Personal v. Analytical ResponseYou can do it!

Start with the text citation Remember: this is text I can literally

“point to” in the book. If you text code while you read, pick

something you highlighted. If you don’t text code, you might need

to skim for a key/important/juicy line or two.

Here’s one I found in my current book

Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers Page 1

“While we live our own individual lives, what has gone before us, our history, always has some effect on us.”

Juicy, huh?

Here are some personal connections

Personal Connection This reminds me of

the kind of history we read about in textbooks. Even though I don’t think about it every day, I know it has shaped our culture.

Personal Connection This reminds me of

the stories my grandpa tells of his mom. I only met her once when I was five, but I know there are parts of me that come from her.

Personal connections are easier, right?

Now it’s time to kick it up a notch!

Analysis means to break something into pieces Literature has different kinds of pieces:

CHARACTER SYMBOLISM THEME PLOT AUTHOR FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE And more!

We could analyze these pieces by

color, shape, pattern, size, texture, or

shine, right?

Which fits this passage best? Page 1

“While we live our own individual lives, what has gone before us, our history, always has some effect on us.”

CHARACTER SYMBOLISM THEME PLOT AUTHOR

Which fits this passage best? Page 1

“While we live our own individual lives, what has gone before us, our history, always has some effect on us.”

CHARACTER SYMBOLISM THEME PLOT AUTHOR

Yikes! I found THREE that

could work! I’m picking theme

for this one.

Now I have to look for my pieces that match. It’s like sorting.

Theme Analysis “While we live our own individual

lives, what has gone before us, our history, always has some effect on us.”

A THEME is an idea about life communicated by the author. This looks like a possible theme to me. What do you think?

In Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers, the author communicates the message he delivers on the very first page, that “While we live our own individual lives, what has gone before us, our history, always has some effect on us.” In his memoir, Myers shows that growing up in Harlem in the 1940s had an impact on his life. The history of African Americans in New York shaped Myers’ childhood, even though he may not have realized it until later. Not only did his hometown’s history impact him, but Myers’ family history also affected his life.

THEME

This could turn into a whole essay But for the sake of your reading

journals, two or three sentences is fine.

Do you see the difference between personal and analytical response?

See if you can label the lines on the next slide.

Label the following: Walter reminded

me of my uncle Doug.

The author uses the symbol of rain to foreshadow bad things on the way.

This text reminded me of my trip to Washington, D.C.

The title of the novel gives a hint about the theme: people’s judgments can shape one’s self-esteem.

Label the following: Walter reminded

me of my uncle Doug.

The author uses the symbol of rain to foreshadow bad things on the way.

This text reminded me of my trip to Washington, D.C.

The title of the novel gives a hint about the theme: people’s judgments can shape one’s self-esteem.

PERSONAL

ANALYTICAL

PERSONAL

ANALYTICAL

Get it? Ready to write/edit/correct your own

reading journal?