reading response assignment

Reading Comprehension Worksheets

Inferences Worksheets

Context Clues Worksheets
Theme Worksheets

Main Idea Worksheets

Reading Games
Summary Worksheets
Online Tests
Figurative Language Worksheets
Short Stories with Questions
Nonfiction Passages
Genre Worksheets

BECOME A MEMBER!

Reading worksheets.

Ereading Worksheets has the best reading worksheets on the internet, and they're all free. These worksheets are skill focused and aligned to Common Core State Standards. You are free to save, edit, and print these worksheets for personal or classroom use. Many of these assignments can now be completed online. You're going to like this.

This page features a sampling of the reading worksheets on this website, organized by skills. You can find more activity by browsing the pages that are dedicated to each reading skill.

Fiction Reading Passages

Nonfiction reading passages.

Author's Purpose Worksheets
Characterization Worksheets
Fact and Opinion Worksheets
Irony Worksheets
Story Structure Worksheets

Types of Conflict Worksheets

This is a preview image of "That Spot". Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.

Looking for More Fiction Passages?

This is a preview image of Chess. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.

Looking for More Nonfiction Passages?

This is a preview image of Author's Purpose Worksheet 1. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.

More Resources on Author's Purpose?

This is a preview image of Characterization Lesson 1. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.

More Resources on Characterizations

This is a preview image of Fact and Opinion Lesson. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.

More Resources on Fact and Opinion

This is a preview image of Inferences Worksheet 1. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.

More Resources on Inferences

This is a preview image of Irony Lesson 1. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.

More Irony Worksheets

This is a preview image of Main Idea Lesson 1. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.

More Main Idea Resources

This is a preview image of "The Breakaway". Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.

More Story Structure Resources

This is a preview image of Theme Worksheet 1. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.

More Resources on Theme

This is a preview image of Types of Conflict Worksheet 1. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.

More Resources on Conflict

This is a picture of a female teacher helping a male student with his reading assignment. They appear to be finding success at this assignment.

104 Comments

great website! it made my work easier.. love it. thank you

This is one of the best websites I ever came across! It’s just simply the best website for English, apart from the web dictionaries 😉

I’ve been using this website for getting great grades (alliteration is one of those things that your games inspired me to do; not that yours are bad though) at my examinations for atleast 2 years.

I will be forever grateful to Mr. Morton for his wonderful website!

Maybe-Your-Most-Favourite-Viewer

Thank you for visiting and the kind words!

English is my second language.

It is with great pleasure that I found your web site. Over the summer 2020, I printed almost all your reading comprehension materials for my grade 7 and 9 kids to read. I myself read each of them too and answered each of the questions. Your web sites rekindled my interest in reading as an adult.

I am bit selfish to hope there are more reading comprehension materials for my kids and myself.

Thank you for your great work! The world becomes more beautiful because of your altruistic contribution.

Thank you for taking the time to comment. I am always trying to create more content as well as improve the existing content. Best wishes, friend!

Tina Torres

This will help my child alot with her homework,i like this app

Laura Stapel

Hi, Thanks so much for these reading worksheets. They are original and unique and perfect for my tuition of gifted and talented sudents. Just wondering if you have an answer key for the following sheets:

The Authors Purpose 3 Figurative Language Worksheet 3 Non Fiction Reading Test Garbage

Thanks so much and well done on an excellent resource!

its good but i think u should add more games

this is great.

Zainab Ali Asghar

Hello Mr Morton, WOW!! these worksheets, games and activities are simply outstanding!! I am a teacher from Pakistan and these worksheets have helped me immensely in my learning as well as in the school when I share them with my students!! Thank you SOOOO much! I came across figurative language activities which was just the thing I was looking for but I would really appreciate if you could put up activities related to other grammar content; for example, characterization, inferential, fact and opinion, and all other content which we can integrate in our classroom activities.

Forever grateful, Zainab

That’s awesome. I actually have all of that content posted already. I’ve got to figure out some way to make the content more visible. Thanks for visiting!

it helped me in my exams

Hello Mr. Morton,

Thank you for using this great website for my daughter and me. It helps me and my daughter a lot. Do you have answers below***** those tests? If you have can I have it?

***** Jacob the Great Comprehension Test Nutrition Facts Comprehension Worksheet Pain Reliever Comprehension Worksheet

Here are those keys.

https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/reading-comprehension-worksheets/jacob-the-great-answers.html

https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/reading-comprehension-worksheets/medicine-comprehension-worksheet-answers.html

https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/reading-comprehension-worksheets/nutrition-facts-comprehension-activity-answers.htm

Thanks for using the website!

well,these storys are…AWSOME

Michael Holson

Would I be able to post your Power points and worksheets on my webpage? I’ll leave all of them the same and i’ll also put your name on them.

I’m ok with that. Links back to my website as attribution are appreciated.

Samira El-Sabban

Such an outstanding work; i do appreciate the effort and i find it quite useful thanks a million Samira El-Sabban Head of English Department Rajac Schools Egypt

Sarah Madden

Thank you THank you!!!! This site is amazing! I cannot be more happy with it!

hello great passages but is there answers to these passages.

Answers are posted where available, typically under a link that says “View Answers.”

great website!!!!!! I am using your materials for my home school kids

steward Pheirim

This is brilliant, Thank you so much. Absolutely a treasure!!!

My tutor absolutely LOVES this website(so do I) but I was just wondering where the answer key for Jacob the Great? Awesome stories too. I love how detailed they are!

You make teaching easier! Thank you!

Just amazing thanks a lot really

very helpful, exercises are enriching.

I’ve read three of the passages you have here.

The first one was about metal detectors, was amusing, I like it and it’s good to know some of this facts.

The second one was a persuasive text about seat belts, how them keep us safe and the author keeps telling us to use them.

And the third one, my favourite, was about the pony express and how they carry the mail and how hard was and the complications, it’s interesting because they had a problem and they sorted it out in a clever way.

I like your website, thank you very much.

I’m so happy that you do. Best wishes!

hello my name is gabby i like this app it is really fun

It was very good and it is also enriching

5 Reader Activities That Invite Higher Thinking

by MiddleWeb · Published 07/12/2015 · Updated 05/30/2023

You’ve taught students to read closely, to annotate, to discuss—now what? How can we get kids to interact with texts in creative ways that require an even higher level of understanding? Here, I’ll share five of my favorite post-reading reader-response activities.

1. Written Reading Responses (RRs)

Doing Reading Responses (RRs) is one of the most effective techniques I know to get kids to formulate new ideas about a fiction or non-fiction text while referring to the text as they do so. It is a logical next step to annotating. This technique can be adapted for middle or high school students.

In the beginning of the year, I give students a list of 10-15 RR “types” with descriptions for each. Some of the types include Give an Opinion, Ask a Question, Prove a Character Trait, Dissect a Significant Passage, Make a Connection, Spot the Setting, Find the Figurative Language, Evaluate the Intro, and Mark the Motivation. The rules for writing an RR are as follows:

How To Write an RR

Label the type of RR you are writing.
Write at least four sentences.
Have an original idea; don’t just summarize.
Quote and cite something in the text to support your idea.

These rules force students to think of an original idea about the text or to elaborate on something they may have briefly annotated. My handout gives them ideas about how to do this. [Editor’s note: Marilyn’s handout is reproduced in her Scholastic book 50 Common Core Reading Response Activities . Used with permission.]

For example, for the Spot the Setting RR, students shouldn’t merely give details about the setting; they should speculate about why the author chose that particular setting, and how it contributes to plot or mood.

The four-sentence rule is required even for questions: I tell students to write a question and then three sentences about what they understand about the question so far. The labeling makes students deliberately acknowledge how they are framing their thoughts about the text.

I usually have students do RRs for homework, and then use their RRs as a springboard and compass for discussion. I often begin class by asking students to share their RRs. As individual students speak up, the rest of us jump to their cited text and follow along. I merely facilitate the conversation, highlighting important points and asking deeper questions when needed. The students themselves will eventually hit upon all the important points of the text; often they will make observations or ask questions I had not thought of myself.

I rarely collect RRs. Instead, after our discussions, I give students another activity to work on, and I circulate to check that the RRs have been done. On days when we haven’t had a whole-group discussion, I might ask each student to summarize his or her RR for me as I walk around. I love this method because it enables me to have a 60-second reading conference with each of them.

Occasionally, though, I will have students complete a “Polished RR,” for which they must choose one of their particularly insightful or interesting RRs, type it up, expand upon it if necessary, and hand it in for a larger grade.

At the end of the first semester, I have students write an RR Analysis Paper in which they examine their reading response habits: Do they always gravitate to one type of RR? Do they have to fight the urge to only summarize? Is there an RR that they have deliberately avoided? What does this say about them as readers and thinkers? This metacognitive exercise helps students see themselves as active participants in their own learning. It also helps refocus and challenge them for the next semester.

2. Concrete Found Poems

I’m combining two poetic forms here: the “concrete” or shaped poem that middle school students are probably very familiar with, and the “found” poem, which they may not know. Each is a legitimate form in its own right; each can be done with sophistication and deeper meaning. Combining them can push students’ thinking and analysis to a higher level.

To create a concrete found poem, students must only use words, phrases or even whole sentences “found” in their text. Then, they must shape these words into a visual representation on paper. They are not drawing; they must arrange the words, phrases, or sentences into an image on the page.

Students can create concrete found poems about a character, setting, or theme (using a symbol for the concrete structure). They should turn in not only the finished image but also a sheet with the cited words, phrases, or sentences they used to create the image. I require a minimum of ten of these. Below are some examples using the stories of Prometheus and King Arthur:

3. Postcard Home

Most main characters embark on a journey of some kind; this archetypal plot pattern lends itself to a postcard home activity. Have students write in the voice of a journeying character. You could designate a specific recipient or have students choose their own. Here are some questions to get students thinking:

Postcard Brainstorming Questions

Where are you? Do you like it? Why or why not? What has happened to you so far? (one or two sentences) What are you struggling with? What have you learned so far, about yourself or others? What will you do? How do you feel about the recipient?

Retro Style Vintage Postcard With Greetings From Hawaii

4. Character To-Do List

We all have many things we want to accomplish in the near and far future, and characters are no different! Tell students to choose a character from the text—or you can assign characters so all the characters are represented. Challenge them to get inside that character’s head to create a to-do list. They can think about the following questions:

Character To-Do List Brainstorming Questions

What does he or she have to do on a daily basis? What does the character want to do or achieve? What are the character’s responsibilities? What are the character’s goals? Where does the character have to go? Whom does the character need to speak to?

Students should use actual information from the text, of course, but urge them to also infer information and supply text evidence to support their inferences. It helps to set a minimum number of tasks, such as ten. You can suggest that if a character has a large goal on the list, that goal can be broken down into smaller tasks. For example, if a character’s goal is to “win karate tournament,” smaller steps might include, “Practice 2 hours a day” and “Watch opponents compete.” This activity will measure students’ comprehension, their understanding of a character’s underlying motives, their ability to draw inferences from existing information, and their ability to predict a character’s future actions.

For an extra challenge, have students cite the pages containing information from which they drew inferences. Below is an example using Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian .

5. Write a Twitter Conversation

Students love this! Have them work with partners to rewrite part of the text as a Twitter conversation among the characters. They do not have to actually use Twitter; they can just write out the conversation on paper, perhaps using Twitter’s 140-character maximum length. This is not merely a summarizing activity—deeper understandings can surface with this exercise.

For example, students’ choices of Twitter handles for each character may reveal character traits; their use of hashtags could express inferences about personalities and themes. I am always amazed at the humor and wit of the students when we do this activity, and the students themselves are often gasping with laughter by the end of it.

Below is a Twitter conversation between Daedalus, Icarus, and the shepherd that saw them flying.

Keeping It Real

Applying real-word literacy practices, like Twitter chats and To-Do Lists, to in-class texts engages students and deepens understanding. For more ideas, or to view full assignment sheets and rubric possibilities for the assignments suggested here, please see my book, 50 Common Core Reading Response Activities (Scholastic, 2014). [ Read MiddleWeb’s review. ]

If you’d like to explore the topic of this post in more depth, Marilyn’s most recent book is Reading with Presence: Crafting Meaningful, Evidenced-Based Reading Responses (Heinemann, 2018). She can be reached at http://marilynpryle.com/ .

3 Responses

Pingbacks 0

Great list, thanks for sharing!

Can’t wait to try the concrete found poems for reading science texts. A great way for students to build conceptual ideas about what they are learning. Thanks!

Very good content, we will do this on our own blog site. Many thanks for sharing.

Sign Up & Receive the Latest News about Our Content…

Email address:

First Name:

Read our Privacy Policy

BOOK REVIEWS

Changing Harmful Beliefs about Math Education

Start your Educational Consulting Business

100-Word Stories to Support SLIFE Literacy

Engaging All Students with Imaginative Writing

Reflections on Teachers’ Life-Shaping Power

$reading response assignment$

Engage All Students with Offbeat Math Problems

How Reader’s Theater Builds Reading Fluency

Use Emotional IQ Skills to Navigate Turbulence

Reach Past the Timeline with Thematic History

Literacy Instruction Can Promote Social Justice

Centering Love, Justice & Liberation in Schools

Routines for Creating Reading Communities

All the Tools You’ll Need for Differentiation

What MATH-ish Can Add to Your Math Classes

Coaching That Builds GT Teacher Capacity

Building Skills in the World Language Class

IMAGES

Reading Response Assignment by Marta Davi
Reading Response Forms and Graphic Organizers
Reading Response 11-25
Reading response
Sample reading response.
Reading Response Forms and Graphic Organizers

VIDEO

Reading Response Journal
ENG206 Writing Response Assignment
critical reading assignment
Public Speaking Assignment 1 Student Introduction Speech

COMMENTS

How to Write a Reading Response Essay With Sample Papers
Need help on your reading response essay? Get clear instructions, examples, and tips on how to write a reader's response paper.
THE READING RESPONSE - Writing Studio
A reading response is a specific kind of essay that asks you as a reader to engage critically with an assigned text. It is not asking you to state whether you like or dislike the text in question—instead, a reading response should: • Demonstrate to the instructor that you have both read and understood the text.
Reading Worksheets | Comprehension and Inference Skills
The passage questions why so many students work so hard to get out of reading assignments in this short persuasive piece. Of course, this activity includes multiple-choice and extended-response questions after the passage.
How to Write a Reader Response (with Examples) - wikiHow
A reader response assignment asks you to explain and defend your personal reaction to an assigned text. Reader response papers can be difficult because they force you, the reader, to take responsibility for giving meaning to the text.
5 Reading Response Activities to Invite Higher Thinking
Here, I’ll share five of my favorite post-reading reader-response activities. 1. Written Reading Responses (RRs) Doing Reading Responses (RRs) is one of the most effective techniques I know to get kids to formulate new ideas about a fiction or non-fiction text while referring to the text as they do so. It is a logical next step to annotating.
5.4: Writing a Reading Response - Humanities LibreTexts
A reading response asks the reader [you] to examine, explain and defend your personal reaction to a reading. You will be asked to explore: why you like or dislike the reading, explain whether you agree or disagree with the author, identify the reading’s purpose, and; critique the text. There is no right or wrong answer to a reading response.