Reading Journals

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Reading Journals

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 Pleasure reading is a fun and important way to improve your reading skills.  In addition, people 
 who like to read and read a lot become better users of the language.  At QCC, we want you to 
      become better English speakers, so you will be required to read for pleasure.  You should choose 
    the books and articles that interest you and that you want to read.  Do not choose things that you  must read for this or another class.

Each week you should write about what you read in your reading journal. Writing in a journal is a  great way to remember the new information, vocabulary, or whatever you learned from your pleasure reading.  Furthermore, writing in a reading journal will make your reading interactive.  This reading journal will be due every other week.

This journal should consist of three sections.

Vocabulary

In this section, you should write about 5 new English words that you learned from the article.  For each word, write a short definition and a sentence of your own creation.

       Summary 

A summary is a brief description about what you are reading.  The summary should explain the highlights, or main ideas, and some major details.  It should not be very long but long enough to convey the meaning to the reader.  You DO NOT include your opinion in this section.

Be sure to introduce your article using the title, where it is from, date, and author.  See below for specific details.

        Reaction 

The reaction is where you write your opinions based on what you read.  Why did you enjoy the article?  Would you recommend it to a friend?  What did you learn from it?  Did you agree or disagree with the author?  This paragraph is for your feelings about the article. In this section, try to write a critical response to the article you have read.


Writing titles and names

NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES
            Underline the name of the paper:                New York Times
            Put the title of the article in quotations        “Chocolate Prices Fall”

BOOKS
            Underline the title:                                   Gone with the Wind
EXAMPLE OF A READING JOURNAL FOR ONE WEEK

VOCABULARY
1.     pediatrician – (n) a doctor for children
When my little sister is sick, my mother takes her to a pediatrician.

2.     blizzard – (n) a winter storm with a lot of snow, ice, and wind
I had never seen a blizzard until I came to Boston.

3.     gratitude – (n) thankfulness
My cat licked my hand to show her gratitude for food.

4.     devour – (v) to eat quickly, like an animal
The big man was so hungry that he devoured an entire cake.

5.     pacify – (v) to make calm
If the baby cries, you can pacify him by picking him up.

SUMMARY

            The article, “Air Bags: How Can You Protect Your Children?” from The Courier and written by Cooper, explains that many people are confused about the safety of airbags.  The author lists several ways to make airbags safer such as always wearing a seat belt and avoiding tailgating the vehicle in the front.  Cooper also presents frightening statistics of the number of children killed by air bags. In addition, the article mentions that new air bags are being made that will be safer for children.

REACTION

            I think this article was very informative and useful.  I learned useful information about safety and I would recommend this article to anyone who has children.  I agree with the author that airbags need to be made safer in order to prevent children from being killed.  I was surprised to learn that so many children were killed by airbags. The author clearly presents the statistics, which lead me to believe that car companies must create safer airbags or stop using them altogether. What I find disturbing is that the government allows car manufacturers to sell their vehicles with unsafe airbags. Shouldn’t there be stricter safety requirements for automobile manufacturers? After all, our children are our future, and they shouldn’t have to die because the government did not mandate safer airbags. I believe it is the government’s fiduciary responsibility to ensure the safety of the citizens. However, the real question we ought to ask ourselves is: who is ultimately responsible for the deaths of these children – the government, automobile manufacturers, or the consumers who did not do their due diligence before purchasing their cars with unsafe airbags? 



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