Ideas for Writing and Thinking About a Text


1. RESPOND freely to an idea from the text without censoring yourself, as you write whatever comes to mind.
2. CHOOSE and DESCRIBE an idea, event, or character that you found especially interesting or significant. Explain why you chose it.
3. ASK QUESTIONS about what you have read, and record them.
4. COMPARE and CONTRAST an event or episode in the reading with your own experiences—look for similarities. Then think of differences.
5. ILLUSTRATE an idea from the reading with examples from your own life.
6. ANALYZE the why and how of the way the plot unfolded, including the characters’ motives and actions.
7. RELATE this reading to other readings in order to connect it with what you already know. Points of comparison may include the author’s main idea and goal, the style of the writing (e.g., amount of description), and the way the reading is organized.
8. FORM OPINIONS about the significance, accuracy, originality, and relevance of the work to our time.

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