What You Need to Know About Reader Response Paper

If you have a task to complete a reader response paper, you are expected to express your own opinion and reaction to an assigned text.

So, the main purpose of such an essay is to examine, explain and defend your point of view in relation to the text assigned and read. So, in order to create a perfect reader response essay, you have to specify the following questions:

• why you like or dislike the given text;
• what is a purpose of a text and how it is presented;
• whether you agree or disagree with the author;
• which aspects need to be discussed.

Remember that there exist no right or wrong answers to a reader response paper. Here, the most important task expected from a writer is to show the understanding of a text. Skills of expressing own thoughts should be presented in the best way.

How to Complete a Reader Response Paper

A good reader response paper has to follow a standard essay format which can be gained and mastered easily. Here are the main steps to complete a reader response paper, which will surely facilitate the writing process and make your instructor wow.

The first thing you have to do is to read the text accurately and attentively.

1. You have to read also the assignment`s requirements in order to know which aspects exactly should be presented and specified in your essay.
2. In order to succeed with a paper, it is very important to read the text very carefully. You can do that 2 or 3 times. It takes some time but it worth it. Highlight some important passages and keynotes. It will help you later on.
3. Contemplate what you have just read. It is not just a waste of time. It is really helpful when it comes to expressing own things and views.

After creating an outline, it is high time to start writing an essay.

1. The first part of your reader response paper is the introduction. It has to specify the name of the text and the author. Your introduction should also include some description of a text, ending with a thesis statement or argument.
2. When it comes to body paragraphs, there should be 3-4 of them. All of them need to discuss the text and required questions deeply. It would be great to dedicate the first paragraph to the main theme, topic, plotline of the text. The rest of the paragraphs then need to provide the information about your opinions concerning the text.
3. While writing a reader response paper, always keep in mind that you have to explain how, what, and why. That`s what makes a reader response paper, actually.
4. Each of your paragraphs should incorporate 1-2 specific examples from the text, which proves your point of view. It is important. However, if we are speaking about quotations, they should always be short.
5. The last part of your paper is the conclusion. It should be only one paragraph, which summarizes all arguments and points of view. It should be somehow connected to the thesis.

Having done all this, you need to proofread your paper. Make sure you have done everything properly. Look over some typos or mistakes, unnecessary sentences etc. Read it aloud to see whether everything sounds smooth. It is also a good idea to give your paper to someone else to read in order to reveal some things you cannot notice by yourself.