Journal Prompts for English 101 Summer 2010
A journal entry is a place to freewrite. Here you can explore, expand upon, and recognize what you know, what you still need to find out, and what you just need to consider further about the prompt idea. Usually, these will be related to our essays, but some will be about activities in class, and others will be just for fun writing and thinking practice. Please type for around 15 minutes for each entry. Prompts will be updated as the quarter progresses.
- Our first essay will take us all on mini vacations as we leave the classroom, if only in our minds. If money were no object so that you could do whatever you wanted, what kind of place would you create for a perfect vacation getaway? Let your imagination take control and describe in detail using sensory images (what would you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel?) to help you along. Have fun with this.
- Consider your first week of class. Aside from the unusual first day, discuss how the class felt to you. What works for you, and what doesn’t work? Explain in detail so that I can make adjustments to better fit you particular needs both individually and as a class.
- Our first weekend was our one and only holiday this quarter. What fun things did you do? Be very descriptive. Show me rather than telling me about your weekend or some small part of it.
- Today was “Chocolate Day.” Discuss how these skills might be valuable for you as a writer. Was it mostly review or a whole new way to look at sentence boundaries? Were there any parts that left you with questions? Be sure to include those here so they can be addressed in class or in a conference as appropriate. Which pattern(s) do you tend to use the most? Why do you think that is? Isn’t punctuation fun? ;-)
- Wander wherever your mind takes you as you think about the assigned pieces of literature. Feel free to think deeply, wonder broadly, or even become emotionally responsive to them. Show me rather than telling me what is going on inside of you.
- Just for fun, imagine that you were creating an advertisement to support your thesis idea. What might that look like? Show me with lots of nice clear description. (you might do a magazine ad, a youtube video clip, a TV commercial, a billboard . . . what else? Which would be the most appropriate for your thesis and your particular skills?)
- Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited, but imagination encircles the world.” As we get closer to impromptu writing days, take this journal prompt opportunity to practice by writing a small essay (4-5 paragraphs). It should be treated like a first draft, which means getting the thoughts organized onto the page is much more important than editing. Clearly this will take longer than a normal journal, but time yourself and do not go over 50 minutes, ok?