How to Teach Journal Writing for Kids

Requiring your students keep a journal is a great way to get them to think about a book, a period of history or simply their own lives. As a teacher, however, it is important that you give them clear instructions and guidance on every stage of the journaling process.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Tie the journal to some in-class activity. You can require your students to write about what they are reading or about a period of history the class is studying.
2. Make the requirements clear. Give your students a handout telling them how much and how frequently they have to write and what is required from each journal entry.
3. Give your students plenty of examples. Remember, they may not be familiar with journal writing. Do a journal together as a class when you are starting the project. Read examples of particularly good student journals to them at least once a week.
4. Check the journals every week. Initially, grade your students on the quality of the writing rather than punctuation, spelling and grammar.
5. When you return their journals, have your students correct some or all of their writing. When they turn in their corrections, you can grade them for spelling, punctuation, and grammar as a second step. This allows you to address both content and structure without overwhelming your students.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider giving your kids time in class to write their journals. This will stop them from writing their journals the night before they are due.
• Give your students privacy. Allow them to fold over pages that they don't want you to read when they give you their journals to check.