Response to Introducing Students to the Writing Life

“Good journal writing is like fishing in the river of your mind.”

                    – Inside Out  (Kirby, Kirby, & Liner)

An integral component of my classes (writing and literature) was the journal. Early in my teaching career, I discovered it to be an excellent place for writers to develop fluency and to become more comfortable with writing.  It provided a place to respond to ideas shared not only in writing, but also in literature.  

Since the journal is primarily ungraded, it becomes an excellent resource for nurturing classroom environment.  Students find it provides the freedom to express their ideas and to have interaction with their instructor.  It becomes a place to sort out ideas, a place to ask questions.   Students should be informed that their writing will NOT be shared without permission.  However, it is also important for students to realize that the journal is NOT a diary, and that teachers have a responsibility to report concerns to the proper authorities. 

Kirby, Kirby and Liner suggest at least four different purposes for students keeping journals/notebooks.  

1. Writer’s notebook – a place for storing ideas and experiments
2. Class response notebook – a place for reacting to assignments and class activities
3. Dialogue notebook – an opportunity to have partners read and respond to ideas/writing
4. Project notebook – a documenting of work as it occurs on an extended assignment, such as a research paper

Before school began in fall, I would head to the school sales and purchase inexpensive notebooks for all of my classes.  Today, with students doing much of their writing on computers/chrome books, you can have them create online journals.

As Micki shared with students using the internet, storing/organizing the notebook/notebooks should be more efficient.  Now, students can create folders for the different purposes.  They can also decide how public to make their writing.

We'd really like to have you share how you are using journals in your instruction today.  I know that gaining ideas from my colleagues was invaluable as I began to use and to evaluate the effectiveness of them.