Journal Prompts

Directions:  We will be doing a number of exercises that will serve as skill-building for a variety of reasons. In order to do well on these exercises, you must:

– Keep all the exercises in the second half of your Acquisition Notebook (use a bookmark) that will be kept in this room, except when new AP and Power words are assigned for Homework.

– Date and number each exercise at the top of your page

– Answer each question in four sentences.

– Use a pencil or pen. Write neatly.

At various times in the year, I will grade two of the journal exercises (you will pick on; I will pick one). Each graded exercise will be worth 10-15 points.

IF the question is an unscripted free-write, you may choose to write 4-6 sentences to “unpack” the meaning.

IF the question is a for rhetorical analysis prompt or essay, unless otherwise instructed, use this:  A Modified Rhetorical Precis: You are required to write a 4 sentence paragraph that records the essential elements of the spoken or written discourse while providing a brief analysis.

1. The first sentence includes the name of the writer (usually including a descriptive phrase); the work’s genre (if known), title, and date of publication (if known), a rhetorically accurate verb (“asserts,” “argues,” “implies,” “posits,” but NOT “writes” or “states”); and a that clause containing the major assertion (the author’s thesis statement) of the statement.

2. The second sentence provides an explanation in your own words of what the author means.

3. The third sentence includes a summary of two or three strong pieces of data in support of the thesis.
4. The fourth sentence evaluates the substance of the author’s argument (based on your data) and provides reasons for that evaluation (your thesis statement).