Writing in Double-Entry Journals

Presented by S.E. Faulhefer

Models/Strategies Used: Double-Entry Journals, Text-Based Grouping, Concept

Relationships, Exit Slips
Standards
Common Core State Standards (2010)
RL.6.1 - Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text.
SL.6.1 - Engage effectively in collaborative discussions with diverse partners
building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL.6.1.C - Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by
making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.
W.6.3.D - Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory
language to convey experiences and events.
W.6.9 - Draw evidence from literary or information texts to support analysis, reflection,
and research.
Standards for the English Language Arts (1996)
3. Students draw on their prior experience [and] their interaction with other readers
and writers.
8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources to synthesize
information and to create and communicate knowledge.
9. Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use,
patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social
roles.
10. Students whose first language is not English make use of their first language to
develop competency in the English language arts and to develop understanding of
content across the curriculum.
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner (2007)
1.1.1 - Follow an inquiry-based process in seeking knowledge and make the realworld connection for using this process in own life.
1.1.2 - Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
2.1.4 - Use information tools to analyze and organize information.
2.1.5 - Collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new understandings, [and]
make decisions.
3.1.5 - Connect learning to community issues.
Resources for Learning
Double-Entry Journal (DEJ)
Article: Wild Horses May Save Threatened Butterflies by Karel Janicek
Student Technology to Access: http://www.naturalinquirer.org/
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 DEJ Model, such as:

Figure 1. Double-Entry Journal Model (Always Learning, 2015)

DEJ Graphic Organizer, such as:

Figure 2. Double-Entry Journal Graphic Organizer (AdLit, 2015).

Lesson
Double-entry journals, or DEJs, are an adaptation of the response journal (a record of
what students think and feel while reading texts) (Vacca, Vacca, & Mraz, 2011). DEJs
promote writing-to-learn through connecting reading and writing as students engage in
dialogue with the text, using prior knowledge combined with their present feelings to
facilitate learning (AdLit, 2015).

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Students must be taught the simple setup of DEJs, and the teacher can easily
accomplish this with the DEJ model shown in Figure 11. For students using DEJs for the
first time and as a refresher if it has been awhile, the graphic organizer in Figure 12 is
an excellent scaffold to engage students in the process of their use. This lesson uses
the article Wild Horses May Save Threatened Butterflies, a world-news story. The
teacher will begin the lesson with a read-aloud, modeling the double-entry process. The
teacher should focus on using the DEJ for vocabulary, modeling context clues and
knowledge of word construction; inferential thinking; text-to- connections; and any
other thoughts, ideas, or feelings evoked during reading. The teacher can also use this
opportunity to model strategies such as highlighting of key words or concepts,
questioning the author, and self-assessment of comprehension. A sample model for this
article could be:

Figure 3. Sample teacher model by S. Faulhefer.

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Collaborative and Independent Learning

Once the teacher has modeled the DEJ process for the first three sections of the article,
students independently read the rest of the text, completing the DEJ graphic organizer.
The teacher will monitor students progress by circulating the room, reviewing DEJ
entries, and guiding students as needed. Students then proceed to small-group
collaboration to discuss their entries, adding to their organizers or revising information
as needed. The teacher will then call on groups to provide what they identified as
important, interesting, confusing, etc. thus facilitating discussion.
Each group is then provided with the link to a website for middle school students called
the Natural Inquirer (http://www.naturalinquirer.org/), a middle grades science journal.
Articles on this site are grade appropriate, include many text features, and provide
students with glossaries and pronunciation guides. Groups are each assigned a topic;
under each topic is a list of articles that the group will choose from. They will review their
text, connect the text to the article by Karel Janicek, and then present their information
to the class. The topics are: Invasive Species, Soil, Water, and Wilderness.
Conclusion and Reflection
For the last five minutes of the class, students are to write an exit slip question in order
to bring closure to the lesson, responding to the prompt What relationship do hoofed
animals have with the land? How does this compare to the relationship humans have
with the land?
References
AdLit. (2015). Double-entry journals. All About Adolescent Literacy. Retrieved from http://www.adlit.org/strategies/
22091/
Always Learning. (2015, January 30). Double-entry journal responses & Padlet. Retrieved from http://
teachableteach.blogspot.com/2015/01/double-entry-journal-responses.html
American Association of School Librarians. (2007). Standards for the 21st-century learner. Chicago, IL: American
Library Association.
Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2010). Common Core State Standards for English language arts & literacy
in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/wp-content/
uploads/ELA_Standards.pdf
International Reading Association, & National Council for Teachers of English. (1996). Standards for the English
language arts. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Janicek, K. (2015, March 27). Wild horses may save threatened butterflies. Smithsonian TweenTribune. Retrieved
from http://tweentribune.com/tween56/wild-horses-may-save-threatened-butterflies
Vacca, R., Vacca, J., & Mraz, M. (2011). Content area reading: Literacy and learning across the curriculum (10th ed.).
Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

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