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Informal Journal

ADVANCED ENGLISH III and IV

INFORMAL JOURNAL

 

In the course syllabus, you were informed that you would need to purchase one notebook that will be used as an informal journal throughout the semester.  This notebook will be used to keep smaller, out of class writing assignments, and to keep occasional full class writing prompts.  It will be necessary to ALWAYS have this notebook with you when you come to this class.

 

One of the primary goals of any English class is to make you a better writer; in order to achieve this goal, you must write as much as possible.  Writing does not always mean formal, graded essays; rather, one of the best ways for you to gather ideas, develop a unique voice, and improve the flow of your technique is to write without fear of a graded critique.  The informal journal will be a place for you to do all of these things.

 

The requirements of this journal are few and easy to complete: 

  1. The notebook must be used exclusively for this class. 
  2. It must have your name on it, and it must always be with you in class. 
  3. The pages inside should be numbered on the top outside corner of the page as you progress through the notebook (front is one page, the back is another). 
  4. By the end of the semester, you must have forty pages of hand-written (normal sized) material.  (If you reach this goal early, it does NOT mean you are done! It does mean you will only have to write the in-class prompts and that you will receive extra credit!)
  5. You must complete all required writing assignments and prompts to completion. 

If you complete all these requirements, you will receive full-credit for each informal journal check and for the final informal journal grade.

 

INFORMATION:

 

  • The journal will be collected four times each semester—at both midterms and at the end of each quarter. Each time you turn in your journal for a journal check, you must have approximately a quarter of the 40 pages done. If I feel you are falling behind with the informal journal, you will not receive full credit.  If you show consistent effort and completion of all writing assignments and prompts since the last journal check, you will receive full credit for that collection.

 

First Midterm = 10 pages                                 End of Quarter = 20 pages

            Second Midterm = 30                                      End of Semester= 40 pages

 

  • A page of writing must equal A PAGE OF WRITING. Do NOT write less than a full page and count it as such. I will renumber for you and not count it as a page. (Along with this, write full margin-margin and do not write HUGE so there are four words on a line!)

 

  • If you fall behind, you ARE responsible for catching up for the next journal check. So yes, regardless of whether you had 10 pages on the first collection, you must have 20 on the second.

 

 

  • When I assign a due date for a particular entry, it counts as a check grade and will be treated as so. Often, you will use your response to participate in class discussion. There will not be a required “length limit” to all of them, but when one is not given, the response should still be long enough to show careful consideration of the prompt and/or analysis of the text.

 

PERSONAL ENTRIES:

If you are concerned at any point in time that you will not reach the required number of pages, if you have something about class you wish to “talk” to me about, or even if there is something exciting, troubling, momentous happening in your life, feel free to write about it in your journal. I have found many students enjoy making these journals “their own” and make them into momentos of some exciting times in their lives. You do not HAVE to do this.

 

If you do write a private entry, please mark it as such with a “Personal” title (or something equivalent). If you do not wish me to read it, which is your right, please make that clear at the beginning of the entry AND at the end. Please do not take advantage of this, however, and mark the entire thing “Private.”

 

FINAL NOTES:

 

  • All information written in the journal is strictly confidential between us; however, if I feel that any of the information written is potentially dangerous to yourself or another person, I will have to share that information with someone. 

 

 

I intend for this journal to be an easy, (possibly fun) way to earn points.  I love collecting them, reading them, and commenting back. I see it as another way of getting to know you better and to communicate with you more. The possibilities of writing in it will be endless, and as long as the effort and sincerity are present, you will earn full credit.  However, if you wait until the last minute to complete the required pages, you will regret it as the end of the semester will be full of other requirements.  So, in summary—write often, complete required writings, enjoy it, and don’t procrastinate!