Explorer's Journal


 

[note: I couldn't find anything about the format or focus of the journal and wanted to generate a few ideas about what students might reflect on - please remove this note once descriptions are in place, etc]. This will need a rubric, supplementary example/resources (to show students what each product looks/feels like) and some modeling tips for teachers. Later on, would be good to get some trouble-shooting tips from teachers who have tried this (along with student feedback about what they liked or didn't like/struggled with). Please add more writing prompts - and encourage students to come up with their own ideas! Links to sample entries would also be great.

 

Entry types

 

The explorers journal could take the form of an offline, paper and pencil notebook/log folder or online blog. The journal will have two kinds of entries: thematic and personal: 

 

1) Personal entries - as distinct from thematic entries: this is an opportunity for the student to reflect on his or her learning with the teacher. These are personal, metacognitive, entries that will provide the opportunity for students to offer reflection and feedback about their comfort level, confusion or potential challenges with the unit (and make appropriate adjustments). I would suggest some semi-private format for this (offline paper and pencil or perhaps via message type delivery). These entries are not shared with other students.

2) Thematic "log" entries: These entries will also provide metacognitive potential via commentaries about the student's experiences but will be written in a style in keeping with the "story so far" theme. The entries may include: writing, interviews, drawing/diagrams, screenshots, machinima, audio and any other format that speaks

to multiple literacies (rather than just writing). A blog/moodle format would be great to share the students "log" with their peers, which they will comment on (i.e., blogging based criteria). Three types of journals/entries to consider (depending on the subject focus):

 

Possible formats and content types:

 


[placeholder machinima - you can change this to a student example]

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Writing prompts