Article of the Week Journal
As you know, each week you are required to read the article, highlight your confusion, annotate any connections, and write a one page response in your reading journal.
Guidelines for writing your response:
- Responses are due in the beginning of the class Friday. No exceptions and no work will be accepted late (unless absent from school).
- Please do no summarize the article. I’ve read the article. You’ve read the article. No need to prove it by telling me what I already know.
- We are looking for you to respond to the article. Here are some stem statements that might help you write a response:
- In my reading I noticed...
- Something I hadn’t thought about before is...
- Something I learned is...
- Something I found difficult about this source is...
- Something I learned about myself from this resource is...
- Something I’ll have to learn more about as result of my reading is...
- Something I found personally meaningful in this article was...
- A problem I had is...
- This helped me to understand...
- As a teenager, I care about this article because...
- As a teenager, I do not care about this article because...
- Choose your two favorite quotes from the article and write a reflection for both in your notebook
- Write down five things you learned by reading this week’s article. Then, write a response explaining which thing is the most important for you to know.
- Pick out a paragraph where the author is most effective. Maybe he or she creates tension, is forceful, etc. Explain the effectiveness of that paragraph.
- Free response. Respond to the article in any way you see fit. (Just don’t retell the whole thing. Remember, I’ve read it too.)
Annotating
- Make notes in the margins. If you think it’s important to remember, make a note of it, literally.
- Highlight unfamiliar words or any section of the article which you don’t understand or which raise further questions. Jot down the questions.
- Underline or place a star or asterisk next to passages you think are important, forceful, that resonate, or those that connect with other things you know or have read. Write a quick note exploring why it is important.
- Number supporting details. If an author is attempting to persuade or develop, note the evidence.
- Mark definitions or important words.
- The articles have open space for a reason! Use it!
