Studio Journal¶
Every Friday · 10 minutes · Three bullets
What It Is¶
The Studio Journal is a short weekly check-in you write at the end of every Friday. It takes about ten minutes. It has three parts — no more, no less.
It is not a summary of everything you did. It is not a reflection essay. It is not graded. It is a quick, honest snapshot of where you are so that you and Mr. Reese stay on the same page — and so that you know exactly where to pick up on Monday.
The Three Parts¶
1. Done¶
One specific thing you completed this week.
Not "I worked on my studio." That tells nobody anything. Something specific:
"I finished reading the Pericles excerpt and annotated it for R.9 — identified his central claim and two pieces of supporting evidence."
"I wrote a rough draft of my opening paragraph — it has a claim but no counterargument yet."
"I finished my Source Log with four sources — two primary, two secondary."
If you can't write a specific Done, that's important information. It means the week was motion without progress. That's worth knowing.
2. Stuck¶
One specific thing you haven't gotten past yet.
Again — specific. Not "I'm stuck on my essay." Where exactly?
"I can't figure out how to connect my argument about Hammurabi to the EQ — it feels like two separate things."
"I have three sources but none of them directly address the angle I chose. Not sure if I should change my angle or find better sources."
"My draft exists but it's all summary, no argument. I don't know how to fix that."
This is the most valuable part of the journal — for you and for Mr. Reese. A specific stuck gives Mr. Reese something to address in your Tuesday conference or Thursday's mini-lesson. A vague stuck helps nobody.
3. Plan¶
The first thing you will do Monday morning.
Not a to-do list. One thing. The next move.
"Monday I'm going to re-read the EQ and write one sentence that answers it directly, then build my draft backward from that."
"Monday I'm swapping out one of my weak sources — I'm going to search the reading library for something on Confucian political philosophy."
"Monday I'm going to ask Mr. Reese to look at my draft opening before I keep going."
Writing this on Friday means you don't waste Monday morning figuring out where you are. You already know. You start.
Template¶
Copy this every Friday and fill it in:
That's it. Three lines. Ten minutes.
Where It Lives¶
Your Studio Journal entries go in your personal Google Drive folder:
Create one Google Doc for the whole studio and add a new entry each Friday at the top (newest first). When the studio ends, the journal stays in your folder as part of your record.
Why Mr. Reese Reads It¶
Mr. Reese reads Studio Journals on Friday evenings or over the weekend. He is not reading to grade you. He is reading to know:
- Who needs a Tuesday conference
- What to teach on Thursday
- Who is doing something remarkable that nobody has noticed yet
If your journal says you're stuck on the same thing two weeks in a row, he will check in with you Monday. If your journal shows a breakthrough, he might ask you to share it in Wednesday's Learning Circle.
The journal is a direct line between you and Mr. Reese that doesn't require either of you to stop and have a conversation in the middle of class.
Examples¶
Good journal entry:
Done: Finished reading Las Casas excerpt. Annotated for R.9 — identified his central claim (Spanish colonialism is morally indefensible) and three pieces of evidence. Strong entry for my source log.
Stuck: My EQ angle is "Did Las Casas's writing actually change anything?" but I can't find evidence that it did. All my sources say the empire continued anyway. Starting to feel like my angle might be wrong.
Plan: Monday — look at the crosswalk page for WH-03 to see if there's a different angle I might have missed. Maybe the question isn't whether it changed the empire, but whether it changed what the empire had to say about itself.
Weak journal entry (don't do this):
Done: Worked on my studio.
Stuck: The writing part.
Plan: Keep working.
The weak version has no information. It doesn't help you, and it doesn't help Mr. Reese.
Studio Journal · SDA Commons Wiki · See also: Student Workflow · Standards Tracker · Build a Studio