PRE-POST JOURNAL
Instructions​
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The teacher designs a prompt for students to write about before and during reading to help activate prior knowledge and encourage connections to new learning.
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Students first respond to the prompt before they begin reading.
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The teacher may also include time for peer discussion to spark more ideas and surface additional background knowledge or connections.
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Next, students read the assigned text.
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After reading, they revisit the prompt and respond a second time. This time expanding on their ideas, shifting their thinking, or offering a new insight.
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A final class discussion may follow to deepen understanding and encourage sharing of different perspectives.
THE RESEARCH
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A pre-post journal prompt prompts students to explore their prior knowledge before engaging with a text. It allows students to reflect on what they have learned from a text and reflect on their prior thinking. The IES Guide recommends students monitor their comprehension as they read and using a pre-post journal encourages students to be metacognitive (What Works Clearinghouse, 2022).
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Meta-cognitive strategies have an effect size of .60. When students review their own thinking and analyze their thought process before and after reading, they engaging in cognitive task analysis which has an effect size of 1.09 (Hattie, 2023).