CP ENGLISH & COMPOSITION I
JOURNAL
JOURNAL #2 – 9/19/2012
Use the following sentences as the
beginning of a short story:
Eve stared down at the egg in her
hand. There was no other choice: she
had to call F.B.I headquarters.
Your story can be either funny or
serious.
Journal #3 – 9/20/2012
“A Boy Named Sue” – Johnny Cash
As we listen to the song, label all the elements of plot from
the song.
1. Exposition
a. Setting
b. Characters
c. Conflict
2. Rising Action
a. Event 1
b. Event 2
c. Event 3
3. Climax
4. Falling Action
5. Resolution
Journal #4 – 9/24/2012
What is the most memorable part of
“The Interlopers?
Please explain it in detail and why it
is memorable.
Journal #5 – 9/25/2012
Write a newspaper article
detailing the aftermath of the
story from the view of a
village reporter. Remember
that you will have no idea the
men had reconciled.
Journal #6 – 9/28/2012
What is your most prized possession? How
did you acquire it? What circumstances
might force you to give it up? Would you be
willing to give it up for another person?
Journal #7 – 10/1/2012
What was the best gift that
you have ever given? Who
received the gift? Why was it
the best?
Journal #8 – 10/2/2012
Read the following details taken from today’s
short story “Checkouts” and predict where and
when you think the story takes place and any
thoughts you have about the characters.
1.
You’ll love this house, they said. You’ll be lonely
at first, they admitted, but you’re so nice you’ll
make friends fast.
2.
Then one day the bag boy dropped her jar of
mayonnaise and that is how she fell in love.
Journal #9 – 10/3/2012
Have your parents ever told
you “You better not take that
tone with me!” What did they
mean? What tone were they
referring to?
Journal #10 – 10/4/2012
Revenge is a popular theme in literature
from all time periods, including present
day. Think about some movies, television
shows, books, or plays where the
protagonist is driven by a need for revenge
and list them. What types of activities
generally warrant revenge? Does revenge
always work out? What are some
alternatives to taking revenge?
Journal #11 – 10/8/2012
Do you believe that lying is
ever appropriate? Is there are
certain type of situation
where lying is acceptable?
Describe some situations
where lying may be
acceptable. Does lying ever
work out?
Journal #11 – 10/9/2012
 In
Guy de Mauspassant’s short story
“The Necklace,” Mme. Loisel’s
superficiality creates a decade of
hardship for not just herself, but her
husband as well. Consider her
husband’s actions after she loses the
necklace. Describe his actions.
Explain whether you would you have
reacted similarly or differently to her
husband. Why?
Journal #13 – 10/10/2012
Intertextuality is the shaping of texts'
meanings by other texts. It can include an
author’s borrowing and transformation of a
prior text or to a reader’s referencing of one
text in reading another. Last night’s
reading of “Cinderella” was an example of
this.
Can you think of other examples where
books or movies have borrowed ideas or
situations from another text?
Journal #14 – 10/11/2012
Out of the five short stories that we’ve read,
which story was your favorite? Why is it your
favorite? What element of story interested you
the most?

Journal #15 – 10/15/2012
Using five vocabulary words,
write a paragraph describing
your weekend.
Journal #16 – 10/22/2012
How do you think television,
movies, and Internet have
impacted our imagination?
What do you think you would
spend your time doing /
imagining if you had no
access to TV, movies, or a
computer?
Journal #17 – 10/23/2012
What does it mean to grow up? How
do you know when you have grown
up?
Write at least a paragraph in
response.
Journal #18 – 10/24/2012
The Radley house is both
enticing and frightening for
the children. Describe a
childhood fear or mystery you
recall.
Journal #19 – 11/1/2012
Using 5 examples of
imagery, write a
paragraph describing
the past four days.
Chapter 4
Name
two things the children
find in the knothole of the oak
tree.
Describe
the new game the kids
start to play.
Journal #20 – 11/2/2012
Using three vocabulary words,
respond to the following
question: Atticus tells Scout “you
never really understand a
person until you climb into his
skin and walk around in it.”
What does he mean? Is he right?
Journal #21 – 11/7/2012
Using three vocabulary words,
respond to the following
question: If your house were to
catch fire and you could carry
out one armload, what would
you choose to take and why?
Reading Check – Chapter 8
1.
What happens in chapter eight that rarely
happens in Alabama?
2. Why does Atticus drag the children out of bed in
the middle of the night?
3. Who drapes the blanket around the narrator?
Journal #22 – 11/8/2012
Using two vocabulary words, respond to the
following question:
 Scout and Jem suffered through Christmas at
their relatives—are the holiday traditions at
your house sometimes more than you can
take? Or if your home does not have holiday
traditions, what is your experience with others
who do not understand your family’s choices.
Journal #23 – 11/9/2012
Using two vocabulary words,
write a paragraph responding to
the following question: Jem and
Scout take some grief over their
father’s defense of Tom
Robinson. What principles has
your family verbally or actively
upheld?
11/12/2012
Clear your desks for a
reading check.
The reading check will be
on chapters 9, 10 and 11 in
To Kill A Mockingbird.
Journal #24 – 11/13/2012
Using two vocabulary words, answer the
following question:
Filled with spiteful vengeance, Jem
destroys Mrs. Dubose’s garden. Tell
about a situation in your life when you
reacted with revenge in your heart.
Courage – the quality of mind or spirit that enables
a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc
without fear
Journal #25 – 11/14/2012
Using two vocabulary words, answer the
following question:
 Scout has some difficulty understanding
Jem as he grows. Why is a four-year age
difference more significant now for Jem
and Scout that it was before? Describe a
time in your life when age difference
became more or less of a problem.
Journal #26 – 11/19/2012
Scout and Jem visit
Calpurnia’s church. How
would you feel if you were the
visitor under those
circumstances? Describe a
time when you were an
outsider.
Journal # 27 - 11/26/2012
How was your
Thanksgiving? Describe
your Thanksgiving in
detail using five examples
of imagery.
Journal # 28 – 11/27/2012
Analyze the following quote from TKAM:
“So it took an eight-year-old child to bring
'em to their senses.... That proves
something - that a gang of wild animals
can be stopped, simply because they're
still human. Hmp, maybe we need a police
force of children” (Lee 157).
Who said the quote and why is it
significant?
11/28/2012
Take ten minutes to finish your open-ended
question from yesterday.
Your responses will be collected.
12/3/12
Take
five minutes to review
your study guides and notes
for the TKAM Quiz on
chapters 16- 20. Use this
time wisely!
Journal #29 – 12/4/12
Atticus catches the Ewells in
a terrible lie. Have you ever
caught a liar or been caught
lying yourself? How did you
feel? How did others involved
feel? Is it ever okay to lie?
When?
Journal #30 – 12/5/12
Atticus differentiates
between the law and social
code. Explain the difference
between the two. Which of
these two set of principles of
behavior is more important?
Why?
12/6/12
You have 5 minutes to review
for your vocabulary quiz –
Unit 5
Use this time wisely!!
Journal #31 – 12/7/12
Jem’s Confidence in Tom Robinson’s acquittal
reflects his naïve belief in the judgment of the
jury. Jem’s confidence in their integrity is
shattered when the jury convicts an obviously
“innocent” man. Describe a time you remember
feeling disillusionment because your youthful
perceptions were shattered.
Journal #32 – 12/10/12
Imagine what it would be like to be
sentenced to die for a crime.
How would a prisoner on death row think and act?
What effects, if any, would a death sentence have
on the defendant’s attorney? Jury? Family?
Journal #33 – 12/11/12
Consider the New York Times article, “Black?
White? Asian? More Americans Are Choosing All
of the Above” as you answer the writing prompt:
What is your race and ethnicity? How do you
identify yourself and why? Is your background a
source of pride, confusion, discomfort or
something else? How do others react to your
perceived and expressed identity? What does
your family tree look like?
Journal # 33 – 12 / 12 / 12
Scout’s teacher exhibits
profound hypocrisy. Describe
someone you know who engages
in such behavior. How do you
and others react to this
behavior? What are the impacts?
Journal # 35 – 12/14/2012
Speculate why many people feel
prejudice against
whole groups of people. Is it an
expression of unity with one’s
own group? A sign of security? A
result of actual bad experiences?
An automatic acceptance of old
attitudes?
Journal #36 – 12/17/2012
List some important realizations that
a child must make before becoming
an adult. (Example: Life isn’t fair.)
Which of these facts of life are most
difficult to accept? Which are the
most important to accept? Why?