KBARR. Kick Back and Read (and) Respond

• Read EVERY Monday through Thursday for at least 15 minutes each day.
• You will use your notebook to respond to your reading. 
• These responses should be your thoughts, reactions, connections, and questions about what you are reading. The key here is to think about what you read; as long as you are thoughtful, you have much freedom in regard to how you respond.
  

KBARR Chart.
Name:
Date:
Title of Book:

Date	Time Started-Time Stopped	Pages Read*	Parent Signature
1	--	--	x
2	--	--	x
3	--	--	x
4	--	--	x

*Note: List page numbers read, not simply number of pages read. Example: p.123-p.134. This goes into your notebook.

K.B.A.R. Responding.

• DO NOT SUMMARIZE! DO NOT SUMMARIZE! (Unless otherwise asked to do so.)·
• React. Why do you love/hate this book? Why should someone else read it? What would make it better? What would you have done in the same situations? 
• Question. What confuses you? Ask the author or main character 10 questions. 
• Evaluate. How does this book compare with other books you’ve read? What is the author’s point? 
• Predict. What will happen next? What makes you think so? What "should" happen next? Write a new ending. 
• Quote or point out. Quote an interesting or important part of the book. Why is this important? Why is it cool? What’s the point?

KBAR Response Rubric.
*Can tell you've read. *Specific/uses examples.  *Shows thinking.  *Little Summarization.  *Effort

KBAR  FAQ:
1) Can I make up missing signatures?  Ummm. No. You can, however, do extra KBAR over the weekend to make up (most of) the missing points. Read Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, and get your chart signed, and you can get 15/20 points back. (I guess if you happen to luck into a three-day weekend, then you could get all you signature points back.)
2) Can I get all four of my signatures on Thursday night?
Ummm. No. The nightly thing is sort of the whole idea behind KBAR. You  need to get your chart signed every day after you have read. If you forget, see question #1.

3) Can I make up missing responses? Yes. You can get up to 15 of the 20 points back by showing me your response on the following Monday.
4) What if I finish my book in the middle of the week? You get one night off to look for a new one. Write, "Looking for book," on the  appropriate line in your chart, and get it signed. By the next night, you should  be reading a new book.
5) If I do that, which book should I respond to? It doesn't matter. Either one, or both.
6) Can I do 2 KBARS per day to make up missing ones?  No. Weekends and holidays are the only times to do make ups.


More response ideas...from 75 WAYS TO SHARE A BOOK by Suzanne Barchers     Edited down for KBAR use.

1.Write about it to a friend. Not just about plot, but about themes and characters as well.  2.Make an annotated map of where it takes place.  3.Make a story map of its main events.  5.Explain why it would (or wouldn’t) make a great movie.  6.Explain its funniest (or most exciting) incident.  8.Pick five to 10 adjectives that describe it. Explain why they fit. 9.Describe an incident from it as though you were an on-the-scene TV reporter.  11. Make up a limerick or haiku about it.  13.Compare it to the movie or TV version. Which is better and why? 14.Make a time-line of its important events.  15.Create a new ending for it.  19.Use sketches or photographs to recreate one of its action sequences. Make sure you also include thought and talk balloons 20.The U.S. President has learned that you’ve read this book and wants to know one thing a main character discovered about life that you think all Americans should know.  What would you tell him?  Why?  21.Describe the main character in 100 words.  22.Choose a character you’d like (or not like) to have as a friend.  Tell why.  23.Make believe you were one of the minor characters.How would you describe a main character?  25.Plan an appropriate meal for a main character. Explain why it's appropriate. 26.Do a cartoon strip based on a character. Make sure to use a lot of thought and talk balloons. 27.Write a few paragraphs in a diary as if you were a character.  28.Write a poem about a character.

30.For stories that took place in another time, tell how one of the characters would act today, or would respond to a present day situation.  31.Tell why one of the characters should have a different role.  32.  Tell what your home would be like if it belonged to one of the main characters.  33.  Write a biography of one of the characters.  34.  Write an interview between a character and the author, or between two characters.  36.  Pick a book you think each of the main characters would enjoy reading.  Tell why.  37.  Guess what would have happened if a character had made  an important decision differently.  38. Make a list of facts you learned from it.  39. Persuade an audience to read (or not read) it.  40. Tell why you would (or wouldn’t) recommend it to your principal, a parent, or another student.  41. Tell what the book would say about itself if it could talk.  42. List its five most interesting or critical sentences. Tell why.  44. Compare it to another book the author has written. Describe common elements, style, theme, and so forth.  45. Write a song about it.  46. Demonstrate something you learned from it.  47. Prepare a list of its most unusual, difficult, or exciting words. Explain them. 48. Use its title and theme to write your own story. 49. Pretend to be the book and tell what you hold within you.  50. Compare it with a book of similar theme.  52. Become the author and tell why you wrote this book.