Each reading response has two parts:

1. Notes on the assigned reading
2. A letter to Jen with your thoughts about the reading

Reading Notes

Take notes on the reading that are organized in a visually memorable way. Your notes must define key concepts and capture key points from the reading. If you prefer to take notes by hand, that’s fine–upload photographs of your notes. For many of us, our notes will be most helpful if they are organized in strongly visual ways, such as diagrams, concept maps, or brain doodles. If you are unfamiliar with these approaches, you can learn more about them here:

• Draw a diagram, flowchart or concept map of the key concepts/ideas, their definitions and relationships to one another (see How to Create a Concept Map for advice about how to make concept maps)
• Draw visual/doodle notes of the main points of the reading (see http://braindoodles.net/lessons/ for more info about visual notetaking)

Letter to Jen

I want a peek inside your brain. 🙂 Write a one paragraph letter/note to me about your thoughts about the reading (and I will write you little notes back). One paragraph is equivalent to roughly 150 words. Here are some questions to choose from to write me about:

• What new insight does this reading offer you to explain something about your own life?
• Who in your life or in the world needs to hear something about this reading and what would you say to them about it?
• What ideas/concepts in this reading are new to you and especially intriguing?
• How do the ideas in this reading connect to the ideas in another reading we have done this quarter, or things you have learned in other classes?
• What in this reading challenges your thinking or made you react negatively and how come?
• What is ONE question that you would like me to answer about this reading and why?

For each reading, you may choose one of the above questions. Be sure to mix it up throughout the quarter—try not to answer the same question every time.