Looking for a few writing prompts to get your students creative juices flowing. Fifty alternatives to the book report diana mitchell students tire of responding to novels in the same ways. On the back of the card, the student writes a paragraph critiquing the book. The prompts are loosely divided into 20 per month from september through may so that there are enough writing activities to take you and your class through the entire school year. For a fiction book as soon as youre aware of it, describe the basic.
Journaling activities, journaling ideas technojournal. School librarians make sure students have books during. Reach into your jar each day as you prepare to write in your journal and take out one of the prompts. Double entry journals for literature in literature, double entry journals help the reader relate passages of the piece to his or her own experience. The following is a list of beginning sentences that are useful in helpingstudents start a reading journal. By writing every day, the students gain fluency while getting a chance to practice important punctuation, spelling, and style skills in context. Students can use a double entry journal to help them study concepts or vocabularies, express opinions, justify an opinion using text, and to understand or respond to the text they are reading.
Elementary journal entry ideas for your classroom in all subject areas set up. Why do you think some people dont exercise their right to vote. Writing in journals can be a powerful strategy for students to respond to literature, gain writing fluency, dialogue in writing with another student or the teacher, or write in the content areas. There is nothing more tragic than having a book ruined by too much school attached to it. Over 1,000 writing prompts for students the new york times. Bullet journal ideas for students nifty planner organization. Fiction and nonfiction reading strategy prompts are on sale in my store, including a front and back cover for the journal. It only takes three prompts and about three minutes, but the information my students share with me is invaluable. When introducing the idea of journal writing to your students, you will want to make the experience positive by providing detailed examples, objectives, and topics. Additionally, please consider using the following text links to jump to specific points on. Support your summaries with what you are feeling as you read your book. Math journals support students learning because, in order to get their ideas on paper, children must organize, clarify, and reflect on their thinking. Students will need to add the journal entry header and update the table of contents.
Teaching journal writing is a powerful strategy that. All you need to get started are some of the best bullet journal ideas for students. Initially many students will need support and encouragement in order to communicate their ideas and thinking clearly on paper but, as with any skill, the more they practice the easier it will. It is important to set up your journals for each subject you teach in the same way. Promote writing with these journal writing prompts about your students favorite things. And if you do something really cool with your bullet journal, share in the comments.
The journal writing prompts on this page are grouped into the 4 quarters of a standard academic year. Science notebooks are also an excellent way for students to communicate their understanding of science concepts, and for teachers to provide students with feedback. Reading response journal prompts for any novel distance. Even a personal blog is a kind of journal, and can thus become a learning journal if the blogging is done in order to promote, deepen, or extend learning of some kind there are as many types of learning journals as there are ways to think, mainly because writing is a powerful. In addition to using the activities for creative writing, students can also write journal entries from the viewpoint of a child living in a different time, character in a story, or as a summary. Until next time, write on if you enjoyed these elementary writing journal prompt ideas. Touching on serious topics like heroes, friendship, and fears. Organizing parts of your life is nice but not everyone gets organized the same way. Try one of these ideas for a quick and easy prompt that is sure to appeal to your students. Using literature study guides with elementary students. For each reading log entry, always write the book s title underlined, the date, and pages read, and journal entry number. Use these elementary journal entry ideas to set up journals for all subjects that you teach. Students will also need to click on the new journal entry listing in the table of contents and right click on the blue hyperlinked text that appears below the journal.
Whether youre using literature circles, a book club format, or some other type of independent reading program, these digital reading response journal prompts will keep students engaged while allowing them an avenue to share what they are c. Some parents encourage their children to journal as a way to practice their writing skills. Maybe your kids will write an essay, maybe a poem, or maybe even a whole book. Doubleentry journals for literature in literature, doubleentry journals help the reader relate passages of the piece to his or her own experience. A doubleentry journal of notes taken from a textbook can become a study guide, a good solution for students who cant bear to mark up their books. Invite each student to create a diary or journal and write at least five entries that might have been written by a character in a book just read. Primary writing office my winter break 2020 kindergarten writing activities. As more schools and districts across the county announced closings, school librarians are working hard to do what they do best put books in kids hands on thursday, captain elementary school librarian tom bober tweeted that with the likelihood of an extended break, he drastically expanded the number of books each student could take home from his. Write anything that comes to mind as you read each prompt and elaborate on each point as much as. While journaling is a form of writing in its own right, students can also freely generate ideas for other types of writing as they journal. Journal entries for student teaching what is a guided journal entry.
Still other teachers have students keep one journal in which they respond to a wide variety of prompts across different content areas this could be termed as. Gather the class together and model a journal entry for chapter 1. A year of writing prompts for elementary school students. This massive collection of reading activities covers all essential reading skills for elementary primary students. This allnew set of 35 topics for journal writing is designed to serve anyone from age 12 and up into adulthoodwhich means its suitable for use in your middle school, highschool, or postsecondary classroom, or simply for your own personal use. The figure below is a journal entry of a kindergarten student in a class of all khmer. Other teachers have students respond to math journal topics as part of a math notebook.
Learning journals are often named for a specific purpose andor formata creative writing journal, for example. Students describe their personal thoughts and reactions to the service experience on the left page of the journal, and write about key issues from class discussions or readings on the right page of the journal. The legendary toby fulwiler, author of the journal book. With writing prompts, a simple question yields endless possibilities and offers each student an opportunity to express his or her individuality.
If you were in charge of planning the school lunch menu, what foods. Journal apps, online diaries, and digital scrapbooks scrapbooks, pictures, and home videos may be the traditional way to preserve and share summer memories, but if youve got a smartphone or tablet, you can use it along with some cool websites to document everything from lazy days to family road trips. Sometimes reflection is informal and sometimes it is more formal, such as a discussion or written entry. Doing this will help you get the most from your book. Mar 29, 2019 how to teach kids daily journal writing. If youre using journaling in the classroom, the start of class is generally a good time. The front of the card includes details such as title, author, and date published along with a two to threesentence synopsis of the book. Thousands of teachers have adopted this as a go to resource for independent and group tasks. To teach students to add color to their writing, consider the following tips. May your student s journaling adventure be filled with joy, fun, and creativity. Teachers can use literature that takes the form of a journal. Moreover, journaling is a powerful and fun learning tool to help elementary children practice their writing skills early on which will serve them beyond their elementary writing years and well into their adult lives. There are other activities besides writing prompts to do for language.
By incorporating art, music and drama into journal writing, you can surely win your students over. This year in my kiddos reading journals, im going to make a spot for them to. The benefits of students integrating journal writing across the curriculum are amply documented. Record students ideas on a cluster chart titled our journal ideas. Cool bookish ideas for your bullet journal book riot. Your gratitude journal or log is a personal endeavor that must be unique to you and your life.
I can safely say the majority of these kids are smarter than me. Just make sure you include more than just a summary of what is happening. Below, you will find a list of general january writing topics and a list of specific calendar dates for january which contain creative writing ideas related to that particular date in. Decide which would make the best entry from your response journal.
Demonstrating comprehension through journal writing. Home prompts by grade writing prompts for elementary journalers. Sep 01, 2010 the benefits of students integrating journal writing across the curriculum are amply documented. The importance of student journals and how to respond. To get credit for the books you read, use these strategies to make entries in keeping track of what you read, and as you record your responses to what youre reading. Journals can help your classroom run more smoothly. Students will record book title, number of pages read, and will rate the book 15 stars. Journal entries are a fast way to check for understanding after a lesson. Double entry journal writing esol teaching strategies. Investigation questions about shadows, grade three. The trick is to use novel methods to encourage students to write. Write a date on every entryinclude and underline book titlewatch your margins while writing. Jan 19, 2018 double entry journal or dialectical journal. Are you looking for a creative list of writing prompts and journal ideas to use during the month of january.
When integrated regularly in your esl lessons, journal writing can be a meaningful way for students to practice and improve the quality of their writing. There are journals and notebooks that can help you get organized. Provides an effective platform for writing practice. The next stage of journal writing is getting students to elaborate on ideas so the entries sound appealing. Creative writing ideas and journal topics for winter and january.
Make it a concrete part of the routine so that students know to come in, take out their notebooks, and journal for a few, quiet minutes. During your student teaching semester, reflection will become an important part of the growth process. Fun journal writing prompts for students to use at home. It gives them a private venue to keep a daily record of their thoughts, feelings, and ideas, and can motivate children to express themselves more. In the right column of the double entry journal, students write connections and explain their responses to the item in the left column. There are eight graphics on this page to serve as general visual bookmarks. Explore different ways of making journal writing fun. Another idea for a writing prompt for a one or two sentence journal entry is to concentrate on familiar things. Have a prompt written on the board to help beat writers block. It is hoped that this diverse group of suggestions will whet the interest of students in exploring new directions and in responding with greater. Reading response journal entry ideas mill valley school. I liked the king from the book the king is the main character because his.
Try these writing ideas for elementary students, organized by grade. Doubleentry reading journals tip sheet butte college. These are perfect to use as kids journal writing prompts, as short story writing prompts, or just for exercises to help students and children of all ages tap into their creativity. A double entry journal is a form of reflective writing based upon a text. Whether youre using literature circles, a book club format, or some other type of independent reading program, these digital reading response journal prompts will keep students engaged while allowing them an avenue to share what they are comprehending from their books.
They want new ways to think about a piece of literature and new ways to dig into it. It often takes the form of notebook entries, as well as classroom posters, charts and diagrams. When using a double entry journal, students are asked to write onepage entries each week. Keeping a science notebook encourages students to record and reflect on inquirybased observations, activities, investigations, and experiments. Use these ideas to get daily grades and work samples from journals. See more ideas about journal prompts, journal and smash book.
Prompts, teaching ideas, and resources to support your elementary students with their journal writing. You, of course, may choose to use any of these at whatever time you like. As you design a journal writing program for your students, its a good idea to use journal prompts so that your students are working on productive creative writing. More than fifty writing prompts for kids in elementary school and middle school. That being said, i am an even huger fan of only using the elements of a literature study guide that actually are enhancing the reading experience for the particular child who is reading the book. Below, you will find a list of general january writing topics and a list of specific calendar dates for january which contain creative writing ideas related to that particular date in january. Make sure that the entry uses complete sentences to answer the comprehension and personal response questions posed. Set your timer anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes, depending on how much time you have available for journaling. Write a class journal entry by combining input from students and your own prepared model. The coolest thing about the bullet journal system is that it is highly adaptable to your needs, and it can do whatever you want it to. Jun 20, 2017 an effective journal writing program doesnt mean you just sit back and relax while your kids write about whatever they want. Need a way to hold students accountable for choice reading. Most of the ideas will provide teachers with a clear idea about whether students actually read the book.
Fresh ideas for creative book reports education world. Students can also be asked to share entries with the class, and this frequently results in lively discussions because students have already done a great deal of thinking about the topic. No one can tell you what makes the cut for you and your particular circumstances, but there are some suggestions that might help if youre struggling in the beginning. Incorporate your students interests and use their strengths for journal writing to be a winwin for both you and your students. Journal prompt ideas for elementary students brighthub. Fun journal writing prompts will keep students writing at home while school is closed. Science writing is a particular type of classroom writing that is integrated into inquirybased investigations in order to further students understanding of science. Ask students to select a key event, idea, word, quote, or concept from the text and write it in the left column of the double entry journal.
These highinterest prompts will encourage kids to describe, explain, persuade, and narrate every day of the school year. You can use wellchosen journal topics, classical music, and checklists to make the most of your students daily writing time. Getting children to write in their journals may not always be easy, but with some targeted journal writing exercises, youll soon be able to get kids excited about writing some teachers ask their students to go home from school and reflectively write about their experiences during the day. I invite you to email me if you have ideas youd like me to add to this list of elementary writing prompts. For each reading log entry, always write the books title underlined, the date, and pages read, and journal entry number. Journal apps, online diaries, and digital scrapbooks. Creative writing journal prompts super teacher worksheets. Then from the list below, choose a response strategy and do it. Each day, after readaloud time, the kids go back to their desks, pull out their journals, and start writing. In my third grade classroom, students write in journals every day for about 20 minutes. From a teachers perspective, there are few activities that can trump journal writing for understanding and supporting the development of student thinking. After reading a book, a student completes an index card with information about the book. A double entry journal of notes taken from a textbook can become a study guide, a good solution for students who cant bear to mark up their books. Elementary journal entry ideas for your classroom in all.