Why use reading record journals?

In this article, we explore some of the positives of using reading record journals with students.

Reading record journals are used in many countries across the world and often involve students, parents and teachers in sharing and promoting reading. They take the form of a diary, where reading is logged and comments can be made. When used effectively, it can have a positive impact upon reading and wider literacy skills in a school. Here are some reasons why a reading record journal can be effective.

Support a love of reading

We all have so many thoughts and feelings when reading. A good book transports us to a thousand different places and the greatest books make us question so many things, even ourselves! For students, a reading journal can allow them to explore their thoughts as they read and provide them a useful pause point while engaging with a book. Maybe a question comes into their mind as they read, a thought about the characters/settings or potential plot point. It’s fantastic to look back on the notes you have made while reading and even more interesting to read your notes after the book is finished. How right/wrong was I? Have my feelings changed towards the protagonist? Students could share these with others to truly build a community of readers that can inspire and engage others. All of this inspires a true love of reading and can be completed by young people of a variety of ages with careful teacher support.

Home/School communication

In primary schools in the UK, reading record journals are used to promote reading between school and home. School staff and parents complete records, sharing the reading that is taking place and commenting on how the child is progressing through their reading. This can be a truly valuable form of communication and one that supports the importance of high levels of communication between home and school.

Support writing

Reading and writing are intrinsically linked and that a student that reads widely and for pleasure will find writing far more accessible than a student that does not. Reading journals can provide crucial support for writing by allowing students to ‘magpie’ (borrow!) ideas/themes/words/phrases from published writers and then adapt them to meet the needs of their own writing therefore increasing depth, and ultimately, the quality of writing. Reading journals gather in a single place all of the highlights that a student has encountered through reading a specific book and provide a useful tool for their own writing. A good reading journal can form part of the writer's toolkit.

Demonstrate understanding of reading

As a teacher, you can support your students to use reading journals in a meaningful way to

Share thoughts on books and gain a deeper understanding of your pupils’ reading skills. By asking your students to respond to the books they read with a variety of different questions, you can really ascertain their understanding of the books they are reading.

Some questions you may use:

• Which character stands out most to you?
• Summarise the story so far in 20 words
• How do you think the story may end?
• Use 5 words to describe the current mood of the story
• Who would you recommend this story to?
• What are the key reasons the main character is in their current situation?
• What would you do differently if you were the main character?
• Describe the setting to someone who hasn’t read the book
• What genre(s) would you class the story as?

Many of these questions would work effectively as book review discussion points once a book has been completed.

These are just a few ideas around how reading record journals can be used to promote reading in schools and at home. Regular reading and responding to the text alongside positive home school communication will have massive benefits for students in developing their literacy skills.

This article was written by Russell Newman, Education Consultant for Squirrel Learning and co-creator of GoRead, a digital reading record, that launched in Sept 2020. For more information about GoRead visit www.go-read.co.uk