Double-Entry+Diaries

=**Double-Entry Diaries (also called Double-Entry Journals)**=

As a good reader, you synthesize meaning with a mind that operates on parallel tracks. You are aware of the **//what//** of reading--what this text is about, what is most important, what you should remember, and what to do with this new information. There is also the **//how//** of reading--the ongoing thinking that must be done to get to the **//what//**. You think of how this text connects to and extends your previous knowledge on a topic. You think of questions not yet answered as you wonder about what you read. You think about things that are not explicitly stated as you make inferences and predictions. Reading comprehension is, ultimately, the result of the thinking you do when you are engaged in a text.

Students are often unaware of their thinking as they read, especially the thinking that can guide and enhance their comprehension. Strategies which prompt this thinking, and which encourage students to notice how they are reading, can strengthen their comprehension abilities as they tackle the various texts for classroom learning.

Double-Entry Diaries (Tovani, 2000) use reader responses to prompt students to employ essential comprehension behaviors such as making connections to background knowledge, creating mental images, posing questions, making inferences, and clarifying confusions when thinking about classroom texts.

> For example, a biology teacher might use a Double-Entry Diary to guide students to determine importance by asking them to fill in the right side of the column using the prompt "This is important because..." Here is an excerpt from a Double-Entry Diary with this topic: Note: This strategy can be adapted for use with partners or small groups as students work to construct meaning from difficult material. Encourage students to use this strategy when they struggle with especially challenging texts, and as a study technique for review for exams.
 * Steps:**
 * 1) Introduce Double-Entry Diaries by asking students to divide a sheet of paper into two vertical columns by folding it lengthwise in half. (You also may provide a template for them to use.) The left-column is reserved for specific information from a text, such as a short passage, factual information, or a summary. The right column accords students space to provide written responses that correspond to the text material they selected for the left side. The result is a series of important textual references and the students' personal reactions and connections to them.
 * 2) Tovani (2000) recommends a focus on one specific comprehension behavior in the right column during the initial stages of using Double-Entry Diaries. Here are some comprehension behaviors from which to choose:
 * Making Connections: "This reminds me of..."
 * Questioning: "I wonder..."
 * Clarifying: "I am confused because..."
 * Determining Importance: "This is important because..."
 * Visualizing: "I would describe the picture I see in my mind as..."
 * Double-Entry Diary on Bacteria ||
 * Text passage and page Number || This is important because... ||
 * p. 325--"Heterotrophic bacteria are unable to make their own food, so they feed on plant and animal matter." || These bacteria get rid of waste, like dead plants and animals. Bacteria recycle unneeded ||

Advantages:
 * Students are conditioned to be active thinkers as they read, and they are reminded of comprehension strategies such as assessing prior knowledge, raising interesting and clarifying questions, and considering what information is most significant.
 * Students begin to assume personal responsibility for their comprehension, and they develop facility with a variety of essential strategies for making sense from classroom materials.
 * Students have written records of their thinking, which they can rely upon during class discussions, when reviewing for exams, and when seeking clarification from the teacher and other classmates.
 * This strategy reinforces that comprehension is a dynamic process that combines what an author offers with what a reader brings to the text.

Additional Resources: [|Double Entry Diary Template] [|Additional Double Entry Diary Column Examples]

References: Buehl, D. (2009). //Classroom strategies for interactive learning//, 3rd Ed. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.