English 102
Spring 2016
Maura Norton
1.1 Let's Talk About Note Taking: A Dialectic Notebook
Read Chapters 1-2 of Carl Wilson's Let's Talk About Love. Preferably, read them twice.
A dialectic notebook, also known as a double entry (DE) notebook, is a 2-column annotation format that tracks your responses to specific parts of your reading. This format is useful not only because it lets you keep track of what you found important, but also because it gives you room to generate ideas by capturing your initial impressions, questions, and responses.
To use the double entry format, first split the page into 2 columns by drawing a line down the middle (or folding it). In the left hand column, copy the passage that you find significant. This passage may present an idea, thought, or writing technique that impresses you, confuses you, troubles you, raises questions for you, is something you agree with or disagree with, etc. Include the page number at the end of the passage as this will make it easier for you to find it in the text later.
Then, in the right hand column, write down why you chose this passage. Your discussion on the right-hand side needs to be analytical and reflective in order to receive full credit. Simply stating that the passage was significant or summarizing the passage without explaining how it affected your thinking is not enough. Consider one of the following questions:
· If you agree with an idea, explain what it is in your experience that confirms the idea.
· If you disagree with an idea, explain why you disagree. How is your experience/understanding different from the author’s?
· What questions does the passage raise for you?
· Does the author’s reasoning make sense? Is the passage persuasive? Why or why not?
· How does this passage clarify another idea in text? Make connections among parts of the text.
· What words or phrases seem to make no sense to you? What words/ideas cause the confusion?
Use this assignment as a way to EXPLORE ideas.
Repeat this process for each passage you find significant in the reading. Include at least 3 passages for each of the first 2 chapters (feel free to add more). Here is a sample entry:
Text Reference/Quote / Explanation"Now I realize this attitude, and several to follow, probably makes me sound like a total asshole if, like millions of people, you happen to be a fan of Titanic or of the woman who sang this song. You may be right. Much of this book is about reasonable people carting around cultural assumptions that make them assholes to millions of strangers" (4). / I think Wilson is saying that he was judging people's worth based on their musical preferences. This gets down to the main point: there are people who hate and people who love Celine Dion – maybe that doesn't matter, but what we assume about other people because of their personal taste does matter. I know I judge people based on what they prefer to eat – is that the same? This definitely made me think about how and if I judge people.