Response Journals

The purpose of your journal is to give you a freer way to respond to literature (fewer worksheets and study guides) 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 three sections (more fully defined later):

1. Quotation responses
2. Responses to literature
3. Personal section that should include each of the following:
   1. Your ideas for your seminar presentation
   2. 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.

Personal section:

You will be engaged in at least one group project per semester. For each of these major group projects, write a personal reflection about any or all of the following:

• what you learned
• what difficulties you encountered
• how your viewpoint changed or differed from your group's
• how your experience was valuable

Also, for one Friday per semester, you will be responsible for leading Friday Seminar. This section of the journal is where you will reflect on that experience. See the seminar page for more information.