The Text: The Other Wes Moore
The Other Wes Moore is the story of two kids with the same name from the same community. One went on to find success. The other went to prison. This story illustrates the journey of two boys facing the pressures of poverty, violence, and hopelessness, and the people and communities that propel them in wildly different directions.
The Assignment (Part I) : Constructing a Dialectical Journal
A dialectical journal is intended to be a conversation between you and The Other Wes Moore, and will provide the foundation for our seminar conversations during the initial weeks of school. It is a venue for you to explore the passages and themes that resonate with you, and to provide you with the space to process the text critically and thoughtfully.
Your journal should be handwritten in a spiral-bound notebook or binder, and each entry should be a minimum of one page, though some passages/text might demand an extended reflection. When complete, your journal should have at least eight (8) thoughtful entries. In addition to this reading assignment, you will continue to use this notebook to for lecture notes, service reflections, and other course-related assignments throughout the 2023-2024 year.
Heading
Begin each dialectical journal entry at the top of a page. Create a heading with the date, title, and author , as well as chapter and/or page numbers.
Passage
Quote a compelling passage that resonates with you. Cite the page number MLA style in parentheses at the end of the passage. Especially long passages may be abbreviated appropriately with ellipses.
Response
Respond critically to your selected passage. You are welcome to consider the elements below as you construct your response, or you can take a different scholarly approach:
- Discuss what is interesting about the passage, examine the author’s representation of the events, or reflect on the character(s)’ thoughts/actions.
- Consider examining how the theme(s) within this passage might or might not help students develop democratic values by working for justice, becoming advocates, and affecting change.
- Reflect on any stylistic choices within the passage that are significant to the text.
- Review any challenging vocabulary words from the text, and define the word(s) as they are used in the context of the passage.
The Assessment: Evaluating your Dialectical Journal
A Dialectical Journal that is PROFICIENT will...
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The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his. |
The Assignment (Part 2) : One Pager Assessment
Details coming soon!