Reading+Journals

Students are required to read 20 minutes every day (7 days per week, 365 days per year). When Journal Entries are assigned for homework, the following ideas may be useful in guiding thinking and writing. Journal entries must be a minimum of one paragraph (5-7 sentences).
 * Reading Journals **

** Journal Entry Ideas **
 * SUMMARIZE ** : This book is about_ . The main character in the story is _. The story is set in/during _.
 * PREDICT ** : Based on _________, I predict that ________. Later in the story, I think that ___________.
 * CONNECT ** : This story is like my life because ____________. The story is similar to the book/movie because ______________.
 * EVALUATE ** : I think the author is a good/bad writer because _________//. I like the story because//____________ __.__
 * QUESTION ** : When I read the part about, it made me wonder __________. I wonder why the author chose to ________? I think it might be because ________.
 * VISUALIZE ** : When I read the part about ___________, I pictured . I think the main character looks like_______________ __.__
 * IMAGINE: ** If I were the editor of this book, I would change the part about_______. I might even add a character named who would. That would make the plot better because___________.
 * WORDS ** - Words and/or phrases I liked...
 * IMAGES ** - What I see when I'm reading...
 * DIFFERENT ** - It seems so different that...
 * TRADE PLACES ** - If it were me, I'd...
 * CONFLICT ** – Give the details of the major conflict in your book. How is it resolved, or how do you predict the conflict might be resolved?
 * CHARACTER ** – Describe the main character, especially what he/she is thinking and feeling.
 * VOCABULARY ** - Write down new or unusual words and look up their meanings.
 * WONDER ** – Write down new and interesting things you’re discovering or wondering about.
 * COMPARE ** - Compare or contrast the life of your character to your life.
 * EXPLAIN ** - Tell about an aspect of culture that you read about in your book.
 * POINT of VIEW ** – Give the point of view, and include a passage supports the POV.
 * THEME ** – Tell the theme of your book in one sentence, and then explain your reasoning.
 * WRITING STYLE ** –Find and label examples of literary devices such as simile, metaphor, imagery, personification, alliteration, hyperbole
 * OTHER? **

** Examples of Reading Journals **

**THEME** - The human spirit can take very much, but failure isn't one it takes well. I think this theme resembles the book //Island of the Blue Dolphins// because Karaha gets left on an island alone. So she is lonely, tire, hungry, scared, and even more than that, she is curious to know if the ship will come back. But one thing she can't take is failing. Because if she does fail, it could put her life in danger. (Cara)

**POINT OF VIEW** - The point of view of //The Red Pony// is first person. Here is a passage from the book that shows the "I" point of view. "I am gathering my bowl and my bundle when the aging bird girl comes in. With her is another girl, a much younger girl. She is wearing a bright yellow dress and clutching a bundle of rough homespun clothes in her arms." (Olivia)

**WONDER** - I have now finished the book //The Cage//, but it has left me wondering what was going on in the Nazis minds while they were torturing these poor Jewish people. You have to wonder if in somewher even far back in their minds there was a tiny voice saying "This isn't right...STOP!" Rive, the main character would sometimes say that the guards showed some signs that "they were still human." This really made me wonder. (Rachel)

**CHARACTER** - Finnula is the main character in //Ransom my Heart.// She is very adventurous. When her sister asks her to abduct their lord to collect money for ther dowry, Finnula agrees. I haven't been able to get to where she talks about how she feels about it, but I think she isn't too phased by it. My reason for this is because Fin follows her own rules and wehn she does something bad, she doesn't get caught, so she probably thinks she'll never be caught. (Hannah)

**WRITER'S STYLE** - //Cold Case// has a lot of of suspense, action, and mystery. There is a lot of suspense because whenever the main character Spencer is in trouble, he somehow thinks of a great solution. His solutions is always something nobody would think of. It also has a lot of action because in each story there is some kind of shooting, or killing. There is lastly a lot of mystery because Spencer is a private detective trying to solve mystery. The book is a great read. (Cam)