Introduction.
Your journal will be a record of your responses to the reading and viewing you should be doing during your English course, and can form the basis of your reading and viewing analytical skills.
The aims of undertaking an individual program and keeping a journal are to develop your abilities to:
* Identify and reflect on the ideas and experiences offered by texts
* Understand and use the conventions of different types of texts
* Use comprehending strategies appropriate to different types of text
* Recognise how the use of conventions in a text can affect your responses and meanings a text has for you.
Written and Visual Texts.
Written and visual texts that you choose to include in your journal must include a VARIETY of the following:
- Ficton and Non-Fiction
- Genres
- Complex Texts (try to read something you’re not used to or wouldn’t normally look at)
- Culture
WHAT DO I WRITE ABOUT?
There are a number of different ways of responding to written and visual texts:
The story.
- What happens in this story?
- What did you think of the story?
- Did it keep you involved?
- Which part(s) did you enjoy the most and why?
- Were there any parts that you think could have been changed? Why?
The characters
- Which characters did you have a strong response to?
- What was the nature of that response?
- Which characters, did you believe to be the most or least realistic? Why?
The themes and issues
- What messages did the narrative try to persuade you to accept?
- Were the issues raised controversial or looked at differently in any way? What impact did this have?
- What was YOUR response to the themes/issues? Why do you think you reacted in this way?
- Did you disagree with any of the ideas raised? Why?
The style, structure and language
- What genre is the narrative?
- Does the narrative use persuasive, descriptive or technical language? For what purpose does it use this language?
- Is the narrative ‘reader friendly’? Does it use headings & sub-headings, chapters, small paragraphs?
Finally, this reading and viewing journal is intended to help you enjoy not only what you read, but all that you view as well. It is designed to ensure you read and view, not only for entertainment and pleasure, but critically and analytically too.
Good luck, and I look forward to reading some insightful entries.
Mrs B
2 Comments
September 16, 2006 at 1:41 pm
Hey mrs Brown, I’ve edited my post “Out On The Edge”. If you could have another look at it, see what you think, that would be great! Thanks
October 5, 2006 at 3:15 pm
Hey Mrs Brown. I have a query. What are we supposed to write about with a(n) (auto)biography. I am having a bit of trouble with working it into the other categories with which you have already clarified. If you can answer my question, that would be great. Thankyou. Sorry to interrupt your holidays.