Quote journal(semester-Long Project)

Learning Objective: In addition to producing a physical record of the reading and reflection completed throughout the semester, the Quote Journal helps students trace themes and questions across literary texts. Through this process, students will strengthen both close reading and critical thinking skills. This journal will take the place of the final exam for our class, as it functions similarly as a reflective, cumulative learning experience through the semester.

Orange-Crayon-2.gifHere's how the semester-long Quote Journal works:

For each day that we have reading to complete, you are to pick a passage from the reading that strikes you in some way—the passage could have significance to a character, plot, or theme; it could be so thought-provoking that you know it is important to delve into and understand better; it could be that the passage raises questions about the reading or about our course material more broadly; it could be so beautifully written that you just love the language; or it could be an example of how an author uses a certain literary device or technique to create meaning. Be discerning with the length of the passage you select—do not simply select half a sentence and then try to reflect on it. Conversely, also do not select an entire paragraph as your quote. Instead, make your selections thoughtful and meaningful, with your reflections focusing on the key words and ideas presented from the passage in the context in which it appears. See a good example below. You will type these selected passages into a document (be sure you are quoting the passage exactly, using quote marks around the quoted material), along with a parenthetical citation (so you and I both know where exactly the quote came from). For parenthetical citations, use author's name and page number where the quote appears—for example, (Morrison 176). You will then compose a brief reflection about what significance this short passage holds to the literature—in other words, perform a close reading. Look at the details from the passage, and offer a brief analysis and reflection. This can be five to seven sentences in length (you must have at least five sentences of substance for your reflection; likewise, try to stay within this length, as such focus improves our ability to communicate with concision and precision). BTW, when I say “of substance,” I don’t want your sentences to reflect whether you like, dislike, or agree with something an author has written. Your reflections should: 1) perform a close read analysis of the selected quote; 2) show how the quote is significant/connected to the context in which it was taken; and 3) make it obvious you've read and critically engaged with the literary work. Over the course of the semester, you will end up with 22 quotes and reflections in your document, two for each week of reading we've had. At the end of the semester, you will then reflect on the entire compilation and compose a 250- to 500-word reflection on the entire compilation. You may want to ask yourself about any connections you made in looking back over the quotes, any patterns or trends that stand out, if any themes or ideas from the literature connect, and how you went about choosing quotes and how those quotes now speak to you, as you look back. You could also ruminate on what you've learned through the literature or doing this project. This should appear as a concluding page of the document. Your Quote Journal (consisting of 22 quotes and reflections, along with an overall 250- to 500-word reflection)

For those going for the A-grade or B-grade bundle: there are two ways of formatting the overall Quote Journal document—you can either create 1) a physical scrapbook journal using a small journal or composition notebook (note that quotes and reflections will still need to be typed, then printed and pasted into the journal), or 2) a digital scrapbook/journal using a platform such as Canva, Powerpoint, or Adobe Spark. Either way, your Quote Journal needs to be formatted in an aesthetically pleasing and complementary way that shows a deeper thinking and connection to the literature. Your journal should contain colors, graphics, images, scribbles, doodles, sketches, and other ephemera that connect with the quotes and the literature. Note: simply using a PowerPoint template will not suffice for this project. Each page needs to be its own entity and reflect a thoughtful connection with the literature. See examples of successful Quote Journals below.

For all grade bundles: each quote and reflection should appear in your document in the format below, with week and title of work, followed by quote with parenthetical citation, followed by a five to seven sentence reflection. Failure to adhere to these directions and to the specifications below will result in a failing grade.

EXAMPLE

Week 2: Exit West

Quote #1: “Even more than the fighter planes and the tanks these robots, few though they were, and the drones overhead, were frightening, because they suggested an unstoppable efficiency, an inhuman power, and evoked the kind of dread that a small mammal feels before a predator of an altogether different order, like a rodent before a snake” (Hamid 154).

Reflection #1: This particular metaphor stood out to me as I usually find metaphors to be heavily exaggerated in order to stress a point; however, I discover this use of rhetoric to have an opposing effect. Hamid used the metaphor of the snake and the rodent to actually simplify the intense relationship of the migrants to the natives. By stripping the complicated aspect of the two groups, it allows the reader to better understand their difference in hierarchical standing. The author cleverly placed the metaphor here to ensure the reader recognizes this difference rather than only focusing on the intensity between the migrants and the natives. Hamid also invokes comparison between machine, man, and animal here, and makes the reader question who is predator, who is prey, and ultimately, who has power.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Remember, your reflections should: 1) perform a close read analysis of the selected quote; 2) show how the quote is significant/connected to the context in which it was taken; and 3) make it obvious you've read and critically engaged with the literary work. You should ask yourself if your

quotes and reflections achieve all three of these things prior to submitting the journal. Otherwise, student's work must adhere to the following specifications:

Completeness:

Contains 22 correctly quoted passages with correct MLA parenthetical citations Contains 22 thoughtful reflections that convey the above requirements Contains a thoughtful 250- to 500-word overall reflection of entire journal Entries are formatted as instructed above Content:

Quotes chosen demonstrate student discernment of significant passages in a literary text Reflections make obvious student’s reading progression Reflections demonstrate close reading and critical thinking Reflections are detailed and specific and do not make me question whether or not student has read literature Document is proofread and revised and contains very few, if any, typos or grammatical errors.