Sharing Personal Reactions to Texts

A personal reaction is your own opinion or feeling about a text. It could be how a character made you feel, or what you thought about something that happened in the story. Two people can read the same book and have very different reactions, and that is okay. Your reaction is yours because it comes from your own thoughts and feelings.

But a strong personal reaction is more than just "I liked it" or "that was sad." A strong reaction tells the reader exactly what part of the text made you feel that way.

Imagine you tell a friend, "That story was exciting!" Your friend might ask, "Why?" If you cannot answer, your friend will not understand your reaction. But if you say, "It was exciting because the dog jumped over the fence to save the kitten from the fire," your friend understands exactly what part excited you.

A detail is one small piece of information from the text, like a word, a sentence, or an action. An example is a specific moment you can point to and say, "This part right here." When you use details and examples, your reaction becomes clear and believable instead of just a guess.

You can build a strong personal reaction in three steps. First, name your feeling or opinion. Second, say the word "because." Third, give one specific detail or example from the text that supports your feeling.

Here is this plan in a full sentence: "I felt proud of the main character because she practiced every day, even when she wanted to give up." The feeling is "proud." The detail is "she practiced every day, even when she wanted to give up." Together, they make a complete and clear personal reaction.

Certain phrases help you move smoothly from your feeling to your proof. Try phrases like these:

• "I felt (surprised, worried, happy) because..."
• "One example that shows this is..."
• "This part of the story made me think..."
• "I agree with the character's choice because..."

Notice that each phrase leads you toward naming something specific from the text, not just a general feeling.

Personal reaction: Your own opinion or feeling about a text and the reason behind it.

Detail: A small, specific piece of information from the text, such as a word or sentence.

Example: A specific moment or event in the text that you point to as proof.

Support: Using a detail or example to explain why you feel or think a certain way.

Opinion: What you believe or think about something in the text.

After you finish a short story, write one sentence that names your feeling, and one sentence that gives a specific detail to explain it. For example: "I felt scared during the story. One example is when the lights went out and the dog started barking."

Try this with a book you are reading right now. Pick one feeling, then hunt through the pages for the exact detail that caused it.

Related lessons

• Analysis And Response Personal Response