Reading Journal: The Kite Runner
In order to make it easier for you to complete discussions and writing activities during and after our reading of The Kite Runner, you may want to flag passages with sticky notes or maintain a log of chapter summaries/important quotes, etc. We will have group discussions part way through the novel and after significant chapters.
In addition to any notes you make for yourself, you are asked to complete six reading journal entries based on chapters 8, 10, 13, 17, 22, and 24.
Each journal entry must contain:
1. Give the chapter a significant title.
2. Write a five-line summary of the chapter (it is a skill to be brief!)
3. Identify one character that plays a significant role in that chapter. Try to use a different character for each journal entry, but this won’t be possible for some chapters and there will be some overlaps in character selection. Obviously you will be writing about different points in the story and most likely your perceptions of the characters will have changed. For the selected character:
- Select and copy a quotation from the chapter that you feel says something significant or interesting about that character.
- Identify the character’s best and worst qualities using an example from the chapter.
- Identify the character’s role in the book, both literally as well as the character’s significance to the overall theme or message of the book. For example, “this character reveals something that we all share, the quality of…”
4. Choose and write a meaningful quotation from the chapter that you feel captures an important aspect of the story or theme. As well, write a brief response to the quotation, outlining its significance.
5. Write three significant questions that arise in the chapter. These questions are not content-related (such as, “what happened to Amir in this chapter?”). They should be questions that arise for you as a reader that would initiate discussion or reflection, such as, “when Amir betrays his friend, what does this suggest about his state of mind?”
Due Dates
Monday, 1/6 read ch. 5 – 8 Journal ch. 8
Wednesday, 1/8 read ch. 8 – 10 Journal ch. 10
Thursday, 1/10 read ch. 11 – 13 Journal ch. 13
Monday, 1/13 read ch. 14 – 17 Journal ch. 17
Wednesday, 1/15 read ch. 18 – 23 Journal ch. 22
Friday, 1/17 read ch. 24 – 25 Journal ch. 24
Thursday, 1/16 Essay Due –The Kite Runner
Friday, 1/17 Test –The Kite Runner
Evaluation
Each journal entry is worth 10 points:
5 points for content/completeness
5 points for degree of thought and detail
5 responses are insightful
4 responses are thoughtful
3 responses are relevant
2 responses are superficial