A Reader’s Job

A Reader’s Job at the BEGINNING of a Book:

  • Learn the setting: place & time period
  • Learn the character names
  • Learn the relationships among the characters
  • Learn the traits of the characters
  • Establish the narrator–who is telling the story?

A Reader’s Job in the MIDDLE of a Book

  • Know the characters voices in the text so well that I can identify who is speaking by their personality traits and style.
  • Know the conflict
  • Anticipate what is going to happen next.
  • Begin gathering text evidence to support my theory.
  • Notice when something BIG happens.

A Reader’s Job at the END of a Book:

  • Know the resolution of the story
  • Know what the characters learned–how they changed
  • Think about the lesson of the story–the “big idea”
  • Have an opinion about this book–compare it to other books
  • Life to text: what does this book make me think about myself and my life?

(with thanks and apologies to Gina Ma, who used to post this list in her classroom)

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