Dialectical Journals
Foundation Lesson
Skill Focus
Levels of Thinking
Remember
Close Reading
Understand
Apply
Grammar
Reading Strategies
Determining Main Idea
Generalization
Inference
Paraphrase
Prediction
Summary
Literary Elements
Character
Diction
Imagery
Theme
Tone
Figures of Speech (Figurative
Language)
Literary Techniques
Symbolism
Analyze
Create
Composition
Types (modes)
Descriptive
Expository
analytical
Persuasive (argumentative)
Structural Elements
Body
incorporation of quotes (7)
topic sentence
use of commentary
use of evidence
Materials and Resources
• “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst
Lesson Introduction
Dialectical journals allow a reader to record a mental conversation with the text. Students can use
these journals to
• summarize a text
• pose questions
• read closely for details, images, diction, etc.
• notice patterns and make connections
• connect techniques to purpose, effect, and meaning
• choose appropriate evidence
• document quotations
• make inferences about characters, symbols, etc.
• write analysis justifying an assertion
A dialectical journal can be an important part of an English class employing Pre-AP strategies
but only if teachers have a specific purpose and criteria for each journal. Journals may take many
forms, but the wise teacher will select or create a journal based on the skill(s) students are
expected to learn. To use journals effectively, teachers should
• teach students to write literal (reading on the line), inferential (reading between the lines),
and thematic (reading beyond the lines) questions.
• model the activity for students prior to making an assignment.
Pre-AP* is a trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board. The College Entrance Examination Board was not involved in
the production of this material.
®
Copyright © 2008 Laying the Foundation , Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit: www.layingthefoundation.org
18
Teacher Overview—Dialectical Journals
•
•
•
establish specific requirements; e.g., three inference questions, five pieces of evidence
with inferences and commentary, page numbers, at least two sentences of commentary
for each piece of evidence, etc.
really evaluate the journals. They should not be so long or overwhelming that students
(and teachers) dread them.
require or allow students to use journals when writing essays, participating in discussions,
or taking tests.
®
Copyright © 2008 Laying the Foundation , Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit: www.layingthefoundation.org
19
Dialectical Journals
Foundation Lesson
Activity One: Summarizing, Observing, and Questioning Journal
Procedure:
In the left-hand column
• Summarize assigned paragraphs, passages, or chapters.
• Write a synopsis of a specific plot incident.
In the right-hand column
• Note patterns of diction, imagery, figurative language, etc.
• Create questions on each of the three levels of questioning.
LITERAL
Knowledge questions can be
answered by skimming the
text or through research.
on the line
INFERENTIAL
Inference questions require
the reader to make educated
guesses supported by the
text.
between the lines
THEMATIC
Thematic questions connect
the text with real life and
with universal themes.
beyond the lines
Read carefully the passage below, the first paragraph from “The Scarlet Ibis” by James
Hurst. Then complete the activities on the following pages.
It was in the clove of seasons, summer was dead but autumn had not yet been born,
that the ibis lit in the bleeding tree. The flower garden was stained with rotting brown
magnolia petals, and ironweeds grew rank amid the purple phlox. The five o’clocks by
the chimney still marked time, but the oriole nest in the elm was untenanted and rocked
back and forth like an empty cradle. The last graveyard flowers were blooming, and their
smell drifted across the cotton field and through every room of our house, speaking softly
the names of our dead (Hurst 189).
James R. Hurst: “The Scarlet Ibis” by James R. Hurst from The Atlantic Monthly, July 1960. Copyright © 1960 by
The Atlantic Monthly.
®
Copyright © 2008 Laying the Foundation , Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit: www.layingthefoundation.org
20
Student Activity—Dialectical Journals
The following chart shows an example of a student journal. The student examples are based on
the first paragraph of “The Scarlet Ibis.”
Summary
Paragraph 1—Speaking in past tense, the narrator
describes the time of year and other elements of the
setting when the ibis landed in a tree in his yard.
Observations and Questions
What is the “clove of seasons”? (I)
The narrator repeatedly uses words and images that
indicate death and loss. (T)
What is a “bleeding tree”? (I)
Lots of imagery and figurative language (L)
Did someone die? Who? When? What was the
relationship to the narrator? (L)
Do certain images remind us of the past? (T)
Do people ever completely recover from the death of a
loved one? (T)
Read the example journal carefully. Then practice the techniques you have learned, using a
passage or text assigned by your teacher. Use the format of the chart below.
Summary
Observations and Questions
®
Copyright © 2008 Laying the Foundation , Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit: www.layingthefoundation.org
21
Student Activity—Dialectical Journals
Activity Two: Character Analysis Journal
Procedure:
In the left column
• Record evidence about the character (words, actions, reactions).
• Select evidence that directly describes a character, evidence that shows what he or she
says or does, how he or she acts or reacts, and what other characters say about him or her.
Below the quotations from the text, note the context of the quote.
• Use quotation marks around quotes and cite page numbers.
In the right column
• Based on the evidence, make an inference about the character (underlined).
• Write commentary that explains how and/or why the evidence leads to or supports the
inference.
The following chart shows an example of a student journal. The student examples are
based on the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst.
Evidence (quotation or detail and context)
Doodle
Quotation: “His eyes were round with wonder as he
gazed about him, and his little hands began to stroke the
rubber grass. Then he began to cry” (Hurst 191).
Context: Doodle’s brother has taken him to a beautiful
place.
Quotation: “My lies were scary, involved, and usually
pointless, but Doodle’s were twice as crazy. People in
his stories all had wings and flew wherever they wanted
to go” (Hurst 193).
Context: To help pass the time, Doodle and his brother
make up stories.
Inference—Commentary
Sensitive, appreciative—Doodle reacts emotionally to
the wonders of nature, moved to tears of joy at the
beauty of simple things. He is attuned to nature and in
awe of its beauty.
Imaginative, dreamer—Doodle’s fantasies reveal his
vivid imagination as well as his desire to be able to
move freely and easily. Through his imagination he can
escape the physical handicaps that hold him down in real
life.
Now practice writing this type of journal entry using a passage or text assigned by your teacher.
Use the format below.
Evidence (quotation and context)
Inference—Commentary
®
Copyright © 2008 Laying the Foundation , Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit: www.layingthefoundation.org
22
Student Activity—Dialectical Journals
Activity Three: Literary or Rhetorical Analysis of Mood Journal
Procedure:
In the left column
• Record examples of literary elements such as diction or imagery that contribute to mood.
• Note the context of the quotation or detail from the text.
• Use quotation marks around quotes, and note the page numbers on which they appear.
In the right column
• Explain how the literary elements reveal the mood of the passage.
• Interpret words and images that have emotional impact and connotative associations.
The following chart shows an example of a student journal. The student examples are
based on the first paragraph of “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst.
Evidence (quotation or detail and context)
Commentary
Quotation: “It was in the clove of seasons, summer was
dead but autumn had not yet been born” (Hurst 189).
Context: In this introductory paragraph, the narrator
describes the setting.
Quotation: “dead” “rotting” “graveyard” “dead”
(Hurst 189)
Context: same as above
Quotation: “empty” “untenanted” (Hurst 189)
Context: same as above
Quotation: “oriole nest…like an empty cradle” (Hurst
189)
Context: same as above
Quotation: “graveyard flowers…their smell
drifted…speaking softly the names of our dead” (Hurst
189)
Context: Same as above
The word “clove” suggests a rift or splitting. It seems to
suggest there was a definite divide between the
seasons—marked by some other more personal split or
loss, possibly a death. The words “dead” and “born” also
support this idea.
The diction reinforces the idea that someone has died.
Even the narrator’s memory of the setting reflects the
impact of the loss.
Suggests loss: something is missing
Even the bird nest is empty. Comparing it to a cradle
makes you wonder if a child has died. Creates a feeling
of pain and yearning for what is missing.
Personification of the flowers seems to imply that nature
reminds the narrator (all of us) about those we’ve lost. A
sense of remembrance and peace underlies the sadness.
Now practice writing this type of journal entry using a passage or text assigned by your teacher.
Use the format below.
.
Evidence (quotation or detail and context)
Commentary
®
Copyright © 2008 Laying the Foundation , Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit: www.layingthefoundation.org
23
Student Activity—Dialectical Journals
Activity Four: Analysis of Theme Journal
Procedure:
In the left column, record evidence that supports a thematic idea in a text you are studying. Also,
record the context of the evidence. Your teacher may wish to help you determine the thematic
idea when you are first practicing this skill; later on, you can determine themes on your own.
In the right column, write commentary that explains the connection between the evidence and
the theme.
The following chart shows an example of a student journal. The student example is based
on the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst.
Thematic idea: Too much pride can lead people to do things that have devastating results.
Evidence (quotation or detail and context)
Quotation: “But all of us must have something or
someone to be proud of, and Doodle had become mine. I
did not know then that pride is a wonderful terrible
thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death” (Hurst
192).
Context: The narrator looks back on the time when he
tried to teach his brother Doodle to walk.
Commentary
The narrator confesses his need to make Doodle “better”
in order to give himself something to be proud of and to
receive recognition for his actions. Because he is
speaking about an event that happened in the past, he
looks back on it with the insight of an adult who has
struggled with the consequences of his prideful actions.
Pride in and of itself is not bad, but he has realized that
too much pride can lead people to do things that can
have devastating results.
Now practice writing this type of journal entry using a passage or text assigned by your teacher.
Use the format below.
Thematic idea:
Evidence (quotation or detail and context)
Commentary
®
Copyright © 2008 Laying the Foundation , Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit: www.layingthefoundation.org
24
Student Activity—Dialectical Journals
Activity Five: Symbolism Journal
Procedure:
On the left side, record quotations and/or details from a text that may be symbolic.
In the middle column, explain the symbolic meaning of the quotation or detail.
On the right side
• Discuss the literal meaning of the “symbol” in the context of the work.
• Explain the symbolism in the larger context of life.
• Analyze the effect or purpose of the symbol.
• Reflect on the insight the reader gains from perceiving the symbol.
The following chart shows an example of a student journal. The student example is based
on the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst.
Symbolic Object or Event
(including context)
The ibis is literally a tropical bird that
has been blown off-course and injured
in a storm. The bird dies in the
narrator’s yard.
Abstract Level of Symbolic
Meaning
Symbolically, the ibis represents
Doodle. The ibis, like Doodle, is out
of place, fragile, and unique. The bird,
like Doodle, is uncoordinated and
struggles mightily.
Effect, Purpose, and/or
Insight
The death of the bird symbolizes
and foreshadows the death of
Doodle. Using the ibis as a
symbol allows the reader to see
the beauty of Doodle’s
uniqueness and frailty and
illustrates his struggle to the end.
Now practice writing this type of journal entry, using a passage or text assigned by your teacher.
Use the format below.
Symbolic Object or Event
(including context)
Abstract Level of Symbolic
Meaning
Effect, Purpose, and/or
Insight
®
Copyright © 2008 Laying the Foundation , Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit: www.layingthefoundation.org
25