Script for Reading Journals

Reading Remediation Class

In order for students to increase their reading proficiency and begin to construct deeper and more
profound relationships to the text, they need to adopt strategies of questioning and reviewing the
reading materials. The following information should act as a guide for directing the journal
activities of students in the Reading Remediation Class. Students should be permitted to work at
their reading pace or within a schedule created by the student and agreed to by the teacher.

JOURNAL FOR ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE

Step 1 – Protagonist

• Ask students to identify who they believe the main protagonist is and describe or list
what they know about the character.
• One on one, discuss the character with each student. Ask them to find parts within the
text that gave them their ideas. If they are unable to, explore the text with students and
model processing the words and lines out loud that support characterization of the
protagonist.

Step 2 – Setting

• Direct student to identify when the story takes place and how they know this.
• Again, one on one with the student, discuss the setting focusing on the significant details
of that time period. If the students are unfamiliar with the textual details provided or lack
general knowledge of this time, allow them to research this time period.

Step 3 – Antagonist

• Ask students to identify who or what they believe to be the antagonist.

• Have them explain several ways this antagonist presents a conflict to the protagonist.
• Direct them to write how they would respond to a similar conflict or antagonist.

Step 4 – Decision-making

• Have student begin to predict what the protagonist will choose to do regarding their
conflict.
• Have students identify any restrictions placed on the protagonist because of the setting.
• Have students identify what clues in the text made them predict these actions.

Step 5 – Fall Out and Resolution

 • Ask students to summarize the steps that resulted because of the protagonist’s decisions.
• Ask students to identify what happened as they predicted and what happened that
surprised them.
• Direct students to explain what lessons the protagonist and antagonist may have learned
from the conflict.

Step 6 – Book Review

Direct the student to prepare a five sentence book review using the following format:

• One sentence that identifies the main protagonist, the setting, the conflict, the antagonist,
and the resolution with the book title and author included.
• One sentence that identifies what parts of the book the student enjoyed and that explains
why they enjoyed it.
• One sentence that identifies what parts of the action the student would change and that
explains why they would change it.
• One that explains what they learned from the protagonist and the antagonist’s conflict.
• One sentence that explains who they would suggest read the book.