Read, Think, and Write - Homework Suggestions for Homework Reading Logs: Your homework assignment is to read for 30 minutes each day, (5 days per week) from a book of your choice, and record the book title, date, and pages read on the Reading Log. Then you should spend about 15-20 minutes to think about your reading and respond to one of the writing prompts below. The sentence starters may help you to make connections between the book you are reading now and other books you have read in the past, or you may connect the book you are reading to your personal experiences. When you are finished with your book, you should have responses from all of the areas listed below. (Characters, Plot, Setting, Mood, Style, Theme, Author) You should also have connections, I Wonder questions, and predictions throughout your book.   Characters Who are the main characters in the story? Do you like or dislike them? Why? Who is the most important character in the story? Why? Do any of the characters change in the story? How? Does a character do things that are good/bad? What? Choose a character. Why is this character important in the story? Do you know anyone like a character in the story? The character I most/least admire is ______ because...  I think the relationship between ______ and ______ is interesting because... This character reminds me of myself because...  This character is like (name of character) in (title of work) because...  If I were (name of character) at his point, I'd...because... What would you have done differently if you had been one of the characters? Plot What are the main things that have happened in the story? Were you able to guess what was going to happen next? What clues did you use? Can you think of another way that the story might have happened? Can you think of another way that your story might have ended? What might have happened if a certain action had not taken place? Which chapter do you think is the most important to the story? Why? Who has a problem? Is there one problem or more than one? What is the problem in the story? How is the problem solved? How do you know? Setting Where does this story take place? What is this place like? When did this story take place? How do you know? Have you ever been in a place like this? Could there be a place like this? Did the story take place a long time ago/in the future/now? Which part of the story best describes the setting? How does the writer create the atmosphere for the setting? What words does the author use? Is there anything I can tell about the setting even though it does not say it directly? For example: I know it is winter if there is snow on the ground. I think this setting is important because... This scene reminds me of a similar scene in (title of work) because... Mood How did you feel while reading this story? Why did you feel that way? What was the most exciting thing that happened? What was the funniest/saddest/strangest thing that happened? What do you remember most about this story? How did the author make you feel the way you did? Does the mood of the story change? (Was the beginning of the story sad and the ending happy?) How? The part that I liked/disliked the most was...because...  I was confused when .....because... This part reminds me of when I read (heard, saw, experienced).....because...  This part is very realistic/unrealistic because...  I think the important details in this section were... because...  I understand this part because... This situation reminds me of the time ...because... I learned that... Style What special words does the author use to help you see, hear, smell, or taste things in the story? What pictures did the author leave in your mind? What did you like about the way the author wrote the story? What did you dislike about the way the author wrote the story? How did the author describe the characters? Were there any unusual ways of saying things? How does the author keep you interested? What strengths does the author have? What do you like about his or her style? Theme Why do you think the author wrote this book? Do you think there is a message in this story? What is it? Have you learned a lesson from reading this story? What is it? Author Who is the author? What is the author trying to tell you in the book? What did the author have to know to write this book? What do you know about the author? How can you tell? What kinds of things do the author like or dislike? How can you tell? Why do you think the author wrote the book?       - What Homework Do We Have Tonight? -