Reading Journals

Crystals

My Reading Journal

A reading journal is your chance to write about the book you are reading and describe the things that strike you while you are reading it.

Design an exciting and individual cover for your reading journal!

Pencil colors

What do you think you will need to include in your reading journal?

You will need to make notes on:
  • Plot
  • Narrative Strucure
  • Point of View
  • Characterization
  • Setting

Your reading journal can also be used to record other thoughts and ideas.

  • Dreams you have had that you would like to remember.
  • Quotations you like from film or television programs.
  • Ideas you get from reading which you would like to use in your writing.
  • Characters in novels who have made you laugh.
  • You can use your journal to make notes on private reading as well as the book you are reading in class.

When you use a reading journal, try not to write as though you are answering questions from a textbook but as though you are chatting to a friend about your reading, just as you would chat about a film you have seen.

To begin with, you will need to jot down a few basic pieces of information in your reading journal. Look at the example on the opposite page. 

Book title: Holes 
Date started: 5th Feb 
Author: Louis Sachar 
Type of book: Adventure 
Recommended by: Julie 
Names of main characters: 
Stanley Yelnats, X-Ray, Magnet, 
Mr Pendanski, Armpit, Zig Zag 
Story so far: In a mix-up, Stanley 
is arrested for stealing and sent to 
Camp Green Lake. The camp is a 
dried up desert where Stanley and 
the other boys must dig 5 ft. holes 
all day!

My Reading Journal

Sometimes when you have read a great book you want to record your thoughts and feelings about it. Keeping a reading journal is a fun way to do this. In this activity, you will learn about what to include in your reading journal.

Press either side of the book to turn the page.

Press play▶️ to begin.