FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT

ACADEMIC JOURNALS
WHAT’S MY PURPOSE FOR USING ACADEMIC JOURNALS (AJS)?
• to scaffold students’ note taking
• to help students develop study skills
• to help students develop organizational skills
• to connect class work to assessment and evaluation
• to build knowledge of academic writing
• to build motivation to take notes and study
• to build motivation to participate in class
• to give students a purpose to take notes and pay attention in class
• to develop reflective thinking
• to enable students to reflect on class content
• to enable students to reflect on their own learning
• to scaffold students ability to become independent learners and thinkers
• to aid in the “gradual release of responsibility”

WHY DO I ALLOW STUDENTS TO USE ACADEMIC JOURNALS ON TESTS AND

QUIZZES?
• to build motivation to participation class
• to build motivation to be responsible for their class materials
• to give students practice finding and evaluating information
• to minimize test anxiety
• to increase higher levels of questioning and thinking on tests (from Bloom’s knowledge
to analysis and synthesis)
• to practice the gradual release of responsibility model

WHEN DO I KNOW STUDENTS ARE READY TO TEST WITHOUT THEIR AJ?

• when I see them creating word/definition study lists for vocabulary tests and actually
studying the lists they created before the test
• when I see them answering test questions without flipping through their AJs
• when I see that they have internalized study skills and are able to use them indepen
dently (mapping, review notes, highlighting notes, flash cards, etc)

WHAT IF?
• A student loses his or her AJ?
Then they have to borrow someone’s and recopy the notes they’ve lost. I do
not provide duplicates. The student is responsible for recreating his or her AJ
even if it is stolen.
• A student forgets his or her AJ on test or quiz day?
Then they can not use it as a resource and they have to take the test without it.
• Students are not taking notes in their AJ during class?
Then they won’t have those notes to review and use come test or quiz time. I
do remind students to write things down, but I do not grade them on their AJs.
© Lee Ann Spillane
Call me, AJ! WHAT’S MY PURPOSE ?
That’s short for Academic Journal. I’m here to help you get organized!
Use me to take notes in class and to keep track of your thinking. Keep I want my student learners to . . .
up with me and be sure to take notes
and write down information in class because you can use me on tests • develop a rich word bank
and quizzes! • develop a sense of word play
• practice a variety of word attack strategies
Divide AJ into these sections using dividers or sticky • feel safer during tests (less test anxiety)
• internalize how to prepare for tests
notes: • practice a variety of writing strategies: pre-
1. Vocabulary - about 30 pages writing, brainstorming, outlining, etc.
2. Class Notes - about 30 pages • internalize a variety of note taking skills
3. Strategies - about 30 pages • develop a sense of discovery
4. Reflections - last 5 pages • note and practice reading strategies
• What am I learning? (list) • build a strategies reference bank for themselves
• What have I learned? (list) • write, write, and write some more
5. Books I Have Read (list) - last two pages • develop writing fluency

Clip and Paste in the front cover of your AJ!

• practice self-assessment and self-questioning
Here’s a little more about what to write in • practice recording their own learning
each section:
Vocabulary HOW DO I ASSESS STUDENTS?
word of the day notes When I look at students’ AJs, I . .
word storms
language collections • notice what they do spontaneously.
vocabutoons
Do they spontaneously write down headings for
word wall notes
their notes?

Class Notes Or do I need review organization tips.

• notes or writings about the
books we read Do they write in “note shorthand”?
• notes about grammar or writing
• think writes Or do I need to scaffold their note taking by
• notes on MLA format & citing sources color coding what I put up for them?
• any notes that give you information
DO they refer to their AJs for answers?
Strategies Or are they still dependent upon me?
• any notes that tell you how to do
something • look for patterns.
• notes on how to visualize what you read
What kinds of notes/words are they actually
or how to connect to what you read
writing down?
• notes on reading strategies (predictions,
What more do they need?
questions, connections, etc)
Are they reading different genres?
• notes on writing strategies (brainstorming,
Are they able to write about their own learning?
selecting a topic, generating material, etc)
Do they use the language of the state standards in
their reflections? What kinds of “teacher-
Reflections language” have they internalized?
• Dear Mrs. S letters about what you
have learned
• your thinking about your progress
• two lists: What am I learning? and What have I learned?

Books I Have Read

• Keep a running list of all the books
that you finish reading on your own this school What can you include in
year. Remember my expectation is 25 books an Academic Journal?
for the year!
© Adapted from Janet Allen by Lee Ann Spillane
Hi! I’m R.J.! That’s Reading Journal to you!
Each week you’re supposed to read at home for
an half hour each night. Record the time you
read on your Reading Log bookmark. After
you read, write responses to your book in me!
Use the following heading for each of your
responses:
Title of the book: Whirligig Date: 8/19/00
Each week you’ll write a response to your
reading. Your response may be about the book,
a memory sparked by the book, or something
that strikes you about the character. You may
write several short responses or one long one.
You can choose to:
• copy a quotation from the book and comment on it
• discuss what confuses you about the book
• discuss what you would do differently from one of
the characters in the books
• compare the book to other books you have read
• compare the characters in the book to people you
know
• predict what will happen next in the book
• draw a picture in response to what you read and
write a description/explanation of your picture (one
picture per week for credit)
• create a collage of magazine pictures that relate to
the book and write a description/explanation of your
collage (one per week)
• write a poem in response to the novel (one per
week)
• find a poem that reminds you of something from the
novel, copy the poem into your journal •write a
paragraph explaining how you connect the poem to
the book you’re reading.
EnglishI EnglishI
Grade
Honors
Reading/ Writing Reading/ Writing
2.5 hours/ 2.5 pages 2 hrs / 2 pages
A about significant scene, etc.)
B 2 hours/ 2 pages 1.5 hrs/ 1.5 pages
C 1.5 hours/ 1.5 pages 1 hr. / 1 page
© Adapted from Linda Reif, Seeking Diversity by Lee Ann Spillane
WHAT’S MY PURPOSE ?
I want my student readers to . . .
• read, read, and read some more
• develop a habit of reflecting and thinking
about what they read.
• practice making specific connections to
the books they are reading.
• practice strategies we may have used in
class, on their own (e.g.: double entry
diaries, visualizing, predicting, questioning).
• practice writing about what they read as
this is a major component of English 2-4
and beyond.
HOW DO I ASSESS STUDENTS?
When I look at students’ journals I . . .
• notice what they do spontaneously.
Do they spontaneously relate the text to
themselves? the world? other texts?
Do I need to do a making connections mini-
lesson?
Do they spontaneously give specific ex-
amples from the reading to prove their
points?
Do I need to model how to incorporate
specific examples (that don’t digress into
plot summary) into writing?
• look for patterns.
Do they read the same types of books?
Do I need to do a mini-lesson on genres
and introduce high-interest pieces from a
variety of genres? Do I need to book-talk
more books?
Do they always respond in the same way to
what they read?
Do I need to model how you respond
differently (e.g.: respond to a quote, write a
poem about your reading, draw and write
Do they use what we do in class?
© Lee Ann Spillane
List as many words as you can think of that
contain the word part!

© Lee Ann Spillane

Magic Squar *

• scramble a nine letter word that connects to the day’s reading

• the letter in the center is “magic” and must be used in each word
• model how to generate words from the puzzle for students
• give students 2-5 minutes to generate as many words as they can
• generate words while students generate words
• share by recording many of the words generated on the overhead
• transition to daily word study using a word from the puzzle or related
word

Magic Square Rules:

• letters do not have to touch in order to be made into a word
• Scrabble rules apply--no abbreviations, no proper nouns
• words can be any length as long as they contain the magic letter
• letters may not be used twice unless they appear twice in the puzzle

* not mathematically sound

 is not is is not is

is not is is not is

is not is is not is

Example Example What do you notice about this word?

Example

Non-Example Non-Example
Non-Example What questions could you answer about this word?

from our reading

from the world
from our experience

© Adapted by Lee Ann Spillane from Janet Allen, Words, Words, Words, 1999
© adapted by Lee Ann Spillane from Janet Allen, Words, Words, Words, 1999
Date:

P-Q-R
G-H-I

Y-Z
Name:

M-N-O
D-E-F

V-W-X
My Word Wall
A-B-C

J-K-L

S-T-U

Adapted from Allen, Janet. 1999. Words, Words, Words. York, ME: Stenhouse.
 LIST OF RELATED CITATIONS

“Logs, Academic Journals & Graphic Organizers:

Tools That Lead to Independence”
Presented by Lee Ann Spillane, Ed.S., NBCT

Allen, J. (1995). It’s Never Too Late. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Allen, J. (1999). Words, Words, Words: Teaching Vocabulary in Grades 4-12. York, ME:
Stenhouse.

Allen, J. (2000). Yellow Brick Roads: Shared and Guided Paths to Independent Reading 4-12.
York, ME: Stenhouse.

Allen, J. (2002). On the Same Page: Shared Reading Beyond the Primary Grades. York, ME:
Stenhouse.

Billmeyer, Rachel & Barton, Mary Lee. (2002). Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: If Not
Me Then Who?. 2nd ed. Aurora: McREL.

Burke, Jim. (2000). Reading Reminders Tips, Tools, and Techniques. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.

Grow, Gerald O.(1991/1996). “Teaching Learners to be Self-Directed.” Adult Education

Quarterly, 41 (3), 125-149. Expanded version available online at: <http://
www.longleaf.net/ggrow>.

Kooy, M. & Wells, J. (1996). Reading Response Logs. Markham, Ontario: Pembroke Publishers.

Reif, L.(1992). Seeking Diversity. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Routman, Regie. (1994). Invitations. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Tovani, Cris. (2003). Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Content Comprehension Grades 6-12.
York, ME: Stenhouse.

Worthy, Jo; Broaddus, Karen, and Gay Ivey. (2001). Pathways to Independence: Reading,
Writing, and Learning in Grades 3-8. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

Zemelman, S. Daniels, H. & Hyde, A. (1993). Best Practice: New Standards for Teaching and
Learning in America’s Schools. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Bibliography Available Online at

http://www.laspillane.org