As part of our rigorous academic program at Franklin Academy, all students entering grades 6-8 are required to participate in our. Each student must read and write a literary response essay for at least three books from the Franklin Academy summer booklist. The purpose of a response to literature is to state an opinion about a character s traits, the setting, plot, theme, or moral of the story. Typically, the essay is organized with a brief summary of the story, followed by an opinion that is supported by evidence from the text. Many responses include connections to other stories, the world, or the reader s own experiences, as well as a personal reflection that reveals how the story has impacted the reader. For each book that is read, the student is required to fill out the five Paragraph Response to literature graphic organizer, and then use that organizer to write a five paragraph essay. The graphic organizers, essays, as well as a table of contents and bibliography, will be collected on the first day of school. Step 1: Choose Three Books from the Book List The following books are suggested for 6 th -8 th grade students. Please select a book and review the level on ARbookfind.com. The books that the students choose should be specific to their reading ability based on the latest STAR report. Page 1 of 6
Step 2: For each book, fill out the graphic organizers Graphic Organizer ❶Introduction: Write the quick summary and the thesis statement The author: Genre: Title: The main character Setting: Problem or Main Event in Plot (What did the character do? What happened to the character? Thesis Statement: (Choose one sentence starter and list three opinions for your thesis statement.) The character was,, and. The setting in the story was,, and. The plot/events in the story were,, and. The theme/moral of the story was,, and. Body: Record page # s of evidence. Write: transitions, evidence, analysis, and connections ❷Evidence: Page # Analysis of Evidence: Connection (select one): To Yourself: Another book: The World: ❸Evidence: Page # Transition Word: Analysis of Evidence: Connection (select one): To Yourself: Another book: The World: ❹Evidence: Page # Transition Word: Analysis of Evidence: Connection (select one): To Yourself: Another book: The World: Page 2 of 6
Graphic Organizer Continued ❺ Conclusion: restate the thesis statement, then make a reflection Starters: This proves This clearly demonstrates This specific proof Reflection Starters (Choose one): Subject: the character was the impact of the setting was the events were the theme/moral was Opinion/Judgement: After reading the book, I (felt, wished, realized, understood) Once I finished the book, I reflected Page 3 of 6
Sample of Graphic Organizer Filled Out ❶Introduction: write the quick summary and the thesis statement The author: Chris Van Allsburg Genre: Fantasy Title: The Stranger The main character: The Stranger Setting: In the country in the beginning of fall Problem or Main Event in Plot (What did the character do? What happened to the character? A mysterious man was accidentally run over by Farmer Bailey. Mr. Bailey took the man back to his farm to help him. After that, strange things began to occur. Thesis Statement: The character, the Stranger, was very odd. Body: Record page numbers of evidence. Write: transitions, evidence, analysis, and connections ❷Evidence: Page # 306 Oh, you can throw that out, he answered. It s broken. The mercury is stuck at the bottom. Analysis of Evidence: A human being would be dead with a temperature that measured that low on the thermometer. Connection: Reminds me of a sci-fi movie. I wonder what would have happened if Mrs. Bailey used the thermometer later? ❸Evidence: Page #308 Paragraph Transition: Another reason The fellow seemed confused about the buttons and button-holes. Analysis of Evidence: How is it possible for a grown man not to know what a button is? Connection: Reminds me of reports I have read about amnesia. People forget where they are, but ❹Evidence: Page #310 Paragraph Transition: While the Stranger s difficulty with buttons seemed very unusual, The stranger never retired. He didn t even sweat. Analysis of Evidence: Mr. Bailey, a farmer who is used to hard work, was sweating and exhausted, yet the stranger was fresh and full of energy. Page 4 of 6
remember everyday functions like buttoning a shirt. Why weren t they more concerned with this problem? Connection: This reminds me of robot movies about androids that Iook human but never sleep, eat, or tire. I really felt the love of the Bailey family in this part. They didn t fear the stranger. Instead they treated him kindly Sample of Graphic Organizer Filled Out Continued ❺Conclusion: Restate the Thesis Statement, then Make a Reflection Starters: This convincing evidence proves This proves This clearly demonstrates This specific proof Reflection Starters: Subject: the character was the impact of the setting was the events were the theme/moral was Opinion/Judgement: _exhibiting many bizarre behaviors and actions because he was autumn, not a man. After reading the book, I (felt, wished, realized, understood) After reading the book, and finding out the man was really a season not a man, I wished I could treat people like the Bailey s treated the stranger, with kindness and without judgment. Once I finished the book, I reflected Page 5 of 6
Step 3: For each book, use the graphic organizer to write a 5 paragraph essay Example of five Paragraph Essay in Response to Literature Numbers ❶-❺ correlate to the numbers in the graphic organizer. The Stranger: A Response to Literature ❶According to the fantasy short story The Stranger, which occurred during the beginning of autumn out in the country, author Chris Van Allsburg wrote about a mysterious man who was accidentally run over by Farmer Bailey. Mr. Bailey took the man back to his farm to help the unknown man. After that, strange things began to happen. This character, referred to as the Stranger in the tale, was very odd ❷The Stranger s icy cold temperature was one of the first clues to prove he was an odd character. This image was created when the author wrote that the doctor told Mrs. Bailey: Oh, you can throw that out, he answered. It s broken. The mercury is stuck at the bottom. A human being would be dead with a temperature that measured that low on the thermometer, so the doctor really thought the instrument was broken, but it wasn t! This scene reminds me of a sci-fi movie when strange events begin to happen. This connection makes me wonder what would have happened if Mrs. Bailey used the thermometer, instead of throwing it away? ❸Another reason the Stranger was an odd character was his inability to button his shirt. This was demonstrated when the author wrote: The fellow seemed confused about the buttons and button holes. How is it possible for a grown man not to know what a button is? The Bailey s should have realized something very strange was happening. This scene reminded me of reports I have read about amnesia. Sometimes people have accidents and forget who they are, and everyday functions like buttoning a shirt. This makes me ask: Why weren t the Bailey s more concerned with this problem? ❹While the Stranger s difficulty with buttons seemed very unusual, his inability to tire really made him stick-out. The stranger never tired. He didn t even sweat. It seems impossible for Mr. Bailey, a farmer used to hard work, was sweating and exhausted, yet the stranger was fresh and full of energy. This reminds me of robot movies about androids that look human but never sleep, eat, or tire. After all these strange events, even something like androids seems possible. The really amazing part is the love of the Bailey family. They didn t fear the stranger. Instead they treated him kindly ❺All this evidence proves the character was very odd. Ultimately, the hermit-like man turned out to be the season fall. Now that s odd! After reading this short story, I wished I could treat people like the Bailey s treated the Stranger, without judgment and only with kindness. Step 4: Presenting 1. Place all documents into a presentation folder a. three graphic organizers and three essays 2. Include a title page 3. Include a table of contents 4. Include a bibliography 5. Turn in the folder to your language arts teacher on the first day of school. Page 6 of 6