Using Double-Entry Journals:

1. Using Double-Entry Journals: A Strategy to Help Reading Comprehension

2. In this lesson, students will: • Understand what a double-entry journal is, and why it’s an important reading comprehension tool. • Look at an example text and matching teacher example of a double-entry journal. • Practice creating their own double-entry journal using a piece of text.

3. Double-Entry Journals: What are They? • A double-entry journal is a two-column chart used by the reader to record quotes from the text on the left side, and their reactions to the text on the right side.

4. What does a double-entry journal look like?

5. Simple, right? • Right. It’s just a plain old two-column chart. YOU pick the quotes from the text you want to use. • You should pick quotes that you find interesting, confusing, meaningful, or that say something important about the text.

6. Then what? • After you choose your quote, you just write your reaction or feelings to the quote on the other side of the column. • You should tell what you think the quote means, why you liked or didn’t like it, and why it’s important. • You can also ask a question, if the quote confuses you.

7. Let’s look at an example: • Read the very short passage on the next slide. Then view the double-entry journal on the following slide to see what a sample quote and reader entry will look like.

8. from To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee • When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jem’sfears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury. His left arm was somewhat shorter than his right; when he stood or walked, the back of his hand was at right angles to his body, his thumb parallel to his thigh. He couldn’t have cared less, so long as he could pass and punt. • When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out.

9. Here’s what the double-entry journal for this piece of text might look like: “When it healed, and Jem’s fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury” (page 1). “When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident” (page 1). Click this arrow to flip back to your own double-entry journal.

10. What’s so special about the double-entry journal? • First, it allows the reader to quickly and easily make observations and write down their thoughts WHILE THEY’RE READING, which is very important. • It also allows the reader to ask questions and make predictions while they’re reading. The questions will most likely be answered later on in the reading, and if the reader makes predictions, they can find out later on if their predictions were correct.

11. Let’s Try One! • On the next page, you will find part of a very short story. • Read the story. • On the next slide, you will find a blank double-entry journal. • Choose at least two quotes from the part of the story you read and include them on the blank double-entry journal on the slide after the story. • Then fill in your thoughts or feelings on the right side of each quote. You can ask questions, make predictions, tell what you think something means, or explain why you think the quote is important.

12. from To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee “Take him, Mr. Finch.” Mr. Tate handed the rifle to Atticus; Jem and I nearly fainted. “Don’t waste time, Heck,” said Atticus. “Go on.” “Mr. Finch, this is a one-shot job.” Atticus shook his head vehemently: “Don’t just stand there, Heck! He won’t wait all day for you—” “For God’s sake, Mr. Finch, look where he is! Miss and you’ll go straight into the Radley house! I can’t shoot that well and you know it!” “I haven’t shot a gun in thirty years—” Mr. Tate almost threw the rifle at Atticus. “I’d feel mighty comfortable if you did now,” he said. In a fog, Jem and I watched our father take the gun and walk out into the middle of the street. He walked quickly, but I thought he moved like an underwater swimmer: time had slowed to a nauseating crawl. When Atticus raised his glasses Calpurnia murmured, “Sweet Jesus help him,” and put her hands to her cheeks. Atticus pushed his glasses to his forehead; they slipped down, and he dropped them in the street. In the silence, I heard them crack. Atticus rubbed his eyes and chin; we saw him blink hard. In front of the Radley gate, Tim Johnson [a dog Atticus is trying to shoot] had made up what was left of his mind. He had finally turned himself around, to pursue his original course up our street. He made two steps forward, then stopped and raised his head. We saw his body go rigid. With movements so swift they seemed simultaneous, Atticus’s hand yanked a ball-tipped lever as he brought the gun to his shoulder. The rifle cracked. Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk in a brown-and-white heap. He didn’t know what hit him.

13. Here’s your double-entry journal—give it a try. Remember to use two quotes from the story you just read, and you can flip back and forth and copy and paste the quotes into the left side of the double-entry journal if you prefer. Click this question mark to flip back to the example double-entry journal if you need to.

14. Tell me what you think: In the space below, write at least two sentences telling why a double-entry journal might be useful to you when you’re reading.

15. Review: • Double-entry journals help readers understand the text by helping them ask questions, make predictions, and give their thoughts about the text using quotes. • Double-entry journals should be used during reading, and can be used for any type of text. Click the house to go back to the beginning slide.