Journal for Week One
This entry is to capture where you are in
your life. It might be a good idea to begin
with a comment on your general situation
as you sense it. Begin with a broad
comment; then let your mind sweep
through your recent life. Record specifics,
bits of dialogue, frustrations, pleasures,
questions, dreams – everything that comes
to you. Be specific and date your entry.
Journal for Week Two
In the previous entry, you described where
you are in your current life. For this entry, you
are going to record impressions of where you
live. Try to capture the fleeting impressions and
details. Record any associations you make.
Perhaps your mind will connect you with other
places where you have lived; work those details
into your entry, but always come back to your
immediate surroundings. Be specific and date
your entry.
Journal for Week Three
List personal items in your possession. Don’t just
name individual items – include brief descriptions and
associations you have with them. Start by emptying out
the contents of your wallet or purse – or better yet, your
backpack or locker. Arrange the items in whatever way
suits you, then study them. Hold them. Read the
writing on the ones that have writing. Smell the ones
that have smells. As an alternative, go to the medicine
cabinet in your bathroom, cosmetic drawer, or
refrigerator. List jars, bottles, cans, and individual items.
List your association with these items. Be specific and
date your entry.
Journal for Week Four
List current activities you do: attend classes, read,
write papers, take tests; drive or ride to school; sleep
and roll out of bed in the morning; talk with friends,
teachers, parents; hold a job or play sports; draw, paint,
or play a musical instrument; attend church or
participate in community service; etc. Then from the
list, select one or two to write about. Record everything
that comes to you: how it feels to do the activity, why
you like doing the activity, how long you have been
doing the activity, etc. Record any associations you
have with them. Be specific and date your entry.
Journal for Week Five
Write about special places in your current life.
Randomly list places that come to mind. These special
places need not be your favorite spots; they may also be
places you associate with discomfort, such as a doctor’s
or dentist’s office. Perhaps one or two places on your
list will be “secret” places, spots where you may visit for
a moment or two when the world seems to be coming
down around your shoulders. Then select one or two to
write more detail about. Record some associations with
them. Be specific and date your entry.
Journal for Week Six
Develop a list of memories from your past. Begin by
sitting quietly and reflecting on the past. Then record in
two or three lines a half dozen to a dozen of the
strongest memories that come to you. They may not be
big events in your life, but for the moment they hold
your interest. Be sure to write legibly enough to reread
your entries, and leave plenty of space around them.
Finally, after you finish the list, reread it and write the
approximate date when each event took place. Be
specific and date your entry.
Journal for Week Seven
Take one of the entries from your
memory list and expand it. Be specific
about all the details, images, other
individuals, associations, connections, and
feelings related to this event. Date your
entry.
Journal for Week Eight
Develop a list of people to use for
descriptive portraits. Spend a few
minutes sitting quietly and allowing your
mind to roam throughout your life history.
As you make your list, add brief comments
about the relationship between you and
these individuals. Make sure your list is
full of detail and observations. Be specific
and date your entry.
Journal for Week Nine
Select one person from your list.
Describe the person and elaborate on the
relationship you have shared with him or
her. Remember to include more than
physical details. Include all that comes to
you about the relationship. Try to develop
a specific event that embodies some
aspect of the person’s character. Be
specific and date your entry.
Journal for Week Ten
Select a favorite personal photograph that
connects with some aspect of your life – past or
present. In as much detail as possible, describe
the images within the photograph. Discuss how
this photograph makes connections or
associations with your life. You may want to
describe the events or situations surrounding the
time of the photograph. Be specific and date
your entry.
Journal for Week Eleven
Select a dream, fear, challenge,
accomplishment, or decision that has had
an impact on your life. It does not have
to be something that has been life
altering, but it has caused you to be
reflective in some way. Be specific about
all the details, images, other individuals,
associations, connections, and feelings
related to this situation. Date your entry.
Journal for Week Twelve
As you conclude your writing for the second
six weeks, spend some time reading over the
journals you have written to date. You may wish
to review what you have written and simply
record your response to one or more of the
previous entries. You may wish to take another
event or individual from your lists to write about.
You may wish to draw something that has
special significance for you. Whatever you write
about or draw, be specific and date your entry.
Journal for Week Thirteen
Choose a piece of music that has
special significance for you. Reflect on the
meaning the music has for you in light of
the personal experiences you have so far
shared in your journal. Be specific about
lyrics, images, feelings, and associations
related to the music. Date your entry.
Journal for Week Fourteen
Choose one of the quotes on the wall
of this classroom. Describe in specific
detail how the quote relates to a person,
place, event, or situation in your life right
now. Date your entry.
Journal for Week Fifteen
Make a list of all the groups you are a
member of, from your family to a group of
friends, to a religious or ethnic group.
Describe how being a member of each of
these groups affects you. Be specific and
date your entry.
Journal for Week Sixteen
As the Holidays approach, write or
sketch out some holiday memories that
have special significance for you. Focus
on one of these memories and spend
some time reliving it in your imagination.
Be specific about all the details, images,
other individuals, associations,
connections, and feelings related to this
memory. Be sure to date your entry.
Journal for Week Seventeen
Review the first journal you wrote for this
class (week one). Reflect on this entry
now, after having experienced these past
few months of school. Follow the same
format as you did previously, being
specific and dating your entry.
Journal for Week Eighteen
Take time to do a self-evaluation of
your work this semester in AP English III.
What were your highs? Lows? Make
some goals for yourself during the second
semester, remembering to be specific and
dating your entry.