How to Write a Text Response Essay

When you read a book and then write about it, you're writing a text response essay.

A text response essay, sometimes called a reader response essay, is a basic format for writing an essay in response to a piece of text. Any time a teacher asks you to write about your personal reaction to the text or to explain part of the text, you are writing a text response essay. Follow a few simple steps and you can write a text response essay clearly and fluently.

Instructions

1. Select a topic. Ask yourself which portions of the text stand out the most in your mind; this will lead you to a focus for your essay. Choose a topic that allows you to discuss several points in your essay; consider whether or not you could write at least three to five paragraphs about your topic before you finalize it.

2. Brainstorm about your topic. Write a list of all of the things that come to mind when you think of your topic. Include things you remember from the text as well as personal reactions to the text and any outside texts or world situations that remind you of the text.

3. Organize your ideas. Write an outline for your essay. List the main points you want to cover in your introduction paragraph, then outline three to five body paragraphs detailing each subtopic you plan to write about. Finally, write a brief description of the conclusion paragraph for your essay. Go back and copy down quotations from the text that will help you write each paragraph, along with their page numbers. This will make writing the essay faster.

4. Write your essay. Make sure each paragraph covers specific and important information. Use proper spelling and grammar and follow the format your teacher provided for writing the essay. In each paragraph, include at least one quotation from the text as well as your explanation of why that quotation is important or how it relates to your main idea. Always relate your body paragraphs to the main idea of your paper.

5. Revise your essay. Check it for spelling and grammar mistakes. Ask a friend or relative to read it for you and give you ideas on how to improve. Make sure that your paper flows well from one paragraph to the next and that you have made a strong statement in the introduction along with supporting statements to back it up in each body paragraph.

References

• Benedictine University at Springfield: Reader Response Essays