JOURNALING

The purpose of journaling is two-fold: One, journaling is a way to recount memories so that you can refer back as time progresses. Secondly, journaling is a form of practice writing. As 9th graders, practice in the skill of writing will help as your progress through school.

Things to remember about your journal:

  1. This is a private document that will not be shared with others unless you wish to do so. The information that you collect in your journal is private to both you and the subject or source from which you have gained the information.
  1. Assignments in your journal will be graded for clarity of thought, punctuation, and grammar.
  1. When the year is done your journal will become part of your Personal Portfolio. This Portfolio is information that you will collect that directly relates to your personal story and family history. My hope is that you keep the Portfolio for many years to come and add to it as time progresses. Someday your grandchildren might ask what you were like when you were younger and this Portfolio will help you remember.

Your Assignment: Journal 1

I once heard, “If you’re not proud of where you’re from, then you’re not proud of anything.” Looking at the many things around you, why are you proud to be from this area? If you’re new to our school what things do you find different from where you came from. What is better? What is a challenge?

This assignment is due on Thursday, September 16, 2004. It should be 1-2 hand written pages in your journal. You will then type this document and save it in our Student Work 2004-05 public file as Journal 1 during the class period on Thursday. You will then provide me with a printed copy for grading. This assignment, valued at 50 points, will be graded using the rubric below:

Beginning
1 / Developing
2 / Accomplished
3 / Exemplary
4 / Score
Topic: 7 pts / Totally
unrelated / Remotely related / Somewhat relevant / Directly relevant
Organization: 7pts / Not organized, events make no sense / Some organization, events jump around, start and end are unclear / Organized, events are somewhat jumpy / Good organization, events are logically ordered, sharp sense of beginning and end
Quality of
Information: 7 pts / Unable to find specificdetails / Details are somewhat sketchy / Some details are non-supporting to the subject / Supporting details specific to subject
Grammar &
Spelling: 7pts / Very frequent grammar and/or spelling errors / More than two errors / Only one or two errors / All grammar and spelling are correct
Interest
Level: 7 pts / Needs descriptive words / Vocabulary is constant, details lack “color” / Vocabulary is varied, supporting details need work / Vocabulary varied, supporting details vivid
Neatness: 7pts / Illegible writing, loose pages / Legible writing, some ill-formed letters, print too small or too large, papers stapled together / Legible writing, well formed characters, clean and neatly bound in a report cover, illustrations provided / Word processed or typed, student name typed, directions to this assignment stapled as a cover page
Timeliness: 7pts / Journal not handed in at the end of computer lab time / Journal handed in on time
Total
50 Points Possible