Catching Fire Suzanne Collins – Weekly Reading Response Blog

What has suprised you so far?

So far, I was suprised to see that Katniss has accidently started a rebellion because of her holding up the berries that would kill her and Peeta in The Hunger Games. This led t0 an uprising in District 8, where everything is suddenly violent. I was also suprised Katniss is trying to get closer to Gale over Peeta when Peeta treats her better, and Gale is ignoring her.

Tell what you like about the book so far and why.

So far, I like how Katniss is plotting to escape the capitol to survive, and how she’s accidently started a rebellion in the Districts. I enjoyed these parts of the book because they where suspenseful and suprising. I like how she is unable to tell anyone the situiation she’s in with President Snow and how everyone thinks she’s so happy with Peeta and everything will be okay when really, she and her friends are close to death. Another thing I like so far is how Katniss is locked up in the woods because of the fences suddenly becoming alive with electricity, and she will need to get over somehow without getting electricuted.

What was effective about the way the author wrote?

I think the author, Suzanne Collins, has made a good choice in choosing Katniss to speak in first person view. I think this because it helps you feel how she’s feeling in the situation she’s in. The words she used are also effective because they are descriptive. The words she used to describe situations she was in, the way she felt in them, and how the other characters treated her and spoke to her was very effective because it helped me to understand better.

Tell about parts of the book that made you ask a question.

When Bonnie and Trill met Katniss in the woods in District 12, they explained what was happening, what has happened to their families and why they were escaping. The thing that puzzled me was, how exactly (If the districts are in order of 1st to 12th side by side) could they have started in District 8 and taken a train headed to District 6 to come closer to District 12? If the Districts are not in order from District 1 to District 12, and District 6 is closer to District 12 than District 8, then I understand.

Reading Response Prompts

1. Tell what like or dislike about the book and why.

2. Tell about parts of your book that puzzled you or made you ask a question.

3. Tell what you noticed about the characters, such as what made them act as they did or how they changed.

4. Write about something in the book that surprised you or that you found interesting.

5. Write your predictions and about whether your predictions were right.

6. Ask for help in figuring out meaning of your book.

7. Tell about the connections that you made while reading the book. Tell how it reminds you of yourself, of people you know, or of something that happened in your life. It might remind you of other books, especially the characters, the events, or the setting.

8. Write about the author’s style and how it makes you feel.

9. Write about the language the author used and why you think the author wrote this way.

10. Write about the author’s craft – what was effective about the way the author wrote.

11. Write about anything else that you may think of that deals with the book.

12. Do you relate to any of the characters in the book? Explain how and why.

13. If you abanded the book, why did you?

14. Name 3 examples of signals that went off in your head while you were reading and explain them.

15. Explain what happened at the climax and explain why you think that is the climax.

16. Tell what you think could be changed in the book to make it better for readers.

Reading Response Rubric

Level 3 (B Range)
In your response you:
- have written at least one post a week
- demonstrate that you have read a variety of fiction and non-fiction materials
- reflect on the books you read effectively- relate to the books you read
- retell only the most important information in your responses
- explain your interpretation of a written work clearly, supporting it with evidence from the work and from your own knowledge and experiences clearly.
- demonstrate that you are a critical thinker that examines characters, plot, setting and literary - devices effectively

Level 4 (A Range)
In your response you:
- have written more than one post a week
- demonstrate that you have read a good variety of fiction and non-fiction materials
- reflect on the books you read very effectively
- relate to the books you read very effectively
- retell only the most important information in your responses
- explain your interpretation of a written work clearly, supporting it with evidence from the work and from your own knowledge and experiences clearly and concisely.
- demonstrate that you are a highly critical thinker that examines characters, plot, setting and literary devices effectively