Bookmarks

1.     FORMAT: 3 x 5 index card, collected at the beginning of class each day there is a reading assignment.

2.     HEADING: Your name, the title of the reading, and the pages you read on the top line.

3.     PURPOSE: to demonstrate to me your effort and engagement with the assigned readings; to encourage the practice of thinking for yourself about what is important, meaningful, or problematic in the readings; to generate discussion items within your team. Thinking about the significance of specific details and ideas from the reading is one of the best ways to deepen your understanding of the material and derive maximum benefit from the reading assignments.

4.     CONTENT: Think of the bookmark as a one-question quiz you create for yourself, allowing you to show that you have done the reading carefully. Each bookmark contains ONE of the three following items. In each case, the more specific your comments and the more responsive to the text, the better.

·      your best quiz question about that day’s reading and your answer to the question;
·      one brief quotation from the reading and a short statement of why you think it is important;
·      one thought or observation relating to a specific aspect of the day’s reading.

5.     REQUIREMENTS: each entry should be two-three sentences in length; fill one side of the card (2^nd side optional); bookmarks are turned in to me as you enter class, and I will read them while you do your daily check-in and write your “take five”; without a bookmark you do not receive credit for that day's discussion of the material.

6.     GRADING: Bookmarks will receive a check (occasionally a + or -) and be returned to you for team discussion. They receive no individual grade but count toward your class participation as evidence of close, thoughtful reading of the assigned texts.