LA 7 Journal Response Questions (Story Analysis)

“After You, My Dear Alphonse”

Name:

I can… identify topics, connect my understanding and summarize information.

I can… remember main ideas & relevant details to explain the behaviours and actions of characters.

Inquiry Question:

Do you think that Johnny will grow up to be a racist? Why or why not?

Background Information

“Alphonse and Gaston was an American comic strip by Frederick ‘burr Opper in 1901. It was about two clumsy Frenchmen who were very polite. They were constantly bowing and yielding to each other so often that neither of the men could ever do anything nor go anywhere because each insisted on letting the other go before him.” (

Racist – a person who judges someone else based upon outside factors that cannot be controlled, i.e. skin color, culture.

Your Task: Complete a journal entry to show your understanding of this story by answering the inquiry question above.

Your Challenge: To briefly summarize the story so your reader understands what you are talking about and express your opinion in a writing format of your choice.

**Begin your journal entry briefly summarizing the story so your reader understands what you are talking about in the rest of your writing. Then, express your opinion by answering the inquiry question from above. You MUST include references from the story to support your opinion.

Please place your completed journal entry into your Mahara portfolio.

You will need to follow the writing format discussed in class when writing your journal entry, which includes a beginning, middle, and end. Remember to write each paragraph using a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence.

Please ensure that your final finished copy has been well-edited and corrected, paying special attention to paragraphing, sentence structure and conventions (spelling, punctuation, etc.) Please see the rubric below that outlines the criteria that we have discussed in class.

Marking Rubric for “My Dear Alphonse”

Excellent / Proficient / Basic / Limited
Comprehension / The reader can understand all of what I am trying to communicate. / The reader can understand most of what I am trying to communicate. / The reader can understand less than half of what I am trying to communicate. / The reader can understand little of what I am trying to communicate.
Introduction / Topic sentence has a “grabber” or catchy beginning. / A catchy beginning was attempted but was confusing rather than catchy. / Topic sentence has a weak “grabber”. / No attempt was made to catch the reader’s attention in the topic sentence.
Conclusion / Concluding sentence is catchy and sums up the paragraph very well. / Concluding sentence is somewhat catchy and sums up the paragraph well. / Concluding sentence is plain. / Concluding sentence is weak.
Journal Format & Organization
(date, length, double spacing, answering questions, descriptive vocabulary) / Journal is organized and follows the proper format; ideas follow a logical order and paragraphs are used properly / Ideas are easy to follow for the most part; 1 or 2 ideas might seem out of place; there are 1 or 2 errors in journal format / Writing is difficult to follow or may not be in a logical order; ideas may jump around; proper journal format is not followed / Journal format is not used or letter is confused and there is no logical order to ideas.
Conventions / Final draft has NO misspellings or grammatical errors that interfere with the meaning / Final draft has no more than 2 misspellings or grammatical errors / Final draft has 3 – 6 more misspellings or grammatical errors. / Final draft has 7 or more misspellings or grammatical errors

Comments:

Guided Journal Writing Outline

Date: (day of journal entry)

Time: (the time – actual, day, etc.)

Place: (where journal is being written)

Introduction / Introductory Sentence: (Purpose of Entry)
Body of Letter / Question 1: / Supporting Details:
Question 2: / Supporting Details:
Question 3: / Supporting Details:
Question 4: / Supporting Details:
Question 5: / Supporting Details:
Question 6: / Supporting Details:
Conclusion / Final Thoughts: (tie up loose ends)
Concluding Sentence: