Double Entry Journals - Reading Strategy

The double entry journal is when you have a student fold a piece of paper in half length wise so they have two columns. On the one side, the student will write a phrase or sentence they they found interesting from the reading, as well as the page number. On the other side the students will write a personal response to what they found to be interesting. They will later be able to share what they found interesting and why, with the class. Here is the link for more information http://www.adlit.org/strategies/22091/ 


To make adaptations for the blog post I will be quoting the parts of the reading that I found interesting, then recording underneath why I found it to be interesting.

Myers and Warner " What is Inquiry Based Instruction"

"Teachers should constantly evaluate and adjust their teaching approaches to meet educational needs of their students and society."

• This is really true since we as teachers need to be constantly working to meet our students needs. By having different teaching approaches under our belt we are better able to cater to individual students needs and keep the class interesting rather than doing the same thing every day. 

Myers and Warner " Implementing Inquiry- Based Teaching Methods"

"Student ability determines how much assistance teachers will provide."

• It is important not to leave students in the dust if they need more assistance. It is also important to have a good idea of your students ability since if they get frustrated while trying to complete an inquiry based lesson it will turn them off from further experiences. It is important to start small and build them up.

"Teachers develop important questions for which they want students to research."

• It is important to be prepared so there is not as much student frustration.

"Encourage classroom discussion through process but refrain from giving the right answer."

• Inquiry based instruction is all about the students figuring out the answers! Not spoon feeding them!

Bell, Smetana, and Binns "Simplifying Inquiry"

"Students have to answer a research question though data analysis."

• Inquiry based instruction - INCORPORATING SCIENCE INTO THE CLASSROOM AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD. It is important that administrators can see how science is in the classroom. 

" Students should progress from lower levels to higher levels throughout the year."

• There are four different inquiry levels and to "train" students how function with inquiry based lessons it is important to start at the bottom levels and work higher as the semester goes on. 

Colburn "Inquiry Primer"

"Concrete thinkers have a great deal of difficulty developing an understanding of abstract concepts."

• MAKE SURE STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE A FIXED MINDSET! Have them develop a growth mindset so they will continue to learn forever. 

"Teach slowly- don't move on until you and the students are ready."

• Don't rush to finish everything on the lesson plan. If you and the students are not ready... don't move on!

Focus on Inquiry - Designing Inquiry Activities (Chapter 4)

"Taught with the focus on developing lifelong learners and critical thinkers."

• IMPORTANT

"Committed to student-centered learning."

• Can't go into inquiry based instruction half butt.

"Assessment should be an ongoing process rather than isolated events."

• Important to keep in mind. 

"Encourage students to feel competent and successful."

• Sometimes minor success are better than one big one as they keep positively rewarding students. 

As you can see, here I demonstrated the double entry journal reading strategy. It really helps the student to think about what they are learning and apply it to their own life which will help with understanding and retention.