1st Quarter Journal Warm-Ups

Journal 1- [Number each entry @ the top]

If you could change two things about this past school year(sophomore yr.), what

would you change? Why? If you wouldn’t change a thing, why not?

( You do NOT need to write the prompt. Journal Entries must be at LEAST a page long. Write neatly. You can write on the

back of the page)

Journal 2Why is it important to reflect on

experiences of your past? How does this reflection effect choices you make in the present and future? Give at least one example of how

reflecting on an event of your past effected a choice you made.

Journal 3

Is there one year of your life that stands out as exceptional? Maybe you starred in a play, or you suddenly became very

popular, or your mother was in a yearlong fantastic mood. Describe this

year.

Journal 4

Rewrite the six word memoir you wrote yesterday. How do these six words explain you/your life?

Journal 5

An American is… When you see these words, what do you

think? Write whatever comes to your mind. You can write nouns (people, places,

and things) or adjectives…Don’t limit yourself.

Make sure you write in complete sentences.

Journal 6

What is the one thing you value most about being an

American? Why?

Journal 7

Freewrite

Journal 8

What events that defy explanation occur in the world today? Are there natural phenomena, such as black holes, that

you find mysterious or difficult to understand? List events that are not fully understandable and free write

about one of them.

Journal 9

What do you think is the “American dream?” Has it changed over the course of history?

Has your idea of it changed since completing the “What is an American?” project? Support

your answer with examples and details!

Journal 10Do you agree with all of the statements made

about Americans in the presentations over the past two days? Does the media portray

Americans in stereotypical ways, or are these truthful representations of the way Americans live and act? Are some

representations more truthful than others? (Americans work at, eat, believe, say, etc.)

GIVE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES of your opinions!!

Journal 11

Who is your favorite character in The Great Gatsby? Why? Which character did you

detest? Why? Was it easy for you to have strong feelings towards specific characters

because of Fitzgerald’s writing?

Journal 12

If you had to choose the prize for the best movie in history, what

film would win? Why?

Journal 13

If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what kind would you

want to be and why?

When you finish with your journal, study for your Vocabulary Quiz!

Journal 14

According to the cliché, “Every setback is an opportunity for a

comeback.” In your life, has this proven true? Have you always

recovered from setbacks?

Journal 15

Do you think Nick is to blame for Gatsby’s death? Was Nick really as innocent and naive as he seemed

when it came to Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship?

*Journals Due Tomorrow!

Warm Up

As a citizen of the United States and a human living on this planet, do you feel

globally responsible, as Arthur Miller did when he wrote The Crucible, for

justice? If you had a way to stand up against injustice, would you? Have you

in the past or are you presently?

Wrap Up

Herb Block and Arthur Miller chose to stand up against the injustices of their time by using

their crafts; Block was a cartoonist and Miller was a playwright. What injustice would you choose to speak out against today? What skill could you employ, as Block and Miller did, to

get your point across?

Journal 16

What would you say to the world if you were given 5 minutes and

language was not a barrier?

Journal 17

Write about a time when you or someone you know was judged

unfairly.

Journal 18

Write about a time when jealousy (your own or someone else’s)

caused a problem for you.

Journal 19

Can a person manipulate language in order to get what he/she

wants? Give an example.

Journal 20You already know how the Salem Witch

Trials end. Predict how you think The Crucible will end. What do you think will happen to Elizabeth and John Proctor? What will become of Abigail Williams

and the other girls? Reverend Parris? Do you think the truth will come out by the end of the play before more people

die?

Journal 21

What surprised you most about the ending of The Crucible? Why do you think Arthur Miller chose to end the play this way? If nothing surprised

you, how did you guess this ending? Do you think John Proctor made the

right decision? Why or why not?

Journal 22

Freewrite

Journal 23“We shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely

with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us,

we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.”

What does the quotation suggest about Americans at this point in

their history?Journals will be taken up next Wednesday,

October 27th.

Journal 24Most people are born with five

senses- sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. If you had to give up one sense for the rest of your life, which would you

pick, and why?

Journals due TOMORROW!

Journal 25If you could give be on the cover of any magazine next

month, which magazine would you want it to be, and what would the caption say?