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My Reader’s Diary

Reader’s Diary of

Name:

Author/Authoress:

Title/Text:

Class:

School:

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My Reader’s Diary

How can you use your diary?

The diary guides you through three stages of reading and understanding your text.

For better orientation a brief outlook informs you about the purpose of the tasks.

• Before reading

• During reading

• After reading

Which tasks are waiting for you?

For example, you can …

• use your prior knowledge

• ask questions

• note down your expectations

• develop fantasies and ideas about the plot and the characters and write them down

• tell your guesses on plot and characters

• reflect on your text

• empathize with the text

• form your own opinion

• develop your own relationship to the text

• change the text by adding something new

• inspire others for your text

• collect information about your text

• …

watch out for tips at the bottom of the

page

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My Reader’s Diary

List of Tasks

PRE Reading optional tasks

obligatory tasks

planned for (date)

completed

01 The text

02 The author/authoress

03 My questions

04 The topic

WHILE Reading

05 Reading Log

06 Thoughts after the first reading

07 Plot

08 Characters I

09 Characters II

10 Characters III

11 Narrative Perspective

POST Reading

14 First thoughts after reading

15.1 Text passages which moved me

15.2 A remarkable sentence

16.1 Making Changes

16.2 Tuning In

16.3 Continuation

16.4 Writing a review

16.5 Alternative

17 Reading to others

18 Does reading cause changes?

All obligatory tasks, as well as one task each for 15 and 16 must be handed in by June 26th.

Task 17 can be done voluntarily. If you want to read a part of your book to others, talk to your

teacher so that you can find a suitable date together.

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BEFORE READING

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My Reader’s Diary

The Text

Which text are you working on?

Title:

Author/Authoress:

Publisher:

Place of publication:

Year of publication:

The Author/Authoress

Do you know the author/authoress?

a) What’s his/her name?

b) What do you know about him/her?

Take notes.

c) Have you already read one of his/her books?

Take notes.

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My Reader’s Diary

My Questions

Look at …

• the headline

• blurb/flap text

• the cover page

• the pictures

• distribution/sub-headings

• writing/print

• …

What are your questions on the text?

Write down at least three questions. If you already know the book, think a little harder about what questions you still might have.

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My Reader’s Diary

The Topic

What is the text about? Try not to retell the plot of the story, but focus on its main topic.

a) Take some notes.

b) Can you find more on the internet under www.google.de?

Did someone tell

you about it?

Did you hear /read

about it in the

media?

For example:

on TV

in the paper

in a magazine

on the internet

in a film.

Does it play a role in

your own life?

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The topic....

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DURING READING

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My Reader’s Diary

Reading Log Read the Text.

When using copies or your own books you can ...

a) make notes in the margin, for example:

b) highlight something important by:

Make a time schedule for reading the book or text.

Chapter … or pages … till … When?/ Date completed

unknown ?

:-) worth discussing

! interesting

known

➛ marking

➛ underlining

➛ putting text in brackets

➛ making notes in the margin

➛ using symbols

➛ sectoring

If you have to hand the book back, post-its with notes and tips on them help you to get an

overview and find important text passages again. Do not take hightlighting and adding notes

too lightly, completing the diary afterwards without any notes, will be a pain.

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→ direct/indirect characterisation

→ character constellation

→ elements oft he plot

→ ....

c) mark aspects which you need to complete the tasks in your diary:

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My Reader’s Diary Thoughts after the first reading

What are your ideas after reading the first chapter/part?

Which thoughts and feelings did you have?

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I thought...

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My Reader’s Diary PLOT

Before you do this task you need to do research on the literary term plot. Find the correct terms for each star in the tension curve.

Now write down the terms in the left column and fill in the content according to the plot in your novel. Make sure your tension curve is right, you may ask your teacher.

PLOT ELEMENT PLOT OF YOUR NOVEL

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My Reader’s Diary

CHARACTERS I

The Characters Inform yourself about the terms

• major character

• minor character

• round character

• flat character

• antagonist

• protagonist Make a list of the characters in your novel and state what kind of character they are. Mostly a character has at least two different attributes from the list above. Justify your decision.

Name of the character Type of character Reason

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My Reader’s Diary

CHARACTERS II

What is the relationship between the characters? Draw a network with different colors and symbols which represent the type of relationship. Make sure to include a key.

KEY

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CHARACTERS III

Do research on direct and indirect characterization. What is the difference?

Choose one character for who you are going to make an extensive characterization and one character for a short characterization.

Find fitting examples of direct and indirect characterization. For the indirect examples deduce which character trait they reveal.

CHARACTER:

EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT CHARACTER TRAIT

CHARACTER:

EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT CHARACTER TRAIT

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NARRATIVE PERSPECTIVE

I: FIRST-PERSON-NARRATION II: SECOND-PERSON-NARRATION

FEATURES:

FEATURES:

III: THIRD-PERSON-NARRATION

OBJECTIVE LIMITED OMNISCIENT

FEATURES:

FEATURES:

FEATURES:

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There are three different narrative perspectives and several forms for one of them. Inform yourself about those and quickly explain their differences.

Take one passage from your novel and rewrite it in a different perspective.

Which perspective is your novel written in? ___________________________

How does the perspective change the scene/meaning/feeling when reading?

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My Reader’s Diary

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My Reader’s Diary

First thoughts after reading What are your ideas after the first reading?

The task numbers are in brackets, see also list of tasks.

Think of:

• your first advance ideas prior to reading

• your questions on the text (3)

• your prior knowledge on the topic (4)

• your prior knowledge about the author/authoress (5)

List your ideas in note form.

What is the text about?

I think...

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My Reader’s Diary

CHOICE I: Text Passages which moved me

These text passages (page / line ) made me sad, thoughtful, …

because …

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CHOICE II: A remarkable sentence

Which sentence/s in your novel have made the biggest impression on you? Write down the quote:

b) What impressed me in this sentence:

You can choose several sentences and add extra pages.

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Quote:

Quote:

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My Reader’s Diary

CHOICE I: MAKING CHANGES

a) Look for a text passage you would like to change.

Page / line

My changed text:

b) Why did you want to change this text passage?

c) Revise your text.

• Does your text have a context?

• Does your choice of language fit the content

• Are your words and sentences correct?

• Did you watch out for the tenses?

• Is there a thread/leitmotif in your text?

• Does your language fit the text?

• Are your words and sentences correct?

of your text?

The plot

The character

The time

The place

The relationships

The language

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CHOICE II: TUNING IN

a) Imagine you could be a character in your plot. What do you experience?

Write a diary entry or rewrite a scene from the view of your character.

I am …

b) Revise your text.

• Does your text match the original text?

• Is there a thread/leitmotif in your text?

• Is the first-person narrative used throughout?

• Is your choice of language appropriate? Is your wording correct?

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My Reader’s Diary

CHOICE III: CONTINUATION

a) How could the story/text continue?

Write a continuation.

b) Revise your text.

• Does your text fall into line with the original text?

(Characters/plot/place/time?)

• Is there a thread/leitmotif in your text?

• Is your language appropriate? Is your wording correct?

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My Reader’s Diary

CHOICE IV: WRITING A REVIEW

a) You are enthusiastic about your text and you want many people to read it.

Write a review for your book that could be published on a blog or in a

magazine. Check your textbook’s skills files for advice on how to write a

review.

b) Revise your text.

• Is your text of recommendation evocative?

• Does it inspire others to read the text?

• Does it refer to the text?

• Is your language appropriate? Is your wording correct?

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My Reader’s Diary

CHOICE V: ALTERNATIVE

If none of the above alternatives are an option for you, feel free to come up with your own idea. But make sure to present your idea to your teacher first and that he/she allows it. Ideas could be:

• Creating an Instagram page for a character

• Composing a fitting poem

• Rewriting a scene into a stage play

• …. YOUR CREATIVITY SHOULD KNOW NO LIMITS!

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My Reader’s Diary

READING TO OTHERS

a) Prepare a longer text passage for reading to others. Choose a suitable text

passage: page /line till page /line .

b) Why did you choose this text passage? Give three reasons.

!

@

#

c) Practise your reading. Remember you want to inspire others.

d) You can also look for a partner and do a role reading/ dramatized version of your

text.

e) Highlight further text passages which you find interesting.

page line keyword

1. Did you understand the text?

2. Highlight important words which have to be stressed.

3. Rehearse to improve your reading.

4. Read quite clearly.

5. Change the pitch of your voice (high/low and loud/quiet).

6. Lower your voice towards the end of your sentence (punctuation).

7. Look at your audience. A

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My Reader’s Diary

EVALUATION: Does Reading Cause Changes?

a) Did the book/text change your thinking/actions? Note your answer briefly:

c) Yes, I want to read more because …

d) No, I don’t want to read more because …

(1) about the topic?

(2) about the time?

(3) by the author/authoress?

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