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Daily Journals
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Each day, the students
will be writing in science journals. Each day's journal entry will be
worth five points, equaling about one hundred points per quarter. If
there is no journal prompt posted on the board in class, the students will
be responding to the following:
Beginning of
class entry: What were your thoughts about what was explored in the
previous class? Did you learn anything new or did you explore and broaden
your understanding of something that you already knew? Did you experience
any situations between the days that we had class where you had the
opportunity to use any of the information or connect anything from class to
something in your life? What do you expect to do in class today? What
contributions do you think you will be making in class today?
End of class
entry: Reflect on or react to what we have done in class today? Did you
make any significant contributions to the class/your group/your learning
today? What questions do you still have about what was explored today in
class? What would you like to further explore? Make any other comments
that you have about the topic or today’s class.
Be sure to write
a comprehensive entry. You will have 5-7 minutes at the beginning and end
of class to make an entry, and be sure to use all of the time. You must
also be sure to give yourself enough time to finish your entry. Use
this time effectively, as it will be a big part of your grade and a great
opportunity to express ideas, ask questions, and reflect on your learning.
How will my journal be assessed?
Your journals will be graded on the
following three criteria.
- Completion
of journal entries- understanding that there will be times when
students will have excused absences, the number of completed journal
entries will be taken in to account.
- Depth of
Understanding/Thoughtfulness of Response- the student is expected to
provide thoughtful, insightful responses to journal prompts. The
student should show an understanding of what they are writing about, and
if they do not understand or would like clarification about something
they should be writing this in their journals. The students are
encouraged to write questions, comments, and any other thoughts they
have about the topic. Conversely, short one or two sentence answers and
restating of the question are unacceptable as journal responses.
- Writing
Skills- The student should be able to express their ideas clearly
with a well written paragraph. Although handwriting and grammar may be
difficult for some students, their writing should flow and their ideas
should be connected. The students should be making their best effort to
use correct grammar and spelling.
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Journal Rubric |
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90-100pts |
80-89pts |
70-79pts |
60-69pts |
60pts or below |
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Completion |
At least 90% of the journal entries are
present |
At least 75% of journal entries are present |
At least 60% of journal entries are present |
50% of the journal entries are present |
Less than half of the journal entries have
been completed. |
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Depth of Understanding |
The student shows either a very good
understanding of the prompt, or express their ideas about the
subject very well. The student asks questions and makes thoughtful
comments, and makes predictions about where the topic will lead.
The student also makes connections to topics in class or their own
lives. |
The student shows either a good understanding
of the prompt, or express their ideas about the subject fairly
well. The student asks questions and makes thoughtful comments.
The student also makes connections to topics in class or their own
lives. |
The student shows a fair understanding of the
prompt, but has some difficulty expressing ideas. The student does
not ask questions or make thoughtful comments. The entry is fairly
short, and the student could have made more connections in the
entry. |
The student does not show much understanding
of the prompt, and does very little to express their ideas. The
student does not ask questions or makes thoughtful comments. The
entry is very short, and shows no real effort in making any type of
connection. |
The student has written a one or two sentence
entry that expresses no ideas, and/or restates the prompt with
either a yes or no answer. |
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Writing Skill |
Writing was legible, very few grammatical and
spelling errors, ideas were conveyed clearly and fluently |
Writing was legible, few spelling and
grammatical errors, ideas were expressed well, but could have bee
clearer and more fluent |
Some handwriting difficult to read, some
spelling and grammatical errors, some ideas seem disconnected or
irrelevant, very little fluency |
Handwriting difficult to read, many spelling
and grammatical errors, ideas disconnected, no fluency |
Illegible, disregard for grammar and spelling,
difficult to tell if the ideas connect or are present |
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