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Student Writing Journals

Do you keep a journal? Many people like to keep a daily written record of their lives so that they can reflect on what they did and what the future might hold for them. It is also a good way to help you retain information.

This is a writing class and you will be expected to write a lot. This will help you with your mastery of the English language. One of the ways that you will be doing this is through writing journals. You will need to write for at least **10 minutes** on a topic of your choice **four times a week** in English. It can be anything that you want to write about, but I will also provide some topic choices that you can choose from if you don't know what to write about.

While you are writing, you may also wish to focus on a certain aspect of grammar or composition organization in order to strengthen your control of these aspect. For example, you may wish to concentrate on articles, endings, descriptive paragraphs, clauses, or colorful adjectives.

In addition, you can also use this time to reflect on your English learning. People often find it helpful to spend a few minutes a day thinking and writing about what they learned. This may help you retain the information you learned. You could answer questions such as; What did I learn today? What did I find difficult? What new words did I learn and how will I use these in the future? How can I relate this information to things I have already learned? Or, if you want it could also be a reflective summary on another academic class that are taking in order to help you learn that class.

In general, I will not be reading these entries, but will only be checking that you have done 4 entries a week unless you ask me to read a specific passage to comment on some aspect of your writing. I will not comment on your topic choice, just your writing of that topic. You may send me an email or let me know in class if you have one that you want me to take a look at and give you feedback.

It is best to come up with a specific time and place to do something like this so that you get in the habit of doing them and you don't find yourself struggling to do the assignment. You may want to do it first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening. You could also do it 10 minutes before our class or right after. The important thing is to pick a time that is best for you and do it everyday at that time.

One of the purposes of this is to get you writing everyday on your own in English. You may not make more than one entry a day as part of your 4 required entries. Of course, if you wish, you may write more as long as there are 4 entries on different days. It would be ideal if you wrote everyday of the week, but I understand that you are busy and have many things to do. So, I am only requiring 4 entries a week, one for each day we have class. Of course, you may do one on any day of the week. Maybe you feel you have more time on the weekends and would prefer to make an entry on Saturday and an entry on Sunday. That would mean that you only have to choose two weekdays to write the other two entries.

We will officially start this Friday, March 30. So by Sunday April 8, you should have 4 entries done. Each Sunday thereafter you should have added an additional 4 entries to your journal page for a grand total of 36 entries.

Keep in mind that these journals are public and that anyone will be able to read them. Do not put private or sensitive information in them that you would not want other people to know. Also, these entries should be your own work. Do not copy writing from someone else and represent as your own. This is considered plagiarism and cheating by Ohio University and could result in something as severe as expulsion from the university.

A review of the basic parameters for this journal.


 * 1) Write at least four entries a week which are done on separate days.
 * 2) Spend at least 10 minutes on an entry.
 * 3) Do not include private or sensitive information that you do not want other people to know.
 * 4) Entries must be your own work.

If you have questions please let me know.

Topic List:

These sites have many writing prompts that you can use for your journal topics.

@http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/ @http://www.theteacherscorner.net/daily-writing-prompts/january/ @http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/journal-prompts.html @http://esl.about.com/library/lessons/bl_writingstorms.htm

In recent years there has been greater use of the Internet to affect social change. From the Arab Spring to micro bloggers in China, people have begun using the Internet to make their individual voices heard and provide a venue for discussion and change. Governments are beginning to look at this and see it as a threat or concern for their rule. What are your thoughts or opinions on this topic? Is this a positive aspect of use of the Internet or does it cause unnecessary problems? Should governments be able to "shut down" the Internet to keep order? Spend 10-15 min writing on this topic.
 * First Topic -**

The first permanent movie theater opened on this day in 1902 in Los Angeles. What is your all-time favorite movie and why?
 * Second Topic -**

On April 11, 1968, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. This act protected the rights of people, including African-Americans and women. Do you think it’s important for all people to be treated equally? Why or why not?
 * Third Topic -**

In 1936, Henry Ford established the Ford Foundation. This organization supports a variety of causes, including artistic and educational programs. If you were able to create your charitable foundation, what type of foundation would it be and who would you help?
 * Fourth Topic -**