Dialectical Journal Instructions: The GiverDUE: 2/10 (A) & 2/11 (B)

A dialecticaljournal isa conversationbetween youandwhatyouare reading. Ithighlightsthe questions, connections,andideas that youhave asyouread.

Sincethe journal isa conversationbetweenyouandthe text,you’llneedtorecordparts of thetext, as well as, yourthoughtsaboutthe text.

Your Journal will be set up in two columns:

  • On the left sideof your journal page,recordphrases, sentencesorshort passagesthatinterest you. Include page numbers.
  • Onthe rightsideof the page, writeyourthoughtsabout the quotedtext.

Requirements: (30 points Summative)

  • Name, title, author, total number of pages in the novel
  • A minimum of 6journal entries that encompass the entire book
  • Entries must include passages from the beginning, middle, and end of the novel
  • 3 entries must be Level 2 Responses. (See type of responses below.)
  • Each entry will include: Passage from text, page number, response, response type.

Types of Responses: The passages arethereforeveryonetoread; however, the connectionsandinterpretations are uniquelyyours. Youareneitherright norwrongin your response.So be willingtotake risks, tryyour ideas,andbehonest. Entrieswillbeevaluatedondetails, thoughtfulness, andvariety of entry type.

  • Level 1 Responses:
  • Question – ask about something in the passage that is unclear (Include an answer if your question is answered later in the text.)
  • Reaction – give your personal reaction to the passage.
  • Text to Life or World – make a connection to your life or the world
  • Discourse – agree or disagree with the choices of a character or the author
  • Level 2 Responses:
  • Reflection – think deeply about what the passage means in a broad sense, not just to the characters in the story. What conclusions can you draw about the world, about human nature, or just the way things work?
  • Author’s Craft – analyze the text for use of literary devices (tone, structure, style, or imagery)
  • Connection – make connections between difference characters or events in the text
  • Text to Text – make connections to a different text, film, or song
  • Key Passage – analyze a passage and its relationship to the story as a whole

What makes a good passage?

  • Effective or creative use of stylistic or literary devices
  • Passages that remind you of something in your own life, the world or another text
  • Changes or shifts in the plot
  • A passage that makes you realize something you hadn’t seen before
  • Examples of images: 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

Somesentenceleadscouldinclude:

  • This settingremindsmeof…
  • This doesn’tmake sense because…
  • This character remindsmeof…because
  • If I were (character), atthispoint, Iwould…
  • What wouldhappen if….
  • This idea/event seemstobe important because…
  • The languagemakesme feel theauthor is …
  • Whentheauthordoes…,it createsa … tonethat…
  • The detailscreate/show…
  • The…is comparedtoa…anditreallymakesme see how…
  • The…symbolizes…andit…(the effect)
  • With the… , theauthor creates an imageof… at …

Quote / Thoughts
It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened. No. Wrong word, Jonas thought. Frightened meant that deep, sickening feeling of something terrible about to happen. …..He had waited a long time for this special December. Now that it was almost upon him, he wasn’t frightened but he was eager, he decided. He was eager for it to come. And he was excited, certainly. All of the Elevens were excited about the event that would be coming soon. But there was a little shudder of nervousness when he thought about it, about what might happen. Apprehensive, Jonas decided. That’s what I am. (pg. 1 & 4) / I found the focus on a specific emotion very interesting in the first chapter. Human nature today is to just say “I am nervous” and move on even if that is not truly the emotion. The author is obviously revealing something about either Jonas or the society because the specific word attached to Jonas’s emotion is very important to him. I wonder if this is just a personality trait for Jonas or is this is a society trait. (Key Passage)
The focus on the meaning of the specific word reminds me of the connotation and denotation lesson in English class. Words can have similar meanings but the intensity of the word can affect the appropriateness in certain situations. (Text to Life)