Now that we've had some experience with Reading Responses, we want to make sure that we're all comfortable with my expectations for them. Overall, the Reading Responses have been good, but just so we're all on the same page, I have put together a list of effective Reading Response tips based upon what I have observed. Keep in mind that Engagement Assignments (which includes Reading Responses) constitute 20% of your total course grade.
- Make certain to account for the complete prompt. If it asks you to include specific information or talk about a particular aspect of the reading, be sure to do that.
- Provide mostly critical commentary in your Reading Response, not summary. We have all done the reading, so we don't need much summary. Instead, make concrete, specific connections to our previous readings and your own experience inside and outside of class. Then turn your discussion to how this information might be useful in our current project, or otherwise change how you thought about it.
- Use grammar and structure that is appropriate for a professional context. Sentence-level grammar is important, in part because it gives the response an appropriate ethos. Also, your response should be structured into a complete narrative with a beginning, middle, and end. Don't just collect random thoughts into one large paragraph. As writers, we have to do the work of presenting our material to the reader comprehensibly.
- Give your Reading Response a descriptive title. It is useful if the title foreshadows what the post addresses.
- Hit the Reading Response word count. Word counts are somewhat arbitrary, but they encourage the kind of sustained engagement necessary for a good post.
- Post your Reading Response by the deadline. Reading Responses should be posted before class time on the day that they are due.