Through journal writing, students learn that their ideas and experiences are worth writing about, and helps improve their self-esteem. It also provides students with a means of evaluating their own progress as writers. Their are two forms of journal writing. One is personal journal writing where students can write about anything on their mind. The other journal writing is dialogue journals where partners carry on a written conversation.
Here is an example of a journal rubrics used in a 2nd grade class. Expectations are stated and students know what they need to produce.
Students typically do not come into our classrooms automatically knowing how to write perfect journals! In order to encourage that perfection as well as give them ownership over the quality of their work, we have them create their own rubrics. This enables the students to always check and accept responsibility for the quality of their journals.
- Personal journal writing allows students to express their own ideas, without worrying about conventions, which can be added later.
- Personal journal writing should be a daily activity.
- Personal journal writing also includes teacher demonstrations to show them how to find topics in their daily lives.
- Dialogue journal writing partners may be between a student and a teacher or two students.
- A direct, written response is made to each entry.
- Dialogue journals give students the chance to ask questions and raise concerns they might not feel comfortable bringing before the class.
- Dialogue journals are student-centered, occurs continually, serves a real purpose, and has qualities of good conversations.
- Because students write and reread their writing everyday, they gain fluency in both reading and writing.
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