A reading journal should have these in it:
*Date: When did you write the reading journal?
*Title of the book: What is the name of the book?
*Author: Who wrote the book?
*Publisher: Who made the book?
*Copyright date: The year they made the book. You will see the year next to �.
*Number of pages: And how long did it take you to read the book?
*Summary: What is the story about? Keep it short. Write only about 3 or 4 sentences. Use your own words. Do not copy the back cover of the book.
*Theme and/or moral: What is the main idea of the story? Is there a "lesson" to the story?
*Your opinion: What did you think about the book? Did you like it? Why or why not?
*Connections with:
* the text: Is there a connection with another part of the story?
* the world: Is there something that has happened or is happening in the world that is like this story?
* yourself / your own experience: Did this ever happen to you or to someone you know? Did you ever feel like one of the characters?
Here is an example of a reading journal:
*title and author
*publisher and year
*how many pages and how long to read
*short summary
*Lesson of the story
*Did you like the book? Why or why not?
*Your own experiences
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister.
North-South Books � 1996
14 pages. It took me about 5 minutes to read the book.
The Rainbow Fish is about a beautiful fish with shiny scales. He was beautiful but he had no friends, because he would not share. When he gave his scales to the other fish, he made many friends.
The lesson of the story is that it is better to be beautiful inside than outside.
I really like the book because the pictures are very colourful and beautiful. The lesson of the story is also very important in life. I think all people should think about this.
I felt a little bit like the Rainbow Fish when my family moved to Canada. I went to a new school and I didn't know anyone. I wasn't beautiful like the Rainbow Fish, but I was as lonely as he was. After a few weeks, I made some good friends and I was happy. This is another reason why I like this book, because I know how the Rainbow Fish felt.