This article, "Journal Writing in the Elementary Classroom" by Beth Lewis talks about many different ways to incorporate journal writing into the classroom.
She talks about the ways she has used it in her third grade classroom. She gives a new perspective on what journal writing should be or has been in the past. She provides ways to make it more exciting and enjoyable for students.
She also includes grading criteria she uses, including this checklist.
What do you think about Journaling and Freewriting in the classroom?
Do you think her ideas would be useful?
Do you think using a strict grading criteria for students would be hurt or help their view of writing?
I think that journaling and freewriting in the classroom are great tools. I think that they both provide opportunities for students to think in-depth about topics, and then they are able to put their ideas down. Like Lewis said, I think that the topics need to be structured in order for students to remain on task. I think that more teachers should use journals so that students can write out their ideas in their own way, not just on a workbook page. I think that Lewis' ideas on journals would be very useful in the classroom. Students do not get enough time to just write, and journaling gives students that time. I think that by using strict grading criteria, it would harm a students' view of writing. Journals and freewrites should be about the ideas, not about spelling and punctuation, and structure.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think there is a place for journaling and free writing in the classroom on a daily basis. Ms. Lewis has some useful ideas regarding journaling and I agree with some of what she writes. I agree that when provided an interesting topic/prompt, students’ writing will improve. I also agree with establishing a broad framework to keep students focused. However, I do not believe in having strict grading criteria for all journaling exercises. Sometimes, it is beneficial not to worry about (or even consider) capitalization and punctuation. I know that when I get really inspired, I write in short phrases to write down all my thoughts before they leave my head; I have no punctuation or capitalization at all! Not all journaling and free-writes have to be constructed in a format that is conducive to a 10pt grading scale. While students benefit from having the grading criteria for some writing assignments, I believe it could actually hurt them when it is applied to their daily journal writing.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree that there is indeed a place for journal writing in the classroom. As a student I don't remember doing a lot of journaling at all. Lewis mentions a lot of good points, I especially agree with her when she mentions presenting a topic of interest. I belive that especially at younger ages, studeents need to be interested in what they are writing to gain the most skills. I do not know how I feel about guidelines for journal writing. That is a very fine line to walk because I believe journal writing should be strictly for ideas and concepts. Yet we can't let our students get into the habbit of writing improperly.
ReplyDeleteI think Beth Lewis is on the right track in having her students write everyday. This, I believe, is the key to getting students comfortable with writing and having them see that writing in the classroom, or writing in general, doesn't have to be formal. I think she exercises great balance with giving them focused topics, but also giving them the chance at the end of the week to freewrite on whatever they want. Hopefully this will encourage her students to continue to be inspired to write beyond her classroom, which is the ultimate goal.
ReplyDeleteI think journaling is a great way to begin a class, end a class or even both. Journaling is a way for students to get their thoughts out on paper without them being graded. They are able to just write whatever they feel like writing. I think it is useful at the beginning because studnets get a chance to write what they hope to get out of a lesson, and at the end they can write what they actually got out of the lesson. Journaling can help free your students minds and get them ready for the lesson at hand. It is very theraputic and I think it is a very effective tool.
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