Writing Journals

I was reading Nancie Atwell’s In the Middle and learned that “When students have regular, frequent time set aside to write, writing can also play a crucial role in helping them grow up, making it possible for them to capture who they are, then come back and measure themselves against their earlier selves” (page 93). I think this is a really good point, and is all the more reason why I should use some sort of writing journal in my class. It doesn’t necessarily even have to be a daily journal, but even if I had students write in their writing journals once or twice a week, it would be helpful. That way, the kids can feel free to write about whatever they’d like to write about, which in turn will hopefully make them enjoy writing more. I could either have the kids write in their own personal journals or create the topic journals we made on one of the first days of class, where there are dozens of notebooks and each has its own topic such as food, fashion, cars, nature, etc. Either method will allow the students to practice their writing skills throughout the year.