Journal Topics

Grade 7

 

Journal Rules:

• A journal response is complete if you write more than half of one page.
• You may hand a journal in late only the next school day after it is due.
• Late journal responses count only for half credit.
• If you handed in your journal on time, and a topic comes back to you with an “incomplete” written on it, you can add to or re-write that topic. If you write more than half a page, it will be given a check that counts for half credit.

 

#1-- Introduce Yourself

Here’s the place to more formally introduce yourself to me. Tell me about your…

PAST: Your family, where you were born, where you’ve been, etc.

PRESENT: Describe yourself. What kind of person are you? What things do you like? What things do you dislike?

FUTURE: What are your plans for the future? Career plans? What would you like your life to be like in 10-15 years?

 

#2-- Perfect Student/Perfect Teacher

First, define what a perfect student should be. How does a perfect student behave? What does a perfect student do? What qualities does a perfect student have?

Second, define what a perfect teacher should be. How does a perfect teacher behave? What does a perfect teacher do? What qualities does a perfect teacher have?

 

  

#3-- Danger vs. Safety

You have won the lottery; you are rich; you never have to work ever in your life if you don’t want to. Would you rather enjoy a nice, quiet, peaceful life, staying on beaches, traveling to New York and Paris, getting up late every morning…Or would you rather sky dive, bungee jump, and do exciting and even dangerous activities just for the thrill?

In other words, describe yourself: Are you the kind of person who prefers relaxation, or adventure? Do you prefer peace and quiet or danger and risk?

The same question in a different way: If you could have an easy life of security, doing basically whatever you want but nothing dangerous, and live to an old age…Or you could live a life of risk and adventure and danger, but you would not live beyond being 50 years old…Which would you choose?

 

#4-- What Qualities Do You Admire Most?

Put these qualities in order from most to least important:

 

intelligence kindness popularity

physical strength sense of humor creative thinking

ambition/desire to succeed talent (at music, sports, etc.)

 

Which qualities do you admire most? Which qualities do you most look for in a friend? Which qualities are most likely to bring a person success? To you, what IS success?

 

 

#5 A Story

Write a story about a fictional hero (a character who is not real). This can be a traditional superhero with superpowers, like Superman…or it can be an ordinary person who does something heroic. This story can be funny or serious.

 

R.U. READING UPDATE week. See the Reading Workshop page for the requirements of a Reading Update.

 

#6 A Game, Puzzle, or Quiz For the Teacher

For this journal, make a game, puzzle, or quiz over your current book, for me to complete. It can be a word search, a crossword puzzle, matching, true or false, or any other kind of activity. Take your information from as far into the book as you have read.

 

#7 Bravery

The only assignment for this journal is to free write on the topic “Bravery”. We have done free writing in Writing Workshop lessons, so you know that you can just start with the first thing that comes into your head, and keep writing on the topic.

IF you need some ideas, think about these questions: What is bravery? What things does a brave person do? What things does a brave person not do? Is there a difference between physical bravery and mental bravery, or emotional bravery, or other kinds of bravery? What does it mean to be a coward? What kinds of things does a coward do? What things does a coward not do?

 

R.U. Reading Update week. See the Reading Workshop page for the requirements of a Reading Update.

 

#10-- The Last Hobbit Topics

Your Choice (choose one or more):

A. Imagine you are a reporter, and write an interview with any character in your book, from any point in the book. Write the questions, and write what that character answered.

B. Pick any character or creature from the book, and tell what happened to that person or creature after the book ended.

C. Imagine products based on characters or incidents from the book. Make advertisements for these products.

D. Pretend you are any character in the book. Tell in the first person (using “I”) your own story, or something from the story from your point of view.

E. Review your book—what you liked, what you didn’t, etc.

F. Write your own journal assignment, and respond to it. (Make sure you write the question you’re answering at the top of the page, so I know what it is!)