Journal writing is a great tool for teachers to use to get students thinking, writing and focused at the beginning of class. Simply giving students 5-10 minutes to get their thoughts together and write an entry can have many positive outcomes. Teachers have found that children gain confidence and fluency in their writing from this daily exercise.

Using Journaling in Education

Journal writing is not just for English class either. Teachers of math, science and other subjects use this as a tool to reinforce what the students have learned and to allow them to ask questions about difficult concepts. Journaling can be beneficial in many different circumstances.

To begin with, journals allow the teacher to have an on-going conversation with students. The teacher can write comments and reactions to the students’ entries and the students can respond. This is a great way to get to know students and to give them a chance to share their feelings about what is going on in class. Students are more likely to open up in writing than they would in a verbal conversation.

Examples of Journal Writing Prompts

There are many ways to prompt students to write in their journals. First, students should be expected to write at the beginning of each class or nightly. It should be understood that the journal is a place where they can write without the pressure of correct grammar, punctuation, etc. The journal is a way for the students to keep a log of their activities throughout the year in order for them to go back and see how far they’ve come.

Personal experiences, life at school, and current events are just a few ideas for writing prompts. The students may be asked to write about what happens to them from when they go home until they come back to school the next day. There are an endless number of prompts that teachers may use. The following are some found on the Education World website:

• If I were the teacher, I would…
• If I could give one piece of advice to any person in history, that advice would be…
• Describe a dream that you had recently. Provide as many details as possible.
• The best lesson my grandparent (or parent or any relative) ever taught me was…
• [on the day after the Grammy Awards are announced.] Do you think the right artists won? Why or why not?
• Tell five things you’d like to do on your next birthday.
• Imagine a friend of yours is considering whether to take steroids. What would you tell that friend to persuade him or her not to do that?
• In 20 years, I will be…
• Tell about an event in your life that has caused a change in you.
• I was most angry when…
• If you could design one room in a house to suit only your needs, what would it look like? (Challenge kids to be as fanciful as they like. For example, would someone have a desk made of chocolate?)
• Describe your perfect vacation.
• My worst mistake was…
• [for high-school students.] Do you believe in love at first sight?
• If you and your best friend could have a free limo for 24 hours, where would you go and what would you do?
• You have the freedom to travel to any city or country in the world. Where would you go and why?
• What would you do if you were president of the United States?
• You have an extra $100,000 to give away; you cannot spend it on yourself. What would you do with the money?
• The qualities that make a best friend are…
• If you were an insect, what kind would you be and why?
• Describe your room at home in detail. What are you proudest of and why?
• [using a current local controversy] Do you agree with the decision? Why? Would you change if anything? What?

And the list goes on…

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Jen received her master's degree in Literacy Education in 2003 and since then has worked on helping to grow awareness about children's literacy and writing. Jen has 16 post(s) at Free Writing Center