The purpose of this case study was to identify the role of reading response in two elementary classrooms: one first-grade and one fourth-grade. The study examined the structured and incidental opportunities students had for response, the formats of their responses and the utility of the responses to each teacher. Qualitative data collection methods, including classroom observation and semi-structured interviews were employed. Analysis of the data led to four major conclusions. First, a sense of classroom community fostered authentic, aesthetic responses to text. Second, tensions existed between the prescribed curricula and teachers' attempts to promote authentic reader response. Third, reader response was used for accountability and assessment. And finally, students' prior experiences and skill levels impacted the teachers' perceptions of their abilities to respond to texts in meaningful ways.