TTTC Notes
Dialectical Journal Instructions
The term “dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving question and answer.” The “dialectic” was the method Socrates used to teach his students how to be actively engaged in the struggle to derive meaning from an unfamiliar and challenging work.
The purpose of a dialectical journal is to identify significant pieces of text and explain their significance. It is another form of annotating text and should be used to think about, digest, summarize, question, clarify, critique, and remember what is read. It is a way to take notes on what is read, using the actual text. As a student reads, he or she identifies certain passages that cause the student to stop and respond to what he or she is reading. In effect you will be holding a discussion with yourself on key points, asking questions, reacting to particular phrases that drew your attention, etc. Creating a table, like the example below, is the simplest way to format and keep entries organized.
Procedure:
As you read, choose passages and copy them exactly from the book into the left-hand column of a two-column chart (ALWAYS include page numbers in MLA format).
In the right column, write your response to the text.
See below for advice on choosing passages and responding to the text.
Complete at least one journal entry for each chapter.
Sample and explanation:
Dialectical Journal for The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Text
Response
“-they carried like freight trains; they carried it on their backs and shoulders-and for all the ambiguities of Vietnam, all the mysteries and unknowns, there was at least the single abiding certainty that they would never be at a loss for things to carry” (2).
O’Brien chooses to end the first section of the novel with this sentence. He provides excellent visual details of what each soldier in Vietnam would carry for day-to-day fighting. He makes you feel the physical weight
The term “dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving question and answer.” The “dialectic” was the method Socrates used to teach his students how to be actively engaged in the struggle to derive meaning from an unfamiliar and challenging work.
The purpose of a dialectical journal is to identify significant pieces of text and explain their significance. It is another form of annotating text and should be used to think about, digest, summarize, question, clarify, critique, and remember what is read. It is a way to take notes on what is read, using the actual text. As a student reads, he or she identifies certain passages that cause the student to stop and respond to what he or she is reading. In effect you will be holding a discussion with yourself on key points, asking questions, reacting to particular phrases that drew your attention, etc. Creating a table, like the example below, is the simplest way to format and keep entries organized.
Procedure:
As you read, choose passages and copy them exactly from the book into the left-hand column of a two-column chart (ALWAYS include page numbers in MLA format).
In the right column, write your response to the text.
See below for advice on choosing passages and responding to the text.
Complete at least one journal entry for each chapter.
Sample and explanation:
Dialectical Journal for The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Text
Response
“-they carried like freight trains; they carried it on their backs and shoulders-and for all the ambiguities of Vietnam, all the mysteries and unknowns, there was at least the single abiding certainty that they would never be at a loss for things to carry” (2).
O’Brien chooses to end the first section of the novel with this sentence. He provides excellent visual details of what each soldier in Vietnam would carry for day-to-day fighting. He makes you feel the physical weight