“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” - Henry David Thoreau, Journal 5, August 1851 |
Observation Journal
Overview:
Writers, artists, and scientists in every field of study utilize observation notes and journals as a means of focusing attention and reflecting on the world in which we live. This is an opportunity for you to chronicle the world through your personal lens and to analyze what you see.
Essential Questions:
Assignment Procedure:
1. Generate a list of locations you would like to observe throughout the course of the
year. (Be safe. Never put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation for the sake of
the assignment.)
2. Schedule at least 20-30 minutes to conduct your observations every two weeks.
3. Take your pen and journal to your selected observation point. Write the time, the date,
and location of your observation in the upper right corner of the page. Get comfortable
and quiet.
4. Breathe.
5. Make sensory observations about what you see, hear, smell, feel, and taste. Approach
the assignment like a free-write. Keep your pen moving. You may sketch something if you
feel so moved, but your published entry must still include a minimum of two typed pages of
text.
6. After making sensory observations, describe what’s happening to your interior
landscape as you observe the scene before you. How do you feel? What questions do you
have? What do think and wonder about what you observe? Does it remind you of anything
you’ve seen, heard, or experienced before?
7. Take your observation notes and reflections to a place where you can transfer your
handwritten work to a Google Doc or Word document. Flesh out your field notes - add
details you recall, add other thoughts that have occurred to you since your observation,
and iron out any mechanics or grammar issues -- treat your reader to complete
sentences.
8. Every other Wednesday, submit a journal entry of 2 to 3 pages of observations and
reflections about your selected place. (Typed, double-spaced.)
Rules of Submission:
o Journals are due at the beginning of the period on _________________________.
o Journals must have a proper heading, including the time, date, and location of your observations.
Grading:
o A thoughtful entry following the steps outlined above that attempts to make honest connections to the experience in clear prose will receive an “A-” (18/20).
o An entry that surpasses these expectations will receive an “A.” “Surpasses expectations” may mean that you have illuminated your surroundings in vivid imagery using concrete details to SHOW your readers where you are. Maybe you have written some honest insights, you were exceptionally creative, you demonstrated a sophisticated style, etc. Mediocre material at great length will NOT result in a higher grade.
o 20-points per entry / averaged together at the end of the semester as a major writing assignment
o * * * Late journals lose 5 points per day * * *
o An entry that does not meet expectations will fail. Possible reasons for a failing grade could include: careless or exceedingly poor grammar and mechanics; lack of sufficient length; superficial treatment of your subject matter; lack of a connection to the experience of being out in the world, observing. This is a central component of the assignment. You cannot complete the assignment in an authentic way from a chair in the Media Center or cafeteria five minutes before class begins.