A Streetcar Named Desire: Culminating Assignment
Part 1 – Double-Entry Journals (100 marks)
DOUBLE-ENTRY JOURNALS
Double-Entry journals are “access tools that help you hold your thinking as you read. This metacognitive practice allows you to slow down and track your thinking as you read.
WHY?
· Good readers don’t remember EVERYTHING they read. They use tools to hold on to their thinking to access it later.
· Good readers ask questions as they read for deeper understanding of specific aspects of a text. The reading process does not always need to involve Chapter Questions!
· Good readers reread and return to the text to build and extend their knowledge.
METHOD: 3 STEPS
1. Fold a piece of paper in half lengthwise and label one column Textual Evidence and the second column Critical Thinking (see the sample template on the back)
2. Every time you read something that makes you think, ask questions, remember something else you have read or studied, or when you read something that relates to another part of the novel or when the writer uses a literary device in a way that is so unique or interesting that you would like to comment on it, copy the exact quote and pg number into column #1 AND identify what type of entry it is (see the categories below).
3. Then compose a response that demonstrates you have thought about what you are reading (you must write at least 3 sentences). You must complete a minimum of 5 entries per scene (55 total). Of these 55 entries, you must have at least 15 of each of the 3 connections listed below.
TYPES OF DOUBLE-ENTRY JOURNAL ENTRIES:
Personal Connection
Contemplate how the quotation connects to some aspect of your personal knowledge and experience. The quotation may remind you of a situation you have been in, seen, or read about.
Intratextual Connection
Reflect on how the quotation connects to another passage (which you also cite) from the same text. Think about ways in which the connected passages emphasize character, setting, conflict, theme, or literary devices (make sure to write which one it is…see the sample)
Intertextual Connection
Ponder how the quotation connects to another text (news, history, media, or art).
Consider similarities that the two texts share, and discuss how they relate to one another.
SAMPLE Double Entry Journal based on the first chapter of THE KITE RUNNER
Entry# / TEXTUAL EVIDENCE (with page #) AND TYPE OF CONNECTION / CRITICAL THINKING
· QUESTIONS
· REFLECTIONS on LITERARY DEVICES
· CONNECTIONS: PERSONAL, INTERTEXTUAL AND INTRATEXTUAL
1 / Personal Connection
I became what I am today at the age of 12. (pg 1, first line) / I chose this quote because not only is it the first line of the novel, it also raises some questions. Is it possible that an event at that young an age can determine who you will be when you get older? Aren’t we always evolving? Or are we stuck with certain behaviours that are now are habit patterns repeating themselves. I wonder what happened to the narrator and why it had such a dramatic effect?
2 / Intertextual: Theme?
I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley near the frozen creek (pg 1) / This description matches the image on the front cover of the novel. What happened in the alley? Maybe he witnessed a death or someone close to him. Or he saw something terrible that made him lose his innocence? But how does it stay with you for 26 years? Maybe the narrator was the one who did something wrong and he still feels guilty? This sounds like a possible theme in the novel.
3 / Intratextual: Exposition
Called from Pakistan…walk on the edge of Golden Gate Park (pg 1) / So we’ve been introduced to a narrator who is 48 (12 + 26) years old and lived in Pakistan but now lives in San Francisco, California. I wonder why he left Pakistan?
4 / Intertextual: Lord of the Flies
For you a thousand times over (in italics). Hassan the hare-lipped kite runner. (p 2) / These two sentences on page 2 sound important in terms of plot. What does “for you a thousand times over” mean? The author, Hosseini, is introducing a new character Hassan who the novel may be named after. Is he the kite runner? And what is the hare-lip a symbol of? It makes me think of other novels I’ve read where a character has some kind of physical limitation that causes others to bully them. Like Piggy from Lord of the Flies. Even though he was intelligent, his size and glasses prevented others from listening to him.
5 / Intratextual: Exposition
There is a way to be good again. (italics again)…I thought about Hassan. Thought about Baba. Ali. Kabul. / This confirms my earlier suspicions that the narrator did something wrong. He needed to do something bad to be good again. How can he make it right after 26 years? Is he going back to Pakistan? To Kabul, Afghanistan? Who are Baba and Ali?
Double Entry Journal Rubric Name:
Categories / Level 1(50-59%) / Level 2
(60-69%) / Level 3
(70-79%) / Level 4
(80-100%)
Knowledge/ Understanding
- variety of quotes and connections and interesting, insightful ideas / - limited presentation of quotes from the novel
- too much explanation / - some variety in choice of quotes from the novel
- few interesting and insightful ideas / - considerable variety in choice of interesting quotes from the novel
- many ideas are insightful / - thorough variety in choice of unique quotes from the novel
- most ideas are interesting and insightful
Thinking/ Inquiry
- connections are identified and explored in detail
- questioning, interpretation and analysis of significance
- relationships among authors text and readers / - limited evidence of a variety of detailed connections
- limited ability to ask questions, interpret, and determine significance
- demonstrates limited understanding of relationships among author, text, and reader / - some evidence of a variety of detailed connections
- some ability to ask questions, interpret, and determine significance
- demonstrates some understanding of relationships among author, text, and reader
/ - considerable evidence of a variety of detailed connections
- ability to ask questions, interpret, and determine significance
- demonstrates understanding of relationships among author, text, and reader / - thorough evidence of a variety of detailed connections
- excellent ability to ask questions, interpret, and determine significance
- demonstrates thorough understanding of relationships among author, text, and reader
Communication
- writing conventions and style / - frequent problems with sentence structure, grammar and diction / - minor problems with sentence structure, grammar and diction / - sentence structure and grammar are strong with a few minor spelling errors
/ - excellent sentence structure and grammar
Application
- ability to relate passages to themes and analyze writing style and structure / - demonstrates limited ability to relate passages to themes and analyze writing style and structure / - demonstrates some ability to relate passages to themes and analyze writing style and structure / - demonstrates excellent ability to relate text to themes and analyze writing style and structure / - demonstrates exceptional ability to relate passages to themes and analyze writing style/structure
Note: A student whose achievement is below level 1 (50%) has not met the expectations for this assignment or activity.