I am trying to get my older children to take notes on their
thinking as they read.

In the past they have discussed the book with me
(narrations) both during the reading in a casual way and at the end of the book
in a more formal, predetermined way. 
During this final discussion we often uncover a topic of interest or a
question that then becomes their research and recording assignment – a Notebook
page.

Though I still want this to continue I want them to start to
see that as they read they are thinking of applications, connections,
similarities, etc to other things that they know.  It is these thoughts that I especially want them to record in
their reading journals. 

The problem is though that they don’t “see” themselves
making these thoughts or connections. 
So I am making sure that we discuss things a lot more frequently and
casually.  I draw out their
conversations so they are completing a thought and bringing it to a
conclusion.  I ask lots of
questions.  I then encourage them to go
and write what they have said.

I was encouraging Josh today to record his thoughts on
“revenge”.  He thought that this would
be difficult to do because the book he was reading when he had those thoughts
had been returned to the library.  I
encouraged him to see the difference between the knowledge side of his thoughts
and the wisdom side.

The knowledge side of his thoughts came from reading about
King Arthur and a particular battle.  It
was the facts.

The wisdom side of his thoughts came from his heart – he had drawn some
conclusions that revenge isn’t worth it, that it consumes your life, and that
you make unsound decisions when you are thinking of revenge. 

The wisdom side of his thinking is what I want to
nurture.  It is what I want to see him
recording.

Why record it?  I
believe that when you write something down it sticks in your mind so much more
than should you just think it or even say it.  
Writing it down, especially if someone else is going to read it, makes
you think your words very carefully so that you are expressing, on paper,
exactly what you mean. 

Once these thoughts are committed to paper they then become
a resource for you to use at any other time.  
Josh may use this thought on revenge in his own life at some stage.  Who is to know what relationship will be
saved because he chooses not to live in revenge? 

He may well use these thoughts in his own writing at some
stage – maybe a creative story or an oral presentation, or maybe a book.  Who is to know? 

The Bible encourages us to seek after wisdom and yet we so
often search for knowledge only.  It is
the knowledge that will open our minds to wisdom – we need to reach for the
higher goal – that of wisdom.