Literature Journals are a Literary Journey
Reader Response Through Written Communication is Relevant
Nov 9, 2009
Assigning a novel can be an insurmountable task to both the teacher and student. Educators relentlessly rely on the detailed work of published authors to help students understand many aspects of reading and writing. However, in today's world of technology, Cliff's Notes often reign supreme when high school students are asked to read a novel that exceeds a length they feel is manageable.
Cliff Notes, while effective at times, provide the reader with only partial information. They are a very condensed version of any work of literature and while they offer discussion questions and possible essay topics, a student would not be able to write a well constructed response to a novel with only the Cliff Notes in their back pocket. This is where the literature journal steps in and makes the reading process more significant, more meaningful, and above all, more comprehensible by increasing the satisfaction of the read material ten-fold.
Are Literature Journals Really a Journey?
A journey is defined as any course or passage from one stage or experience to another according to Webster's Dictionary online. Reading a novel certainly moves a person from one stage to another: the beginning to the end. However, reading without purpose often leaves the pursuer unsatisfied at the end of the trip. This is where the literature journal, while rigorous in nature, can save the classroom reading experience. Literature journals offer students a place to record their ideas and thoughts about the reading, make notes about new characters, places, and events, ask questions to the author or to characters, compare notes with other readers, and develop an overall deeper appreciation for the written work.
Creating a Literature Journal
Literature journals can take many forms. Depending on the nature of the reading, a teacher must select the most appropriate format for the students in his/her classroom. Some common forms of journaling used over the course of curriculum expectations are:
- Prompt Response Journals – A prompt response journal requests that students respond to a specific prompt for each of their entries. These prompts can be general focusing on the theme of a chapter or passage, or response journals can be focused on specific skills such as following the characterization of the main characters in a piece of work. Prompt response journals require students to stay within the parameters set for the assignment rather than record their own thoughts and feelings as they read. Prompt response journals are good candidates for shorter reading selections or with struggling learners.
- Dialectical Journals – The dialectical journal is a type of double-entry note-taking which students use while reading literature. In the two columns students write notes that dialogue with one another, thereby developing critical reading and reflective questioning. A dialectical journal can be given with specific requirements such as vocabulary and its significance to understanding the sentence, characters and their importance to the chapter, or students may opt for a free response concept if the teacher feels they are ready for this challenge. The expectations of the journal are set by the teacher including how many entries per chapter or per page.
- Free Response Journals – Free response journals allow students the freedom to focus on their own needs during the reading. They may ask questions, make notes, comment on characters, or narrow in on specific events; however, the idea is that the student makes the choice about what is important to the reading. This process is often accompanied by a chapter summary after notes taken to ensure proper understanding of the reading, but the overall concept allows students literature freedom. This process of journaling is more effective with advanced students or students that have been taken through the prompt response or dialectical journal first so they have a solid understanding of what a novel focus should look like, what elements are important, and how this assists them in understanding the novel as a whole.
Are Literature Journals Really Effective?
According to a study completed by Gary Cobine (Eric Digest 1995), when "keeping a literary journal ...students read actively, respond throughout their reading, not just at the end, and respond immediately and fully." This process aides in student comprehension, discussion abilities, access to retrieval of information for tests, and stronger writing skills when performing on essay response exams.
Because the purpose of the literary journal is to bring forth discussion about assigned or personal interests in the reading, the teacher can step away from marking grammatical and mechanical errors and focus solely on the connections made by the student to the reading. This provides a platform for classroom chats and future journaling ideas drawn from the students own reading experience.
Literature Journals Equal Satisfied Readers
Students participating in the journaling process will walk away from the novel feeling accomplished about a reading assignment, a feeling often not felt by today's high school student. The journal gives them ownership in the learning process, and while it can be a lengthy adventure, the results are well worth the effort for both teacher and learner. Journals open doors for communication that far exceed traditional teacher to student dialogue or answering 100 multiple-choice questions about a reading selection.
The advantages of strong written communication are endless in the students' lifetime with technology taking center stage. Businesses and colleges are relying more and more on electronic submission of information which includes an extreme scrutiny of effective writing. Literature journals in the classroom can be the start of bridging the gap between discussion and written communication by giving students a necessary benefit now and in the future.
References:
Cobine, Gary. "Effective Use of Student Journal Writing ." Indiana University. Eric Digest, 1995. Web. 9 Nov. 2009.
 |
