This organizer should be copied and distributed at the beginning of the year in every Language Arts class, to be used as a year-round reference. It is the synthesis of over 20 years of preliminary checklists I've composed to help students, from 5th grade through 9th grade, to build strong, clear, insightful response-to-literature essays. Too often, students ramble on about literature as if they are merely expanding upon the elementary book report concept of showing that they read and understood the book. By middle school age, however, essay writers should share more than their mere comprehension; they should share their ability to interpret, connect with, and present those findings clearly, convincingly, and concisely. This checklist will keep them focused, help them edit and revise, and help them edit for each other, too. No peer editing of response-to-literature essays should occur without all students reading this packet first.