Journey to Journaling

May 25, 2004 - © Kelley M. Rubben

his/her expectations, he may find that entries become quite short!
BETTER: Decide on the minimum requirement for the assignment and communicate this to the class.

Other techniques that experienced teachers have recommended is to plan journal writing into the lesson plan on a set day ie: every Monday, or Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students who fear writing or who suffer from "writer's block" may perform better if they are not asked to write "on the spot." Some teachers report that they give the topic the day before and ask the students to think about their point before coming to class the next day. All writing is then done in class, but with a 15-20 minute time limit.

One teacher explained that she kept all of her journals on a shelf in the classroom and that students picked up their journals as they entered the room on "Journaling Days." Their topic would be written on the board, and the students would begin immediately. Her technique eliminated tardies on these days! Also, while her class was hard at work, she walked around and checked their homework from the previous evening!

Try incorporating some of these "tried and true" tips into your journal writing repertoire, but don't forget that at times, it is insightful to allow students to write "freestyle" on any topic they choose. I've never learned more about my students than when I utilized the suggestion of former National Teacher of the Year, Guy Dodd, and asked my students to write a letter to me telling me something they thought I should know about them. Wow those entries were so mesmerizing, I forgot to be irritated by comma splices and misspelled words!


FOR MORE IDEAS, VISIT:

Journal Writing, weekly column here at suite101!
Journal Writing
Journal Jar Ideas

ELEMENTARY OR JUNIOR HIGH IDEA:
Have a "class pet" stuffed animal puppy or kitten in a little basket "bed." In the bed include a pretty pen and a journal notebook. Each day one student takes home the class pet and writes a journal entry from the pet's perspective. Fun for the kids, easy for the teacher!

Looking for more ideas? Try one of our Education courses at Suite University:


Featured Course:
Teaching Writing to Children


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The copyright of the article Journey to Journaling in Teaching Creative Writing is owned by Kelley M. Rubben. Permission to republish Journey to Journaling in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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