Writing Application
Great readers become great writers! In this lesson, you will learn how to write about the chapter books you read. Writing helps you think more deeply about stories and share your ideas with others.
Why Write About What You Read?
Reading + Writing = Super Learning!
When you write about a book, you understand it better. Writing helps you organize your thoughts and remember important details from the story.
Think Deeper
Writing makes you think more carefully about the story.
Remember More
You remember stories better when you write about them.
Share Ideas
Your writing helps others learn about great books!
Build Skills
Practice for tests and future school writing.
Three Types of Writing About Books
1. Summary Writing
A summary tells the most important parts of a story in your own words. It is short - usually just a few sentences or one paragraph.
- Who is the main character?
- What is the problem?
- What happens? (main events only)
- How does it end?
2. Response Writing
A response shares YOUR thoughts and feelings about a book. You explain what you liked, what surprised you, or what you learned.
- Your opinion about the book
- Your favorite part and why
- How the book made you feel
- Would you recommend it?
3. Connection Writing
A connection shows how a book connects to your own life, another book, or the world around you.
- Text-to-Self: How does this remind me of my life?
- Text-to-Text: How is this like another book I read?
- Text-to-World: How does this connect to things happening in the world?
The Writing Process
Follow these steps when writing about a book:
Think
What do you want to write about? What are the main points?
Plan
Organize your ideas. What will you say first, next, last?
Write
Get your ideas down on paper. Do not worry about mistakes yet.
Revise
Make it better. Add details. Fix unclear sentences.
Edit
Fix spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
Example: Writing About "The Secret Garden Club"
Remember the story from our earlier lessons? Let's see examples of each type of writing about it.
Quick Reminder: "The Secret Garden Club"
Lily Chen sees an empty, weedy lot behind her apartment. She learns it used to be a garden and decides to bring it back. With help from her friend Marcus and neighbor Mrs. Johnson, she makes a plan. But first, they need to get permission from the building manager.
Example 1: Summary
In "The Secret Garden Club," a girl named Lily wants to turn an ugly empty lot into a beautiful garden. Her friend Marcus tells her the lot used to be a garden long ago. Lily makes a plan and gets help from Mrs. Johnson, who gardened there as a child. Now they need to ask the building manager for permission to start their project.
Example 2: Response
I really liked "The Secret Garden Club" because Lily does not give up on her dream. My favorite part was when Mrs. Johnson got happy tears because she remembered the old garden. It made me feel good that young people and older people can work together. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes stories about making your neighborhood better.
Example 3: Connection
This story reminds me of when my class planted flowers at our school. Like Lily, we had to ask permission first. We also needed help from adults who knew about gardening. The story made me think about how one person's idea can bring a whole community together. Just like Lily, we felt proud when we saw our plants grow.
Practice: Writing About Reading
Question 1: What should you include in a summary?
Question 2: What makes a response different from a summary?
Question 3: What is a "text-to-self" connection?
Question 4: Which sentence is a good topic sentence for a summary?
Question 5: What is the FIRST step in the writing process?
Question 6: Read this sentence: "I felt excited when Lily decided to talk to the building manager because she was being brave." What type of writing is this from?
Question 7: Which part of writing comes AFTER writing your first draft?
Question 8: What should a closing sentence do?
Your Turn: Writing Frame
Use this frame to practice writing a response to a book you have read.
Book Response Writing Frame
Writing Checklist
Track Your Progress
Your Practice Score
What We Learned
Summary
Tell the main parts of a story in your own words.
Response
Share your thoughts and feelings about a book.
Connection
Connect the book to yourself, other books, or the world.
Process
Think, plan, write, revise, and edit.
Next Steps
- Write a summary of a chapter book you recently read
- Practice making text-to-self connections in a reading journal
- Share your book responses with classmates or family
- Try writing different types of responses to the same book
- Move on to the Editing Workshop to polish your writing skills!