The Write Stuff



Some of the most famous inventors, scientists, authors and artists used journals or notebooks to form their ideas. What secret did people such as Benjamin Franklin, Charles Darwin and Andy Warhol know about daily writing?


I have witnessed some amazing things in our classroom due to our regimen of daily journaling. First, children learn that failure is where new ideas are born. A child may not like a piece that they wrote but at a later time, may go back to it and pull out one great idea or insight and expand on it. Second, children learn that they are all authors and what they have to say or think is important. Also, in a world of text documents, kids learn the value of doodles, diagrams, drawings, cartoon panels and charts to help them solidify their ideas. Writing without a direct prompt can help a teacher or parent understand what a child is thinking or feeling or become aware of problems a child may be dealing with. Journal writing can display a child’s growth, maturity and progress over time. Finally, children learn how to self-reflect, understand themselves better and know what they value.


Journaling is the first assignment my students have when they walk in the door. There is a large list of ideas posted so if they don’t know where to start they can choose any topic from the list.


1. Write about what you are grateful for.
2. Draw a picture and write about what it means to you.
3. Write about a story or book you have read. Make connections between it and your life.
4. Write about an idea you have.
5. Write about something you would like to invent. You may include a drawing.
6. Write about something that happened to you or something that happened to someone else.
7. Write about something you have learned.
8. Write about something you are feeling.
9. What are questions you have or things that you are wondering about?
10. If you could change anything about your life, what would you change and why?



The great thing about this list is that kids will automatically choose something at their level (or what they need on that particular day). Students working at lower grade levels might begin to use pictures to express their thoughts then move on to labeling their pictures and then finally to writing about their topic. Students working at higher grade levels can take any one of these topics and address it more rigorously.


Comment to share your journaling ideas and success stories.


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