Daybook Entries
Throughout the semester, I required all students to keep a daybook. The daybook is a notebook, preferably a composition notebook similar to the one pictured below, students and teachers use to store all thinking, writing, and handouts for the class. The daybook is a personal learning tool that can become anything you want it to be while simultaneously encouraging learning in an educational environment.
Concrete Poem
When the author of this entry shared the piece of writing with the class, I was impressed by the creativity of the student and the use of previous learning. I did not require students to create a concrete poem on this day; the students knew I did not place any limitations on daybook writing. I realized at that point, the students in 4th period value the time they have at the beginning of class to write without any restrictions.
Writing into the Day: Modern Grendel and Beowulf
The Writing into the Day entries are just two example of the critical thinking skills students use to connect the texts we read in class to modern society. In both entries picture to the left connect characters or themes in Beowulf to modern society.