JOURNALING

Writing is very important for all

students!
With journaling we are able to record
our ideas, thoughts, expressions,
reflections and more.
With journaling we can collect our
thoughts, experiences, dreams, we
can recount what was learned during
a lesson or for the whole day.
Journaling helps students learn how
to write. They can learn strategies for
good writing skills, such as
development of content and sentence
construction.

Why journal?
Journaling can be an outlet- students can write about:

 things that bother them (some students have trouble communicating so this is a great
alternative),
 things that make them happy/ angry/make them afraid,
 a social interaction with a friend,
 plan for a large event,
 as a prompt to study for a big test, for Math it can be problem steps and notes, for
Science it might be notes on a lab or outdoor hike,
 many teachers believe it helps student become better writers,
 can help special needs students reply and avoid negative stimuli,
 writing problems common for behavioral disorders- need to teach them tools for
writing- use prompts on journal cover for ease of reference,
 students who are ELL’s improve vocabulary and Math lessons can be noted in first
language and English- side by side for better comprehension.
 In the classroom-
 journal notebook- should be 5x7
or larger
 rubber band or book marker
 pencil, pen, color
pencils/markers
 journal checklist in cover- ex.
capitalize first word, include a
noun and verb, ensure you have
a period, exclamation point, or
question mark.
Procedure
 The topic written about should be engaging.
 Set a time limit- depends on grade, 10-20 minutes in elementary school.
 Some teachers like to play music softly in the background.
 Create a checklist of what is expected.
 Meet with students to share feedback-critical and needed for growth.

Work cited:
Baker, S., Gersten, R., & Graham, S. (2003). Teaching Expressive Writing to Students with
Learning Disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 36(2), 109-123.
doi:10.1177/002221940303600204
Diaz, I. (2015). Training in Metacognitive Strategies for Students' Vocabulary Improvement by
Using Learning Journals (Entrenamiento de estrategias metacognitivas para mejorar vocabulario a través de
diarios de aprendizaje). PROFILE: Issues In Teachers' Professional Development, 17(1), 87-102.
Evans, B. R., Ardito, G., & Kim, S. (2017). Mathematics Problem Solving, Literacy, and ELL for
Alternative Certification Teachers. Journal of the National Association for Alternative Certification, 12(1), 29-
33
Graham, S. & K. R. Harris. (2005). Improving the writing performance of young struggling
writers: Theoretical and programmatic research from the center on accelerating students learning. Journal of
Special Education 39(1), 19-33.
Pennington, R. C., Foreman, L. H., & Gurney, B. N. (2017). An Evaluation of Procedures for
Teaching Students With Moderate to Severe Disabilities to Write Sentences. Remedial and Special
Education, 39(1), 27-38. doi:10.1177/0741932517708428