Reader Response Instructions English Composition 101 Fall 2015 ProfSue
Due Dates: Harris, “Small Things:” Intro. Only Week 3, day 1 T, 1-26
Final Revision Week 3, day 2 R, 1-28
Malin. “Mothers…Disappear:” Rough Draft Week 4, day 1 T, 2-2
Final Revision Week 4, day 2 R, 2-4
What is a Reader Response? From Joy, Anna, Crossing Borders. Chapters 1, 2, 3,
“a reader response is a summary of a reading, followed by a cultural analysis, providing
important information about the cultural contexts for the varieties of human behavior, and
including an objective and thoughtful comparison between your own and the reading’s
cultures. For instance, an analysis/comparison of why some cultures eat insects and yet
British and American cultures do not, leads you to realize that each culture eats what is
most plentiful in their environment.
Why write a reader response? Professors in your other classes throughout your college
career will call upon you to write reader responses to assigned readings in the
humanities or sciences fields.
To write a good reader response, you will need to practice your active reading skills as
well as your critical thinking abilities and apply these to your assigned readings. You
will find pointers on both in the appendixes in your Axelrod & Coopr textbook.
Comprehension of a reading requires active reading and critical thinking.
Follow these steps to write a reader response:
1. Actively read the assigned essay from Blackboard, Course Materials. See your
Schedule to know which essay to read. (You will need to read the essay several
times, making notes in your journal as you read.)
2. Because this is a formal essay, it should include an introductory paragraph that
cites and summarizes the essay.
3. Your (body) cultural analysis paragraphs each begin with a short quote from the
passage to which you will respond. You will want to have 3 – 5 body paragraphs
beginning with a short quote followed by your cultural analysis. Remember the
sample essay we looked at on the overhead in class.
4. Add a conclusion that provides a sense of closure. Include your reflection of the
significance of the essay as it relates to the world and to your personal
experience. Such as, some cultures eat insects because there are no mammals in
their environment. Remember to be respectful of other cultures’ beliefs and
practices as you write. Think critically about your own beliefs and practices.
See the reverse side for the Outline you should use as well as the Grading Rubric for this
assignment.
Outline of your Reader Response:
Introduction
 Cite the author’s name and title of the essay, then the author’s thesis
 Your summary of the essay in 2 or 3 sentences
Response paragraphs:
 Quote from the essay (see your Handbook for punctuation)
 Your initial reaction to the quote
 Your statement of what you learned about the people of that country
Significance: Your concluding stmt. of the significance of essay in the world.
Grading Rubric: You can receive a possible 4 points on each of these criteria:
Responsiveness to instructions
Comprehension of the reading
Completeness of your introduction, your responses, and your conclusion
Clarity of your body (response) paragraphs, including each quote
Presentation: Have you used the 3 topic headings (the 3 elements of the outline,
above) to organize your response? Have you used your Handbook to check
punctuation of your quotations?