Using Journals: A Time-Tested Tool
© Irene Taylor
Color Coding
Since I used the journals in many ways, I needed an easy way to keep track of them. I usually collected each child's journal once a week. Color coding or grouping the journals worked out well. For me, the journals I collected on Mondays were coded red, Tuesdays, blue, and so on. That way, all I had to say was "Today I'm collecting red journals," and my bookkeeping was cut down immediately. I just divided the class by four or five (you may not want to collect journals on Fridays!) and the job was done.
Content Area Journals
In the years that I taught fourth and fifth grades, I often used journals as an idea gathering area for Literature study, Social Studies, and even math. They were a great place for the kids to just brainstorm ideas and begin formulating their assignments. I might ask them to compare characters in a book, to list the reasons the Colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor, or to explain how they would solve a math problem. The ideas are endless. In some cases, I would have students read their journal entries aloud rather than collect and read them myself. That often gave rise to some interesting class discussions.
Creative Journals
Another way that I used journals was for the more "traditional" use - creative writing. Some days I just asked the students to write, on any idea they had. They were great ice breaking tools for early in the year "getting to know you" types of writing, or for after a holiday or vacation. "What I did over the Weekend" was a great favorite of my students. Some days, I used the last 10 minutes of class for students to write about something that they learned that day. Sometimes I gave them a starter idea. Many of those rough journal beginnings eventually became great completed pieces of writing. I let them experiment with types of poetry, description, persuasive writing, first and third person writing, the list could go on and on.
