1st Quarter Journal Warm-Ups

Journal 1- [Number each the top] If you could change two things about this past school year(sophomore yr.), what would you change? Why? If you wouldn’t change a thing, why not? ( You do NOT need to write the prompt. Journal Entries must be at LEAST a page long. Write neatly. You can write on the back of the page)

Journal 2 An American is… When you see these words, what do you think? Write whatever comes to your mind. You can write nouns (people, places, and things) or adjectives…Don’t limit yourself. Make sure you write in complete sentences.

Journal 3 What do you think is the “American dream?” Has it changed over the course of history? Has your idea of it changed since completing the “What is an American?” project? Support your answer with examples and details!

Journal 4 Do you agree with all of the statements made about Americans in the presentations over the past two days? Does the media portray Americans in stereotypical ways, or are these truthful representations of the way Americans live and act? Are some representations more truthful than others? (Americans work at, eat, believe, say, etc.) GIVE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES of your opinions!!

Journal 5 Is there one year of your life that stands out as exceptional? Maybe you starred in a play, or you suddenly became very popular, or your mother was in a yearlong fantastic mood. Describe this year.

Journal 6 Why is it important to reflect on experiences of your past? How does this reflection effect choices you make in the present and future? Give at least one example of how reflecting on an event of your past effected a choice you made.

Journal 7 Freewrite

Journal 8 To the naked eye, it looks like junk, but you know it’s precious: the beat-up stuffed animal you slept with every night as a kid, the raggedy baseball mitt you used in Little League, the tooth you couldn’t bear to throw away after it fell out. Choose a beloved object from your own childhood and explain why you feel sentimental about it or treasure it so much.

Journal 9 What do you fear? Why? Do you do anything to try and overcome this fear?

Journal 10 If you had to choose the prize for the best movie in history, what film would win? Why?

Journal 11 If you were to be reincarnated as an animal, what kind would you want to be and why?

Journal 12 According to the cliché, “Every setback is an opportunity for a comeback.” In your life, has this proven true? Have you always recovered from setbacks?

Journal 13 As a citizen of the United States and a human living on this planet, do you feel globally responsible, as Arthur Miller did when he wrote The Crucible, for justice? If you had a way to stand up against injustice, would you? Have you in the past or are you presently?