This document is a reading reflection log template that guides students in reflecting on their reading. It includes sections for students to evaluate their level of thinking, connections to prior knowledge, determining importance, questioning, imagery, inferences, and synthesis. For each section, the log provides descriptors to assess the depth of critical thinking from a basic to more advanced level. The goal is to help students develop higher-order thinking and comprehension of what they read.

1. Reading Reflection Log
Name:___________________________
DATE_____________
Level of
Thinking:
Remember Understand Analyze Create/Evaluate
Strategy: 1 2 3 4 5
Connections
:
Makes no response
and does not make
schematic
connection
Can talk about what
text reminds him/her of,
but cannot explain;
reference to schema
may not be clearly
connected to the text
Relates background
knowledge/experien
ce to the text.
Expand interpretation of text
using schema; may discuss
schema related to author or
text structure; may pose
questions based on apparent
discrepancies between the text
and background knowledge
Explains how schema
enriches interpretations of
text; talks about us of
schema to enhance
interpretation and
comprehension of other
texts; extends connections
beyond life experience and
immediate text.
Determine
Importance:
Makes no response;
uses random
guessing; makes
inaccurate attempts
to identify important
elements
Identifies some
elements as more
import to text
meaning.
Identifies words,
characters, and/or
events as more
important to overall
meaning; makes
some attempt to
explain reasoning.
Identifies at least one key
concept, idea, or theme as
important in the overall text
meaning, and clearly explains
why.
Identifies multiple ideas or
themes (may attribute them
to different points of view);
discusses author’s stance
or purpose and its relation
to key themes and ideas in
the text.
Questioning
:
Asks irrelevant
questions
Poses literal
questions
Poses questions to
clarify meaning
Poses questions to enhance
meaning of the text (critical
response, the big idea); may
explain how posing the
question deepens
understanding.
Uses questions to
challenge the author’s
stance, motive, or point of
view.
Imagery: No response Describes some
visual or other
sensory images,
which may be tied to
the text or a
description of the
picture in the text.
Describes mental
images, usually
visual; images are
some what
elaborated from the
literal text or existing
picture
Creates and describes multi-
sensory images that extend
and enrich the text
Elaborates multi-sensory
images to enhance
comprehension; can
articulate how the process
enhances comprehension.
Inferences: Makes no inference Attempts a prediction
or conclusion that is
inaccurate or
unsubstantiated with
text information
Draws insights that
are consistent with
the text or schema
Make insights and can explain
the source of the conclusion
Develops interpretations,
and/or insights about the
text that include
connections between the
text and the reader’s
background knowledge or
ideas and beliefs.
Synthesis: Makes random
response, may give
title
Identifies some text
events; retelling
reveals beginning
awareness of event
sequence.
Synthesizes with
some awareness of
even sequence:
beginning, middle,
and end; uses story
elements (character,
setting, conflict,
sequence,
resolution) and/or
genre structure to
organize a relatively
accurate retelling.
Enhances meaning in text with
synthesis; may incorporate
own schema; uses story
elements to give an accurate
retelling or synthesis; may
identify key themes; refers to
interactions between story
elements (how problem affects
character, how setting
changes problem).
Creates succinct synthesis
using internalized
story/genre structure and
inferences to capture key
themes; points out
interrelationships between
elements; talks about how
synthesizing promotes
deeper connections.
Response:
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