This reading response activity should be done by individual students. Spiders are drawn on a worksheet and passed out to each student. A main idea or theme of the reading is written in the center of the spider, and supporting statements are placed on the legs. For example, a character in the story may be shy. The student would state this in the center and then write examples from the story that support this.
For this activity, primary students will design a book cover for the story. They will be given a piece of construction paper and instructed to create a picture with or without words to describe what they feel the book is about. If the story was about a boy playing baseball, the students might draw a baseball field or someone playing catch. They can design the cover and decorate it any way that they feel describes the story. This response activity is a fun way to integrate art into the primary classroom.
A letter to the author can be written as a response to reading. Have students write five to seven sentences addressing the author of the book. Because this activity is for students in the primary grade level, five to seven sentences may take a few class periods to complete. They can critique the story and tell the author what they liked, disliked or would have changed about the plot. This activity will assess the students' retention of the content. Teachers can evaluate the level to which the student understood the material, related to the characters and perceived different situations that took place.
Divide students into small groups. At the primary school age, students may work well with others when attempting to write an alternate ending. The children in the group will collaborate to produce an alternate ending to the story that they have just read. They will then share their interpretations with the rest of the class. This response activity will get the students thinking more in depth about how situations affect the outcome of the story.