8th Writing – Semester Journal Project
Journals may be a single subject spiral notebook or a binder with loose leaf paper inside. Every day
when you come in, retrieve your journal from the cabinet and write at least one paragraph on the given
topic. A schedule of journal topics is given below. A paragraph consists of no less than 5 complete
sentences. Journals will be graded on Fridays, so be sure your journal is placed in the proper cabinet at
the end of each week. Journals will be worth 10 points each week.
August
Description – Describe something from your day (or the day before). What did you see on the way to
school? Did you have a favorite meal for supper? Are you looking forward to something today? Use as
many adjectives as you can.
September
Weeks 1 and 2 – Definition – What does ___________ mean to you? What does it mean to other
people? How do you know that? There will be a word on the board daily. Use it to fill in the blank and
write your journal entry.
Week 3 and 4 – Comparison/Contrast – How does what _____________means to you differ from what it
means to other people? Why?
October
Cause/Effect - Choose 2 things that seem related by cause/effect and describe at least 1 reason they are
not. How can you prove either that they are related or that they are not? Where/How might you find
out if they truly are or are not?
November
Literature – Choose a line from a book or poem or anything else you have read recently. It can even be
from a blog or magazine or comic book. Seriously. Anything that required you to read it to comprehend
it. If you read it, and it struck a chord with you…bring it in. What about it is meaningful to you? Does it
relate to your life? Does it have a particular word or phrase that you find interesting? Why?
December
Week 1 – What did you learn in Math or Science this semester that was particularly interesting/useful to
you?
Week 2 – What did you learn in Social Studies this semester that was particularly interesting/useful to
you?
Week 3 – What did you learn in Reading/Writing this semester that was particularly interesting/useful to
you?
Marsh