school bearable for myself and the kids by doing a little something fun each day. We've been using my 32 End of Year Activities to help do that. I do the tried and true "hang balloons from the ceiling with an activity inside" for each of the last days of school. I'll be posting about some of the fun activities we're doing in the next couple weeks!

Check out my activity cards in my store! Just a buck!