Use Reading Journal Every Day to Encourage Writing
by Kerry Beck

Why should you use reading journals with your students?

Personally, I believe reading journals are an excellent way to have your students interact with their readings and improve their writing at the same time.  Whether your kids are six or sixteen they can write about what they read and begin their journal writing programs.

My teenagers kept a reading journal this past year.  It specifically dealt with their literature reading assignment.  At the beginning of the year, they wrote about the events that occurred in the story.  As the year passed, they began writing more about the characters or the lessons they were learning from the story.  By the end of the year this was an informal essay, going beyond simply recapping what they read.

My son is twelve and I plan to start the year with a journal entry at the end of each day.  This will tell me what he "really learned" that day. He has made journal entries for specific readings, similar to narrations.  We have used journals especially with his Bible readings.  He writes a paragraph about what he read in his morning devotions and I believe this helps reinforce what he reads.

When my children were younger, they would narrate aloud what they read earlier that day.  I would write it down for them.  The following day, my kids would copy the narration in their best handwriting. Young children can have journal writing instruction as they enter copywork into their journals.

Journals help my kids write on a daily basis, but I don’t think it teaches writing.  I use Teaching Writing: Structure & Style to make a longer assignment that gives my kids the opportunity to write to a final draft form. 

To recap, we have two types of writings: informal journal entries about what they are reading and formal writing assignments where they learn how to improve their writing.  Sometimes we will use a journal entry and turn it into a polished final draft.
 
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© Kerry Beck, 2008
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