Sample Informal Reading Response

Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is to help you begin responding in writing
to texts and experiences different from your own. This essay is an informal
reading response. A reading response is your reaction to something the author
or character has said, done, or written. Once you understand the work, you can
then begin to respond to it thoughtfully. This assignment prepares you to write
the documented essay as well as other essays that invite you to participate in
intellectual dialogue with others.
A reading response should respond specifically to a point the author has
made. If you are responding to a character, then the response should respond to
something the character has said or done. In either case, you may agree,
disagree, or relate the authors or characters point to your own experience or use
the authors point as a launching pad for another issue. Because this is an
informal response, you do not necessarily have to cite sources. It is important,
however, that you refer to the author and the name of the article at the beginning
of your response. Please check with your instructor to see what he or she prefers.
A reading response consists of:
1. the statement or idea that you are responding to placed in its proper
context--this may mean providing background information about the
article itself;
2. your reaction to the statement or idea;
3. a connection between what you have read and experienced in your own life
The following is a clear example of a student writer responding to the actions of a
character in a work. This essay, written by Jill Matthews, appears in the 2005
issue Project Discovery.

Sample Informal Reading Response

Calvin Jefferson: All the Right Stuff

by Jill Matthews

y changin my words? Thass nothinnothin! I got to know them

big ideasand which way to git em down These words are
spoken by Calvin Jefferson in Open Admissions by Shirley

Lauro. A college student, Calvin can barely read or write. For this reason alone, most
would think Calvin is not college material. However, I believe that Calvin Jefferson is
college material because he is a motivated learner, he has problem-solving skills, and
he has perseverance.
Motivation to learn is important for a student to stay successful in college.
Determined to receive help from his professor, Calvin shows his motivation to learn.
After confronting his teacher about a B he unfairly receives, Calvin complains: I stood
up there didn hardly know the sense a anythin I read, couldnt hardly even read at all.
Calvin knows he did not earn his grade; instead, it was a mercy grade handed to him by
his teacher. But his professor does not think she can help him improve: But how can I
teach you that? You cant write a paragraph, Calvinor a sentenceyou cant spell past
fourth gradethe essay showed that Yet, Calvin still persists to receive help from his
professor. Before approaching his teacher, Calvin tried to receive help from a tutor, but
was unsuccessful. Calvin said, They outa tutors! Refusing to be dismissed or ignored,
one day Calvin tests his professor. While reading one of Shakespeares plays, he skips an
entire paragraph to see if his teacher is paying attention. Calvins determination to learn
shows that he wants to be successful and improve himself.

Sample Informal Reading Response

Problem solving skills are essential for a student when he or she faces challenges
in college. Calvin shows his ability to solve his problems in reading and writing. Calvin
keeps asking his professor how he can improve the way he communicates. He complains
that his teachers criticism of him is not enough to help him: Only thing you ever say
about anything I ever done in there is how I have to get rid of my Substandard Urban
Speech! He pleads with her to help him. In addition, when Calvins teacher insists that
his reading of the part of Othello [is] ludicrous, Calvin points out that his reading might
have improved if he had been able to play the role of someone with whom he could
identify. Calvins ability to identify the source of his reading and writing problems shows
that he is college material.
Perseverance is necessary for a student to continue to be successful in college.
Calvins perseverance enables him to confront his professor. He is determined not to let
her leave her office. Instead of dealing with his problem at another time he insists that
they meet immediately. Additionally, Calvin persists in knowing what ways he can
improve himself. His professor says, Just work on improving yourself in other ways.
Calvin asked, How came you dont sit with me and teach me which way to git my ideas
down instead of givin me a B? Calvins urgency to resolve his problem enables him to
receive the help he needs.
Calvin Jefferson shows that he is college material in various ways. Determination
to learn how to improve enables him to receive help. His ability to solve the problem with
the way he is being graded shows that he is honest with himself. In addition,
perseverance enables him to eventually receive the help he needs. These qualities more

Sample Informal Reading Response

than make Calvin college material; indeed, he is the stuff of which every good student is
made.

Jill Matthews is a first-year interior design student.