Learning Objective: In addition to producing a physical record of the reading and reflectioncompleted throughout the semester, the Quote Journal helps students trace themes andquestions across literary texts. Through this process, students will strengthen both close readingand critical thinking skills. This journal will take the place of the final exam for our class, as itfunctions 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 thatstrikes you in some way—the passage could have significance to a character, plot, or theme; itcould 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 materialmore broadly; it could be so beautifully written that you just love the language; or it could be anexample of how an author uses a certain literary device or technique to create meaning. Bediscerning with the length of the passage you select—do not simply select half a sentence andthen 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 thekey words and ideas presented from the passage in the context in which it appears. See a goodexample below.You will type these selected passages into a document (be sure you are quoting the passageexactly, using quote marks around the quoted material), along with a parenthetical citation (soyou and I both know where exactly the quote came from). For parenthetical citations, useauthor'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 theliterature—in other words, perform a close reading. Look at the details from the passage, andoffer a brief analysis and reflection. This can be five to seven sentences in length (you musthave at least five sentences of substance for your reflection; likewise, try to stay within thislength, 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 readanalysis of the selected quote; 2) show how the quote is significant/connected to the context inwhich it was taken; and 3) make it obvious you've read and critically engaged with the literarywork.Over the course of the semester, you will end up with 22 quotes and reflections in yourdocument, 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- to500-word reflection on the entire compilation. You may want to ask yourself about anyconnections you made in looking back over the quotes, any patterns or trends that stand out, ifany themes or ideas from the literature connect, and how you went about choosing quotes andhow those quotes now speak to you, as you look back. You could also ruminate on what you'velearned through the literature or doing this project. This should appear as a concluding page ofthe document.Your Quote Journal (consisting of 22 quotes and reflections, along with an overall 250- to500-word reflection)

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

For all grade bundles: each quote and reflection should appear in your document in the formatbelow, with week and title of work, followed by quote with parenthetical citation, followed by afive to seven sentence reflection. Failure to adhere to these directions and to the specificationsbelow 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 predatorof 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 heavilyexaggerated in order to stress a point; however, I discover this use of rhetoric to have anopposing effect. Hamid used the metaphor of the snake and the rodent to actually simplify theintense relationship of the migrants to the natives. By stripping the complicated aspect of thetwo 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 differencerather than only focusing on the intensity between the migrants and the natives. Hamid alsoinvokes comparison between machine, man, and animal here, and makes the reader questionwho 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 itobvious 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 citationsContains 22 thoughtful reflections that convey the above requirementsContains a thoughtful 250- to 500-word overall reflection of entire journalEntries are formatted as instructed aboveContent:

Quotes chosen demonstrate student discernment of significant passages in a literary textReflections make obvious student’s reading progressionReflections demonstrate close reading and critical thinkingReflections are detailed and specific and do not make me question whether or not student hasread literatureDocument is proofread and revised and contains very few, if any, typos or grammatical errors.