15 Preparing to Respond
Learning Outcomes
- Connect your experiences with the ideas in an academic text.
- Express your point of view about the ideas in an academic text.
This chapter provides an opportunity for you to apply what you have learned in the previous chapter about responding. You will use the same article used in the chapters about summarizing; the article was originally published by the nonprofit, independent news organization, The Conversation, and examines students’ identities as either “reading people” or “math people.” If you no longer have your copy of the article, click here for a printable PDF.
Review Your Reading Process Notes and Summary
Before responding, read back through the notes you made as part of the reading process and the summary you wrote for the article. This will help refresh your mind about you initial impressions of the article and remind you of the main points presented in the article.
Preparing to Write a Response
How do you determine what to write about in the response? This type of writing may seem easier because you can share your own ideas rather than deciphering the author’s ideas, but it is more challenging than summarizing because there are fewer restrictions. You may have many opinions and connections related the text, yet you must choose a single idea so that your response is focused and developed.
Before choosing an idea to write about, it is helpful to write down your opinions and connections. Then you can choose from among your many thoughts. The questions below will help you to brainstorm.
Questions to Guide Response
After summarizing a text, use the following questions to brainstorm ideas for writing a response. Write down the questions and ideas on a piece of paper.
- What is your reaction(s) to the text? What did the author write[1] that made you feel this way?
- What is the author’s purpose for creating this text? How effectively did the writer convey the purpose and connect with the audience?
- Identify a key issue or question (a topic worthy of further debate, discussion, or research) that the author raises in the text. What insights does the author offer about the issue/question? What is your opinion about this same issue/question?
- Find a statement made by the author that made you think. What did it make you think about, and why did it stand out to you?
- How do you connect with the ideas in this text or apply them to your life and experiences or to your observations of others?
Practice 1: Brainstorm Ideas for Response
Refer back to the article that examines students’ identities as either “reading people” or “math people.” If you no longer have your copy of the article, click here for a printable PDF.
Brainstorm your responses to the five Questions to Guide Response (see above) on a piece of paper.
When we prepare to respond, writing is a tool to help us explore and deepen our thinking about the article. There are no wrong answers to the questions!
Below is an example of one student’s responses to these questions.
1. What is your reaction(s) to the text? What did the author write that made you feel this way?
(Note: Not all texts are articles. Some may be visual or include audio or video recordings. In those cases, you could also substitute words such as “draw,” “design,” or “record” in place of “write” when considering this question.)
This article made me concerned that the schools I attended might have led me to see myself as weak in certain areas.
2. What is the author’s purpose for creating this text? How effectively did the writer convey the purpose and connect with the audience?
The article is informational – not opinionated. The author seems to be writing to students and to teachers to inform them that students may have false perceptions of their skills in reading and math. The information is relatable for people who may view themselves as strong in one area and not the other.
3. Identify a key issue or question (a topic worthy of further debate, discussion, or research) that the author raises in the text. What insights does the author offer about the issue/question? What is your opinion about this same issue/question?
This article raises questions about tracking. Does it contribute to students identifying as math-only or reading-only people? After reading the article and based on my experience, I think it might. Now I wonder, how can students be pushed to develop in all areas rather than being tracked into certain areas and made to feel less skilled in others? I’m not sure what the answer is to this question.
4. Find a statement made by the author that made you think. What did it make you think about, and why did it stand out to you?
Wan states, “Although viewing oneself as better in one domain than another likely carries costs, it may have benefits as well” (par. 12). This statement surprised me because I did not consider the positives. Now I want to know how it could be beneficial.
5. How do you connect with the ideas in this text or apply them to your life and experiences or to your observations of others?
Practice 2: Choose One Idea for Your Response
After writing your answers to the response questions for Practice 1, read over your thoughts. Which idea excites you the most? Which idea do you want to share with others? Which idea is worthy of more discussion? Use these questions to help you choose ONE idea from your brainstorming you want to write about. Mark that idea in your brainstorming.
In the next chapter, you will learn how to write a clear topic sentence expressing the idea you chose.
- Not all texts are articles. Some may be visual or include audio or video recordings. In those cases, you could also substitute words such as "draw," "design," or "record" in place of "write" when considering this question. ↵