When a student reads literature, he or she is expected to understand certain information from that piece. The student’s ability to express that understanding determines the grade; the more eloquently the reaction is expressed, the better the grade.

Reactions should contain information in four areas: plot, moral or theme, relation to a real-life situation, and relation to other literature. I typically require the reaction in the form of either:

4-6 Paragraph Essay or Picture

Information to be included in either the essay or the picture:

Plot: This paragraph should give a brief outline of the events in the story. It is important for the student to know the basic story and characters’ names before any further discussion can take place.

Theme or Moral: I call this the "So, what’s the lesson here?" paragraph. Part of literature’s value lies in expressing a theme or moral in an entertaining manner. A student who understands the author’s "point" can understand the logic, wisdom, or right-and-wrong of a character’s actions and thoughts. This paragraph discusses the theme or moral and its value. For example: Aesop’s Fable "The Ant and the Grasshopper" deals with the lesson "Be Prepared" or "Work hard now so life will be easier later on". Is it a good lesson to know? Probably. Do we follow the lesson? Probably not always.

Relation to Real Life: This paragraph should relate the theme or moral to a real life situation. For example: the story "Tales for a Perfect Child" tells of a child who gets whatever she wants by whining. Every student knows someone who has whined and "won"; I call the theme of the story "Whiners Win"; it may not be a theme or moral we like, but it is true. This paragraph should give a brief explanation of the real-life situation and how it fits the theme or moral.

Relation to Other Literature: A theme is often repeated in other literature. The book Hatchet has many themes, one of which is the personal growth that comes with overcoming challenges. Other literature with the same theme could be Star Wars, My Side of the Mountain, I know Why the Caged Bird Sings, or even The Bad News Bears.

It is almost impossible for a teacher to ignore the brilliance of a student who can analyze literature well enough to relate it to other literature.

Grading: Each piece will receive three grades: It will look like this: A/B/C.

1. The first grade is for the completeness of the assignment. Are there four paragraphs? Do they address the required information? Are they of adequate length?

1. The second grade is for paragraph organization and strength of vocabulary. In other words – "Is the student well spoken?"
2. The third grade is for grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Introductory and concluding paragraphs are always nice.

Pictures are harder to grade, but can contain the same information. They may be presented as symbols, cartoons, mural, etc. Sometimes a few well chosen words placed as quotes or phrases or in a rebus format are helpful.