Mini-Lesson: How to Create a Dialectical Journal

Mini-Lesson 3
How to Create a Dialectical Journal
DIALECTICAL JOURNALS
The term “Dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving question and answer.”
Think of your dialectical journal as a series of conversations with the texts we read during this course. The process is meant
to help you develop a better understanding of the texts we read. Use your journal to incorporate your personal responses to
the texts. You will find that it is a useful way to process what you are reading, prepare yourself for group discussion, and
gather textual evidence for your Literary Analysis assignments.


What is it? The journal is a double-entry process done while you read literature. It provides you with two columns which are in "dialogue" with one another, not only developing a method of critical reading but also encouraging habits of reflective questioning.


Why is it important? In the right-hand column, you "own" the new facts by putting them in your own words or by raising your own questions. Regular practice with the journal promotes high critical thinking and builds confidence individually and in group participation. The journal facilitates real learning in the sense that you are discovering your own meaningful connections, which do take longer but then they last longer than if you just took a test on the work.
By individually completing your journal, you will learn to read carefully, to record quotes you have evaluated as pertinent, to summarize, and to do most of your thinking by making valid connections which you can easily substantiate by referring to your specific notes.

Procedure:
STEP ONE: THE NEW NOTEBOOK
You will need to purchase a new SPIRAL notebook designated as your journal for the year - No exceptions to this. Please
put your name, the course, and Mrs. Marquino on the front cover in a clear hand. Neatness in this journal is absolutely essential. Your journal should be free of drawings and doodles, and must have good titles and clear demarcations. You will first do the reading and complete and journaling for Ishmael.

STEP TWO: PROCEDURE
As you read, choose passages (Quotation) that stands out to you and record them in the left-hand column of a T-chart (ALWAYS include page numbers).
In the right column, write your response to the text (ideas/insights, questions, reflections, and comments on each
passage)
Complete 3-4journal entries for each chapter in Ishmael

STEP THREE: CHOOSING PASSAGES FROM THE TEXT
Look for quotes that seem significant, powerful, thought provoking or puzzling. For example, you might record:
Effective &/or creative use of stylistic or literary devices
Passages that remind you of your own life or something you’ve seen before
Structural shifts or turns in the plot (for fiction)
A passage that makes you realize something you hadn’t seen before
Examples of patterns: recurring images, ideas, colors, symbols or motifs.
Passages with confusing language or unfamiliar vocabulary
Events you find surprising or confusing
Passages that illustrate a particular character or setting




STEP FOUR: RESPONDING TO THE TEXT
You can respond to the text in a variety of ways. The most important thing to remember is that your observations should be
specific and detailed. As an “APer”, your journal should be made up of 25% Basic Responses and 75% Higher Level
Responses

Basic Responses
Raise questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text
Give your personal reactions to the passage
Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s)
Tell what it reminds you of from your own experiences
Write about what it makes you think or feel
Agree or disagree with a character or the author
Higher Level Responses
Analyze the text for use of literary devices (tone, structure, style, imagery)
Make connections between different characters or events in the text
Make connections to a different text (or film, song, etc…)
Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s)
Consider an event or description from the perspective of a different character
Analyze a passage and its relationship to the story as a whole


• Vocabulary
Keep track of unfamiliar words you come across in your reading. Use college-rule notebook paper. Write down the word; look it up in your dictionary, and write the definition that fits the context. You should do this when you are annotating. Then, after each chapter do your dialectical entries. You will staple your journal and your vocabulary together. Write your name on the cover. Submit to M