Address what the main thesis is for the reading. What is the reading about, and why did the author write the text? Acknowledge any conclusions or commentary/arguments the author arrives at. If the book is about something, like the social and political happenings of the author’s time, what does the author ultimately think and how do you know this? Incorporate one or two important quotes that are representative of the rest of the text.
Don’t be afraid to make connections between the book and your own life; if there is a theme or character that speaks to you, write about why. Address and evaluate the author’s arguments and conclusions, which should have been detailed in the summary part of your journal. Think of the commentary as either supporting or rejecting (what you consider) the author’s main points. Justify your opinions in the commentary. Agreeing or disagreeing is only the first step; for a thorough response, you’ll need to analyze your own opinions and arrive at a reason why you had that reaction.
Allow yourself to explore a topic covered in the summary. Think about why you believe the author addressed certain subjects, as well as what you think about those subjects and the author’s depiction. Analyze your opinions. Don’t just write that you liked or disliked something, or that you agreed or disagreed with it - dig deeper and figure out why. Ask yourself: How far can I run with a given idea, and how can I make sense of it? Think of your journal as a place to make sense of both the academic and personal experience of reading a given book. [4] X Research source As your journal progresses over the course of the semester or school year, your responses should become longer and more complex. You should be able to chart the development of your thoughts within each individual response and across the journal as a whole.
Consider using clear and descriptive headings in your journal. It will help you more easily find your thoughts and insights as you read through your journal at a later date. It’s okay if the actual journal entries wander a bit while exploring the subject - in fact, this can be very helpful. [5] X Research source The goal is to organize your journal as a whole so that you can make sense of your entries and track your progress.
Try to get a general understanding of what the text is about before you read it. You can do this by reading a summary, skimming the chapter(s), or browsing a reader’s companion to a given text. Contextualize the text in terms of its historical, biographical, and cultural significance. Ask questions about the text. Don’t just passively read the book; analyze what’s being said and have an “argument” in your notes when you disagree with the author. Be aware of your personal response to the text. What shaped your beliefs on that subject, and how might your beliefs be similar to or different from the author’s (or a reader of his or her time)? Identify the main thesis of the text and try to trace how it develops over the course of the book.
Annotations don’t have to be eloquent. They can be half-formed thoughts and impressions, or even exclamations. Some critical readers annotate a text to clarify things that were vague in the text. Other readers annotate to assess and evaluate the author’s arguments. Try to make your annotations as diverse as possible so that your notes approach the subject matter from multiple angles.
Try to read through your annotations within a day of writing them, and then several times over the following weeks.
Highlight or draw a star next to the 10 or so notes, comments, or passages that you identify as being somewhat significant. Underline or put a second star next to the five notes/comments/passages that you think are most significant. They can be significant to the plot, to your understanding of the plot, or to the argument you hope to support in your response.
Story webs are typically organized by a central topic or question in the middle, surrounded by boxes or bubbles that link to that topic and support, deny, or comment on that topic or question. Story maps can be more like a flow chart. They track the major plot points and break down the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the book in a visual format.
Try not to copy your freewriting word for word into your journal. Instead, pull out a few key thoughts and phrases, then try to expand on them to develop your ideas for the journal entry.
Freewriting can be helpful to work out your summary of the reading, where prewriting may be useful for working out your commentary on the text. Try not to restrict or limit yourself while prewriting. Let yourself explore the thoughts and opinions you had as you read the text and trace those thoughts to their logical conclusions.
