The Lit Response Paper (due 11/14)

Literature Response Paper

Remember the days of book reports? All you had to do was read a little book, write a little summary, and you got a good little grade. Those were some good times… and they’re over. Successful readers of literature interact with text. Rather than parroting back facts, effective readers spend time questioning a text and investigating their opinions about what they have read.

A vital part of understanding literature is reflection and discussion. Why read something and never share your opinion? In order to facilitate class discussions, trace your development as a reader, and develop your skills as a concise writer, this semester, you will write critical response papers every week.

You may use this paper to ask significant questions about the text, but you must attempt to answer those questions within your paper. It is imperative that you go beyond the words on the page, beyond that book report summary of elementary school. Plot summary, then is absolutely prohibited in this paper. Your focus is discovering meaning, not critiquing a text or re-hashing a plot. If you summarize, your grade will be an automatic D.

Suggestions for writing these papers:
Select a specific passage or theme from the reading to respond to
Answer a significant question that you are left with at the end of the reading
Make specific connections with the text and other relevant resources

The paper must follow these guidelines:
One page, typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12
Have a single spaced header on the left side of the page that includes your name, the date, the class period.
Have a title (centered) that indicates the reading assignment to which you are responding
In a three paragraph format. Because this is a concise paper, you can not use a three point thesis, but you MUST have a thesis statement.
Your paper must have gone through spell/grammar check. You must check the Fleisch-Kinkaid grade level of your paper and note it on the back.
Your paper must be printed before you walk into class on the day it is due. You will not be allowed to print in my classroom on the day it is due.

Any paper that does not adhere to these guidelines will automatically receive a failing grade.

The idea is that these papers will give you a foundation to prepare for and contribute to class discussions. On some days, you may be asked to read your response papers or share the ideas generated by the papers. These papers will be challenging, they will require thought and reflection, so don’t even attempt to crank them out in ten minutes before they are due.

The papers will be returned to you every Tuesday (except for the first one). You will keep them in your English binder. Organize them with the most recent paper on top so that you can see your progression as a writer.

Each paper is worth 50 points… the same as a quiz, so don’t blow them off.

(Special thanks to Mrs. Mest for this assignment!)