How to Read Fiction

When you read fiction for pleasure, sometimes you relax and go along for the ride. You read to entertain yourself, and you don't pay close attention to the way the author develops characters, point of view, plot, setting, tone, or theme. You lose yourself in the world of the book. This is a great reason to read. Keep doing it all your life. I do.

Sometimes, though, especially when the writer has done a really good job, you find yourself saying, "Wow," and noticing how the writer did it. Assigned reading in English class is about that kind of paying attention. It's also about reading for pleasure, but it's the pleasure of understanding something completely. Learning to do this makes reading a very rich experience. It's also a great reason to read. I do that too.

Here are some suggestions for reading fiction that has been assigned in class:

• If you have your own copy of the book, develop the habit of writing in it. Use pencil if you like. If you're using a school copy or a library copy, or you don't like to write in books, use Post-It™ notes.
• As you read, underline the names of main characters, the names of places, and any words whose meaning you don't know.
• If you don't need to know the meaning of an underlined word to understand what you're reading, keep going. If you have to know what it means, stop and look it up, and write the definition briefly in the margin of the page.
• Ask yourself questions as you read. Writers make choices about what they say, and they have reasons. See if you can find out the reasons. Write the questions in the margin, too.
• See if you can figure out what kind of people the main characters are from their actions and speech. Underline important statements and actions. Write comments in the margin.
• Make predictions about what is going to happen next. Even if you're wrong, it turns out that people who make predictions understand what they're reading better than people who don't.
• At the end of each chapter or section, write a brief summary on a page at the beginning or end of the chapter or on a Post-It™ note. A summary includes who, what, when, where, why, and how. It doesn't have to be in complete sentences. You can also make a web or outline, or even a cartoon strip of the events.
• When you finish reading a story, you should be able to describe these elements: point of view, characters, plot, setting, tone, time period, and theme.
• You should also have a good idea of the kinds of choices the writer made.
• You should have an opinion about the story, one you can support. If you like the story, you should be able to explain your reasons, and the same for disliking it.
• You should be able to extend your knowledge of the book. That is, you should be able to compare it to other books you have read, or compare it to real life. You could write a sequel (what comes after the story) or a prequel (what came before), or a story which is similar in some ways but not in others. You could use the author's vocabulary in your own writing.

I will ask you to write regular short paragraphs about what you are reading, we will discuss the reading in class, and I will quiz you on the stories. This is to give you guided practice in reading carefully, help you pay attention, and help me to know what you understand and what you don't.

I don't mind if you read summaries written by other people (SparkNotes at http://www.sparknotes.com are very good, and you can get them as well as Cliffs Notes in book form at bookstores.) These won't do you much good if you don't read the books yourselves. It's like sports: you can read books about how to do play football, but unless you do it yourself you are no athlete.

I don't mind if you discuss what you're reading with your parents or other adults. They can help by giving you another point of view. Hold on to your own opinions, though, and don't just repeat what they tell you.

However, never write your summary or other homework using someone else's words. This is plagiarism, and it is lazy, dishonest, and stupid. In addition, you will get a detention for it and your parents will be called. Repeated plagiarism results in suspension, and you can get expelled for it too. Click here for some guidelines about plagiarism.

I know how sixth graders write, and I actually like it. You don't have to write like a grown-up for me. Too many grown-ups write badly. They use big words, they try to sound important, they confuse their readers, and they sound stuffy. Read as carefully as you can, write clearly, and write what you really think, and I will be happy.

More guidelines about reading in general in my page, How a Skilled Reader Reads.