DialecticalJournal:BeyondtheYellowHighlighter!

WhatisaDialecticalJournal?
Adialecticaljournalisajournalthatrecordsadialogue,orconversationbetweentheideasinthetext
andtheideasofthereader.Thisiswhatyoumustdoinyourjournalkeepadialoguewithyourself.In
yourjournal,haveaconversationwiththetextandyourself.Writedownyourthoughts,questions,
insights,andideaswhileyouread.

WhattypeofNotebookShouldIUse?

Yourjournalmustbeasinglesubject,spiralboundnotebookwithperforatedsheets.Looseleafpaperand
foldersisnotappropriate.

HowDoIKeepADialecticalJournal?

Asyouread,choosepassagesthatstandouttoyouandrecordtheminthe
left
columnthe
chart(ALWAYSincludepage/linenumberswhenapplicable).Inthe
right
column,writeyourresponsetothe
text(ideas/insights,questions,reflections,andcommentsoneachpassage).

SampleJournalEntry

Text:TheGiverbyLoisLowry
Page#
18

Chapter:2
FromtheText

Manyofthecomfortobjects,likeLilys,weresoft,
stuffed,imaginarycreatures.Jonasshadbeencalled
abear.

FromMe
Thisshowsthatthingsthatexistinourworld
(animals)dontexistintheirworld.TheideaIm
gettingisthatsomethingmusthavehappenedthat
theseanimalscannotsurviveanymore.

WhatpassagesshouldIchoose?

Lookforquotesthatseemsignificant,powerful,thoughtprovokingorpuzzling.Forexample,youmight
record:
Effective&/orcreativeuseofstylisticorliterarydevices
Passagesthatremindyouofyourownlifeorsomethingyouveseenbefore
Structuralshiftsorturnsintheplot
Apassagethatmakesyourealizesomethingyouhadntseenbefore
Examplesofpatterns:recurringimages,ideas,colors,symbolsormotifs
Passageswithconfusinglanguageorunfamiliarvocabulary
Eventsyoufindsurprisingorconfusing
Passagesthatillustrateaparticularcharacterorsetting

HowshouldIrespondtothetext?

Youcanrespondtothetextinavarietyofways.Themostimportantthingtorememberisthatyour
observationsshouldbespecificanddetailed.Youcanwriteasmuchasyouwantforeachentry.

BasicResponses
Raisequestionsaboutthebeliefsand
valuesimpliedinthetext
Giveyourpersonalreactionstothe
passage
Discussthewords,ideas,oractionsofthe
authororcharacter(s)
Tellwhatitremindsyouoffromyour
ownexperiences
Writeaboutwhatitmakesyouthinkor
feel
Agreeordisagreewithacharacterorthe
author

HigherLevelResponses
Analyzethetextforuseofliterarydevices
(tone,structure,style,imagery)
Makeconnectionsbetweendifferent
charactersoreventsinthetext
Makeconnectionstoadifferenttext(or
film,song,etc)
Discussthewords,ideas,oractionsofthe
authororcharacter(s)
Consideraneventordescriptionfromthe
perspectiveofadifferentcharacter
Analyzeapassageanditsrelationshipto
thestoryasawhole

SampleSentenceStarters

TappingPriorKnowledge:
Ialreadyknowthat
Thisremindsmeof

FormingInterpretations:
Ithinkthisrepresents
TheideaImgettingis

Visualizing:
InmymindIsee
Ifthiswereamovie

AskingQuestions:
Iwonderwhy
Whatif

Predicting:
Illbetthat
IthinkIf____,then

Monitoring:
Ineedtorereadthepartwhere
Atermorideathatwasunclear
tomewas

MakingConnections:
Thisremindsmeof
Icanrelatetothistoother
readingsbecause.

ReflectingandRelating:
AconclusionthatImdrawing
is
Thisauthoristryingtomakeme
(see,feel,know,do)

RevisingMeaning:
AtfirstIthought_____,butnow
I
Mylatestthoughtaboutthisis

AdoptinganAlignment:
ThecharacterImostidentify
withis
Irejectthisauthorsview
because

AnalyzingtheAuthorsCraft:
Thisword/phrasestandsoutfor
mebecause
Ilikehowtheauthoruses____
toshow

Evaluating:
Thiscouldbemoreeffective
if
Themostimportantmessage
hereis

CriteriaforSuccess.
AnExemplaryDialecticalJournalContainstheFollowing:
Totalnumberofentriesare7ormorefortheassignedreading.
Eachfromthetextentryisoneormorecompletesentences.
Eachentrycontainsthepagenumberwhencethepassagewasselected.
Allfrommeentrieshavetwoormorecompletesentencesanddemonstratefullydevelopedthoughtsor
connectionsaboutthetext.

CriteriaforSuccess.
AnExemplaryDialecticalJournalContainstheFollowing:
Totalnumberofentriesare7ormorefortheassignedreading.
Eachfromthetextentryisoneormorecompletesentences.
Eachentrycontainsthepagenumberwhencethepassagewasselected.
Allfrommeentrieshavetwoormorecompletesentencesanddemonstratefullydevelopedthoughtsor
connectionsaboutthetext.