Sandra K. Friday
For an initial response to a story, students might begin with:
At first I thought. . . but now I think. . .
This reminds me of . . .
This character makes me think of . . .
This story is similar to . . .
What I want to know is. . .
When students pick out what they think is an important quote or passage or a scene in a film to write about, they might think about:
This quote, passage, or scene. . . shows . . .about the character. . .;
This quote, passage, or scene. . . identifies the conflict. . . in the story;
This quote, passage, or scene. . . expresses the lesson. . . in the story;
This quote, passage, or scene. . . is the turning point in the story because. . .
When students are making observations about how characters change and grow they might use the three prompts:
At first. . . . (This prompt establishes how the character is before the change)
But then. . .
And finally . . .
When students are trying to make connections to the story, they might consider:
This character makes me think of. . .
This story is similar to. . .
The decision made by . . . . in the story reminds me of when I . . .
This setting reminds me of. . .
When students are practicing the skill of evaluating whether the story is good or effective, these prompts might be useful:
This story has lots of details;
The characters are believable because. . .
The story relates to me because. . .
The story has a surprise ending;
The story has an important lesson;
The character(s) in the story learned or grew in understanding as the result of. . .