Weekly Journal Format and Content

Note: Specific instructions for your first journal appear at the end of this section.

SECTION 1: Orienting Data

The first part of any entry must include orienting data. These include your name, the date, placement information (grade level, teacher, school), dates and times of your classroom visits and arts activities every week, and cumulative hours for the quarter. All hours must be documented in order for you to receive credit. (Note: Please round off times to the nearest quarter hour.)

Example:

Ima Student

Journal #2

1-24-06

4th grade; Ms. Salcedo; ABC Elementary

Classroom visits: Wed. 1-18, 9:00-11:10 (2.25 hours); Fri. 1-20, 8:00-12:00 (4 hours)

Total cumulative classroom hours: 9.5

SECTION 2:

Journal Partner Response

Respond to your journal partner’s previous entry. Please include your partner’s name in the header of this section.

SECTION 3:

Fieldwork

This section has two parts.

Part one: Give a brief summary or sequence of events that happened in the classroom each day you spent at the school site, being specific about your role in all activities. This part should be less than one page.  Here is a sample sequence of events:

Wed. 1-18     9:00-9:45      Worked with Alicia, Fred and Sammy at a center on fractions. For the most part I asked them questions to help them figure out equivalent fractions.

                    9:45-10:15     Recess: While watching students on the playground, I talked with Ms. Salcedo about this morning’s math centers, and about the various schools she has taught in. Then I walked Gina,                                                Paul, and Brittany to Room 12, where they read to Mr. Wilson’s first graders.

                    10:15-11:10   Writing Workshop. I listened to seven students read the stories they had written about life during the Gold Rush. When they each finished writing their stories, they came to me to read                                                their story. Then we talked over their plans for revising their writing. As they were cleaning up, I left for the day.

Part Two: Pick one particular event, activity or episode from the week that had an impact on you, your teacher, or your students. Describe this incident in detail and discuss your reactions.

SECTION 4:

Reading Response and Connections

Connect each of the week’s readings to one or more of the following:

    your field experience

    your role as a tutor

    your cooperating teacher’s situation

    a personal experience

    another reading

    a counter-example

What in particular does the author say that connects to your experience?  How does the reading help to explain or highlight the experience? Give specific examples from the text. The goal is to analyze and reflect on the readings (not to summarize them).

Submitting journals:

Email your entire journal to your journal partner each week. Bring a hard copy of your journal to class each week. This hard copy will be submitted to your TA in section.

Instructions for your first journal:

Section 2: Introduce yourself to your journal partner. Tell why you are taking this class.  Discuss questions you have about tutoring and working schools.  Describe some goals you have for you EDS 134/139 experience.

Section 3: If you have not yet visited your school site, you can construct an episode by discussing any previous field experiences you have had in schools and/or describing a memorable learning experience of your own. If you have visited your school site, be sure to include the orientation (it will count toward your hours and can be used as an episode).

Dowloadable Version: EDS134 Journal Guidelines.doc