Checking for comprehension takes time, so here’s an idea that you can use with all of your students. . . Reading response journals.
What You’ll Need for Reading Response Journals
- journal for each student
- reading response prompts
- glue
- pencils
- crayons
- books
- audiobooks (e.g. Epic)
- video books (e.g. YouTube)
Choose Your Text
Any text can be used for reading response journals, which is what makes them awesome for checking comprehension. Another idea is how the students get the information from text. Students can use:
- independent reading books
- read alouds
- video books
- audio books
Choose Your Reading Response Focus
Your focus can range from a question directly about the text. It could be for students to identify the characters. It could be students making a connection to the text.
Students can draw pictures to respond. They can write a response. They can do both.
So many options!
Monitoring Comprehension
As your students leave responses in their reading response journals, you are able to check them whenever you’d like.
- check them once a week
- look over the journals as students are working on them
- discuss with small groups
Using Audio Books
If you’ve used Epic, you know there’s plenty of books for kids to listen to and read. If you haven’t, you need to try it!
Using epic to check for comprehension is a lifesaver. The site allows you to assign books to your class. After you assign the book, students can fill out this reading response after listening to a story to give you an idea of how well they understood the story.
Download this free reading response printable to get started with audiobooks!
If you’re looking for a way to check your students’ reading comprehension, reading response journals are a great resource!
