1. Focus: Many of us have reading friendships. Our friendships help us to make deeper meaningful connections and understand the texts we read. Independent Reading Logs: Week Two

2. One time I acted like…when I… I know exactly how…feels…because… That reminds me of…  When readers think and talk about books, we don’t just talk a little bit about many connections; we talk for a long time about one special connection. This helps us to understand the book better. One way to do this is to ask ourselves the following questions:  One time I acted like…when I… I know exactly how…feels…because… That reminds me of…  When readers think and talk about books, we don’t just talk a little bit about many connections; we talk for a long time about one special connection. This helps us to understand the book better. One way to do this is to ask ourselves the following questions:  One time I acted like…when I… I know exactly how…feels…because… That reminds me of…

3. How was my experience the same and How was my experience different?  As readers we place the text of our lives alongside the text we are reading. We ask the following questions:  How was my experience the same?  How was my experience different?  As readers we place the text of our lives alongside the text we are reading. We ask the following questions:  How was my experience the same?  How was my experience different?

4. How does my connection deepen my understanding of the text?  When readers get together to talk about books, we don’t just exchange connections. We push each other by asking: How does my connection deepen my understanding of the text?

5. Compare, Contrast and Questioning the Characters’ Life Stories  When friends get together to talk about books, we learn from each other’s connections by comparing, contrasting and asking questions about their life stories and the text they are reading. We take this new knowledge to help us come to a new understanding about the text. We ask questions such as :  _____________ is different than ______________because  _____________ is the same as _______________ because  I wonder why the character is ____________________  When friends get together to talk about books, we learn from each other’s connections by comparing, contrasting and asking questions about their life stories and the text they are reading. We take this new knowledge to help us come to a new understanding about the text. We ask questions such as :  _____________ is different than ______________because  _____________ is the same as _______________ because  I wonder why the character is ____________________

6. What is the message of the text?  Readers notice how a story goes. We use our connections to help us determine the big message of the text.

7. Questions to answer in your logs:  One time I acted like…when I …  I know exactly how….feels because…  How was my experience the same?  How was my experience different?  _____________ is different than ______________because  _____________ is the same as _______________ because  I wonder why the character is ____________________  What is the big message of the text? You must answer each question at least once in your logs.  One time I acted like…when I …  I know exactly how….feels because…  How was my experience the same?  How was my experience different?  _____________ is different than ______________because  _____________ is the same as _______________ because  I wonder why the character is ____________________  What is the big message of the text? You must answer each question at least once in your logs.