Independent Novel Study # 1 Double Entry Journal

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Roderick McDowell
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1 Independent Novel Study # 1 Double Entry Journal Aside from the class novel study, there are three independent novel studies in English 10. The first study will contain a novel of your own choosing. While you are required to read at least one novel, there is nothing to stop you from reading more. The next sessions will contain novels that are selected by the English Department. All assessment will be based on a Journal and a Formal Literary Paragraph. What Happened Provide a short summary of an important event. This section does not need to be much longer than a sentence, but it needs to contain an event that is significant to the development of the story. Maria tells Bruno not to speak his mind. My Response Provide a personal response to the event. During this section you must summon your strength of analysis. Be deep! This event shows that Maria has a lot of respect for Bruno s father or that she fears how others will react. When Maria speaks with Bruno she chooses her words carefully. This makes it seem as though she does not want to reveal things to him. When she says which makes me wonder this just makes me think Bruno is not to know of his father s job, The reason I think they would keep him from knowing is because it is not something he would understand. I think she is afraid of the soldiers because in the previous chapters she kept her head down. It almost seems as though she is Jewish. This would explain work being hard to find as well as her extreme respect for Bruno s father. Journal Tips Don t retelling the story. Give your personal thoughts about what is happening in the story, and always use specific examples from the novel to support your statements! Try focussing on the following Character Explain the character! Actions Thoughts Conversations Do you like the character? Does the character show growth? Does the character remind you of someone you know?

2 2. Plot 3. Themes Were you surprised about anything that happened? What will happen next? What conflict is pushing the story forward? Discuss an important issue in the story, and give your opinion. 4. Personal Connections Getting Started What would you do if you were in this situation? Does this story remind you of something that has happened to you? Does this story remind you of something that has happened to someone you know? Sometimes getting started is the hardest part of writing a journal. If you are stuck for ideas, try one of these sentence starters to get the ball rolling. I wonder why... This event made me feel... When the character said this, I felt... When the character did this, I felt... This implies... It is ironic that... This is important because... This helped me to understand that... I liked this part because... I don t understand... This event is the initiating incident in the conflict between... I think that... This reminds me of... This part is similar to... This event makes me think of... How does this fit with... I bet that... I wonder if... I predict that... The next thing that will happen is... This event provides a resolution to... Here, the reader is left feeling... This is metaphor for... The image conjured for me by this passage is... If this happened to me... If this happened to someone I cared about... I hope that... There is dramatic irony here when... The mood of this is... This suggests that... This is significant because... This could be foreshadowing. I predict that...

3 Journal Assessment NEEDS WORK OKAY GOOD SUPERIOR MAKING PERSONAL CONNECTIONS Has difficulty making issues in the novel. Makes obvious or simple Makes interesting Develops insightful personal responses to MAKING INFERENCES AND DRAWING CONCLUSIONS Recalls story without making inferences or drawing conclusions. Mostly recalls story; makes limited inferences and/or few conclusions. Interesting inferences and conclusions are made; minimal retelling of story. Insightful inferences and conclusions are made; retelling only as needed. OFFERING AND SUPPORING OPINIONS Offers vague reactions or judgments with no support from the novel. Offers reactions or judgments with limited support from the novel. Offers reactions or judgments supported by reason or examples. Supports reactions and judgments with analytical or reasoned arguments. Work Ethic Assessment N S G FINISHING Only a few journals are completed. Most journals are completed. All journals are completed. AMOUNT WRITTEN Journal entries are often short and sketchy. Amount written in journal entries is satisfactory. Amount written in journal entries is excellent. READABILITY Writing is messy, and often it is unreadable. Writing is mostly readable. Writing is easily readable. NOVEL IN CLASS Novel was often forgotten. Novel was sometimes forgotten. Novel was always remembered.

4 Example 1 Sample Student Work Bruno and his father have a nice family moment. When Bruno and his father have this moment its special. Before in the other chapters Bruno and his father relationship isn t very loving at all. On this page it shows his father is a loving person. Grade: 2 This response is too short. It does not give many examples to provide support. The writer needs to explain how the reader knows that Bruno s father can be a loving person. The focus should be on what the reader learns about the character of Bruno s father. Example 2 Bruno talked to Lieutenant Kotler. Bruno met Lieutenant Kotler while he was talking to Bruno s sister. I think Gretal liked Lieutenant Kotler because Bruno saw her twirling her hair while talking to him which is a sign of affection. I don t think Bruno trusts his sister with Kotler because as he was leaving, he had an urge to go back and pull Gretel away. Grade: 2+ This response uses excellent examples to support points, but the writer needs more detail. The writer could expand by exploring why Bruno does not trust Lieutenant Kotler. What evidence has been presented in the story to support this? Or, why does Gretal like Lieutenant Kotler? What does this tell us about her character? Example 3 The event where Bruno and Maria engage in a deep conversation, and where the two open up about Maria s life and Bruno s thoughts. This is significant to the story because it s the first time Maria speaks and opens up to Bruno and gives an opinion. It is also important because when Maria goes into detail about her life and starts telling Bruno about how she got her job, she also tells Bruno about a side in his father that Bruno never saw. Bruno sees his father as a strict, straight up, tight, uniformed man, whereas Maria says he is kind thoughtful, giving, and caring. This statement is also significant because Maria helps understand and answer some of Bruno s questions. It also allows Bruno to look at Maria as a different person, and not just someone who folds his clothes. I think this event could go somewhere, or lead to something later on in the book. Grade: 3+ This response spends a little too long summarizing the plot, but does a good job at explaining the significance of the conversation between Bruno and Maria. The writer could improve by spending more time analyzing.

5 Example 4 In chapter 5, Bruno goes to his father and confronts him about them moving to Out-With. This event is important because it shows that the relationship between Bruno and his father is stronger than I thought. Bruno hates Out-With and he lets his father know that, but what s curious is that his father just keeps saying for the foreseeable future. Further in the book, will his father tell Bruno why they re really there? When Bruno asks him about the people in the window. He tells them they are not even people at all. This reminds me when I go to ask my parents something and they don t tell me the truth. I know they re hiding something from me, but if I confront them I m suddenly being rude. I hope that Bruno finds out what s going on, whether his father tells him or he finds out on his own! Grade: 4- This response is nicely written, and it provides some excellent points and questions. Example 5 Maria telling Bruno not to speak his mind. This event shows that Maria has a lot of respect for Bruno s father or that she fears how others will react. When Maria regards Bruno she chooses her words carefully. This makes it seem as though she does not want to reveal things to him. When she says which makes me wonder this just makes me think Bruno is not to know of his father s job. The reason I think they would keep him from knowing is because it is not something he would understand. I think she is afraid of the soldiers because in the previous chapters she kept her head down. It almost seems as though she is Jewish. This would explain work being hard to find as well as her extreme respect for Bruno s father. Grade: 4 This response is nicely written, and it does an excellent job at using examples to support points.

D24. Core Analysis Frame: Fiction. Examine Setting. Analyze Characters. Examine Plot. (continued on page D25)

D24. Core Analysis Frame: Fiction. Examine Setting. Analyze Characters. Examine Plot. (continued on page D25) Core Analysis Frame: Fiction D24 These questions will help you understand any story you read. For more advanced, in-depth analysis of each element, use the following frames: Setting Plot Author s Craft