How your class notebooks becomes a writer's learning journal

Class learning journals will collect some of the most important ideas from our required readings that we need to become better thinkers, writers and readers. Your learning journals will also collect all drafts and research notes of your essays, your metawriting about the essays, your emailed comments on your professor's comments, and any helpful advice that you personally believe will help you improve your writing. You are expected to date each entry and build the learning journal chronologically as the term progresses. In other words, this is not homework that can be done all at once at the end of the term because it should show you are doing homework consistently. You are required to have complete work from all of the categories below. Not only does this journal earn 10% of your class grade, but it also shows your work in process and helps to inform judgments about effort and improvement which earn another10% of your grade.

I Reading Responses

Throughout the term, we will read essays that require critical thinking and several readings. To support this learning process, you will be required to write a short summary (half a page or so) of the required source reading (Alexander&Barber, Jerolmon, Rodriquez, Gee, Walker, Langer, Winterson, Baron, Turkle and Negroponte). After summarizing, try to note the most useful ideas you found, consider them critically, and write 3 questions, and write three of your favorite quotes so your learning journal entry for each reading is more than a page in length. Some of this work will also be posted on our class message board.

II All drafts of each of the 3 main essays, including idea structures and research notes

III In-class Writing

Frequently in class, you will do a variety of freewriting. When you hand in each finished essay, I will ask you to do some in-class, reflective writing (called "metawriting") that creatively talks about the story of your composing work. All of your in-class work should be collected in this section of your learning journal

IV Email to Will commenting on his comments

When you hand in the final draft of an essay, I will return it with comments. You are required to send me a brief email about my comments considering what was helpful, what was troubling, and what other questions and concerns you have to revise your work. You are required to print a second copy of the email to collect in your journal.

V Downloaded advice relevant to your individual writing concerns

When you receive comments from your professor and sometimes when you receive comments from students, you will need to check mechanical rules of grammar, punctuation, and documentation. You are required to research and print out "helpful pages" from web resources or Xerox helpful pages in Argument now and collect them in your journal.

Remember--part of good writing is learning to organize your resources and drafts effectively.

Try to make this notebook your real class text!