The Reading Journal
In the first semester of English II, the classroom
emphasis is on writing and grammar. Literature is used
primarily as a "jumping-off place" to create writing
assignments. This is a good opportunity to encourage
individualized reading. Students who like to read appreciate
the opportunity to choose their own material, and reluctant
readers are not overwhelmed by having to read a book outside
of class in addition to studying literature in class. This assignment does not require that the student
complete an entire book, nor does it specify the number of
pages the student has to read. My hope is, since the
assignment is so open-ended, the student will feel less
pressure to count pages, and can truly relax and begin to
enjoy the act of reading and reflecting; thus, the student
will be self-motivated to read more or to finish the
book. I spot-check the journals to protect against students
making ten journal entries in one evening. Every couple of
weeks, I announce that they need to hand in their journals,
and I grade them based on completion (date, number of pages
read, length) and content (responding to the reading, rather
than summarizing ). At the end of the quarter, I collect the
journals one last time for a final grade. Lori Schwilling, English, Council Grove High
School