ENC 101.

5057
“UNCOMMON EDUCATION”
Instructor Beth Schwartzapfel

INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR READING JOURNAL

Sometimes I will give you specific questions to answer in response to a reading. Sometimes, you
will simply be required to read and take notes. You have wide latitude about what notes to take.
Below is a list of ideas and suggestions for what to write about; you may choose to use your
entire journal entry to answer a single question (except #1), or you may go through the list and
answer all of them one by one. On days when I’ve assigned more than one reading, you can
choose to focus on one of the readings, or you can take notes on all of them. (The exception is
that you may not write about Keys for Writers.) The only hand and fast rules for your reading
journal entries are:
 You must do a thoughtful, conscientious job.
 You must refer to at least one specific sentence, passage or idea from the reading. (In
other words, don’t use the entire journal entry to write about your cousin Mohammad
without first explaining specifically why your cousin is relevant to the reading.) Use page
numbers and/or quotations to direct me to the sentence, passage, or idea to which you’re
referring.
 You must write at least 400 words (this works out to about a page and a half, typed and
double spaced, or between 4 and 8 handwritten pages, depending on the size of your
handwriting).
This is meant to be informal and unedited, so don’t stress about doing a “perfect job.” I’m not
going to correct grammar, and I’m grading for effort only, not content. That said, your reading
journal will be the raw material for your papers, so the more work you put in now, the better
prepared you’ll be later.

Possible topics
1. Definitions: As you read, make a list of all the words that you don’t know. Look them up and
write down their definitions in your own words.
2. List words you do know but that stand out for some reason (slang, puns, dialect, words used
in unusual or striking ways). Reflect on why the author might have used them and whether it
was effective.
3. What are the key themes and/or main ideas of this reading? What were the author’s goals?
How can you tell? Did s/he achieve these goals? How? Why/why not?
4. Disagreements: Did the author make a statement or observation that made you say, but!, or,
that’s not true? Write down the things with which you disagree, or about which you’re
suspicious or disbelieving, and explain why.
5. Agreements, or resonances with your own life: Did the author say something that you agree
with, or something that reminded you of your own opinions or experience? Explain how or
why.
6. Questions: Did the author leave you wondering, or wanting to know more about a particular
subject? Make a list of your questions. If possible, do a little research to answer them.
7. Connections: Did this reading remind you of another reading we’ve done this semester?
How/why are they similar? How/why are they different?