1st Quarter Journal Warm-Ups
Journal 1- [Number
each entry @ the top]
If you could change two things about this
past school year(sophomore yr.), what
would you change? Why? If you
wouldn’t change a thing, why not?
( You do NOT need to write the prompt.
Journal Entries must be at LEAST a
page long. Write neatly. You can write
on the back of the page)
Journal 2
Why is it important to reflect on
experiences of your past? How does
this reflection effect choices you
make in the present and future?
Give at least one example of how
reflecting on an event of your past
effected a choice you made.
Journal 3
Is there one year of your life that stands
out as exceptional? Maybe you starred in
a play, or you suddenly became very
popular, or your mother was in a
yearlong fantastic mood. Describe this
year.
Journal 4
Rewrite the six word memoir you
wrote yesterday. How do these
six words explain you/your life?
Journal 5
An American is…
When you see these words, what do you
think? Write whatever comes to your mind.
You can write nouns (people, places, and
things) or adjectives…Don’t limit yourself.
Make sure you write in complete sentences.
Journal 6
What is the one thing you
value most about being an
American? Why?
Journal 7
Freewrite
Journal 8
What events that defy explanation occur in
the world today? Are there natural
phenomena, such as black holes, that you
find mysterious or difficult to
understand? List events that are not
fully understandable and free write
about one of them.
Journal 9
What do you think is the “American dream?”
Has it changed over the course of history?
Has your idea of it changed since completing
the “What is an American?” project? Support
your answer with examples and details!
Journal 10
Do you agree with all of the statements made
about Americans in the presentations over
the past two days? Does the media portray
Americans in stereotypical ways, or are these
truthful representations of the way
Americans live and act? Are some
representations more truthful than others?
(Americans work at, eat, believe, say, etc.)
GIVE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES of your opinions!!
Journal 11
Who is your favorite character in The Great
Gatsby? Why? Which character did you
detest? Why? Was it easy for you to have
strong feelings towards specific characters
because of Fitzgerald’s writing?
Journal 12
If you had to choose the prize for
the best movie in history, what
film would win? Why?
Journal 13
If you were to be reincarnated as
an animal, what kind would you
want to be and why?
When you finish with your journal, study
for your Vocabulary Quiz!
Journal 14
According to the cliché, “Every
setback is an opportunity for a
comeback.” In your life, has this
proven true? Have you always
recovered from setbacks?
Journal 15
Do you think Nick is to blame for
Gatsby’s death? Was Nick really as
innocent and naive as he seemed
when it came to Daisy and Gatsby’s
relationship?
*Journals Due Tomorrow!
Warm Up
As a citizen of the United States and a
human living on this planet, do you feel
globally responsible, as Arthur Miller
did when he wrote The Crucible, for
justice? If you had a way to stand up
against injustice, would you? Have you
in the past or are you presently?
Wrap Up
Herb Block and Arthur Miller chose to stand up
against the injustices of their time by using
their crafts; Block was a cartoonist and Miller
was a playwright. What injustice would you
choose to speak out against today? What skill
could you employ, as Block and Miller did, to
get your point across?
Journal 16
What would you say to the world if
you were given 5 minutes and
language was not a barrier?
Journal 17
Write about a time when you or
someone you know was judged
unfairly.
Journal 18
Write about a time when jealousy
(your own or someone else’s)
caused a problem for you.
Journal 19
Can a person manipulate language
in order to get what he/she
wants? Give an example.
Journal 20
You already know how the Salem
Witch Trials end. Predict how you
think The Crucible will end. What do
you think will happen to Elizabeth
and John Proctor? What will become
of Abigail Williams and the other
girls? Reverend Parris? Do you
think the truth will come out by the
end of the play before more people
die?
Journal 21
What surprised you most about the
ending of The Crucible? Why do you
think Arthur Miller chose to end the
play this way? If nothing surprised
you, how did you guess this ending?
Do you think John Proctor made the
right decision? Why or why not?
Journal 22
Freewrite
Journal 23
“We shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all
people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely
with our God in this work we have undertaken
and so cause him to withdraw his present help
from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word
through the world.”
What does the quotation
suggest about Americans at
this point in their history?
Journals will be taken up next
Journal 24
Most people are born with
five senses- sight, hearing,
touch, taste, and smell. If
you had to give up one
sense for the rest of your
life, which would you pick,
and why?
Journal 25
If you could give be on the
cover of any magazine next
month, which magazine
would you want it to be,
and what would the caption
say?