Response Journals
The purpose of your journal is to give you a
personal way to respond to literature and a place to write what you think about
ideas and issues. The second section may be used on unit tests.This journal
will be handed in twice per quarter. It is worth 100 points each time. See grading
rubric.
Your response journal will have two sections
(more fully defined later):
- Quotation responses
- Responses to literature
- Personal section that should include each
of the following:
- Your ideas for your seminar presentation
- Your personal reflection for any major
group projects
Setting up and keeping your journal:
- Define sections with tabs.
- Label and date each entry.
- Use a binder or a three subject notebook.
Either way, no other work is to be kept in this journal.
- Readability influences your grade.
- Your seriousness of purpose will be evident
and also influences your grade.
- Do not use markers or colored pens for journal
entries.
Quotation response section:
Respond to every quotation given in class. Use
the following format for developing your response.
- A thought
provoking quotation is only the beginning. As you consider the quotation,
you need to think about
- what it means. Define unfamiliar words
and ask for help in understanding abstract ideas.
- how it is true or in what ways is it true.
Give examples.
- Then, to really develop your response, you
need to think about how your own experience relates to the ideas.
- These responses will almost always be written
in first person. However, do not use phrases like "I think," "in
my opinion," or others like them. This is your work. It is obvious that
the ideas are your own.
- Do not use another familiar quotation to support
your thoughts about this one. That just makes your work too confusing.
- Do not begin your response by writing, "This
quote is about". . . (or any variation of that).
- When you refer to the person who said this
quotation, use his or her first and last name to begin with, and after that,
use only his or her last name. This is a standard way to write. You would
never refer to Albert Einstein as Albert. You just don't know him that well.
- A good way to begin is to put the idea presented
in your own words. Some ideas for beginnings follow:
- When Abraham Lincoln says "quotation
goes here," he means that . . . .
- Margaret Mead is correct when she says that
. . . .
- Sample quotation
response
Responding to literature section:
Instead of worksheets or study guides or sets
of questions for the essays, stories, poems, novels, and plays etc. that we
read, you will be writing your own responses in this section. You are expected
to write a response for everything we read. Longer works require more entries.
You will be given a list of ways to respond to
literature on a separate sheet. It would be good to "paste" that into
your journal for easy reference.
One nice thing about this section is that you
will be able to use it on unit tests.
Minimum entries for literature:
- 1 250 word min. for short stories, essays,
poems, or other shorter works
- 3-5 250 word min. for novels, plays, or other
longer works (movies).
As always, doing more than the minimum shows
your scholarship and seriousness of purpose.