NANCY SOMMERS: When we write about another text what we show is who we are as a reader.

Who we are as a writer is really who we are as a reader. That we can't write an engage prose about another text if we haven't engaged with that text. And we can't critique that text if we haven't gone through that process of critiquing it and taking it apart and seeing how it works and seeing how this text was put together so that we can take it apart and write about it.

KRISTY SEELE: Responding is showing that you understand the material and make sure you understand not only what you're reading, but even past that. Look into it even further. What are they really saying? What's the subtext? And so we always respond to things that we've read just to make sure that the understanding is there and that you can explore and think critically about what you're reading.

SHAUNDEL SANCHEZ: When I read a book even if it's a book for fun, like, when I read a book I really try to engage with the author as much as I can, engage with the text as much as I can. I annotate all over the place. If I don't agree with what they're saying I'll write on there check on this. It sounds like it might not be true or this doesn't make any sense.

ALEX RANKIN: Usually if I'm reading I'll do an outline on it and go back over it. So I just don't have to read the chapter over and over. I could just read my outline over and over. And it's much less writing and it's more simple to understand because it's mine.

SHAUNDEL SANCHEZ: And then usually it helps me to go back because if I'm reading something that somebody wrote I like to go back and check their facts. And so I go back and I annotate between books. So then I'll often have a middle paper that has extra annotations as well.

NANCY SOMMERS: My students' experience with reading is one of passivity, which is here's this text, I'm reading it, and now I have to write about it. But what I want my students to see is no, it's not just reading it and reporting or summarizing, but it's engaging with it.

ISMAH JAWED: When I read textbooks, particularly maybe history textbooks I think I disagree with more or only not of the facts that happened, but the way that the analysis is afterwards.

NANCY SOMMERS: What did this person just say? Do I agree with that? What did this person say that doesn't make any sense? And actually learning to argue with what it is that you've read.

ISMAH JAWED: A lot of times I feel like it's one sided or we're only learning about one point of view where one group of people or whatever the context may be.

NANCY SOMMERS: Well, wait. X has seen it this way and Y has seen it this way, but I, in fact, see it another way.