Can you use both of them? Yes, absolutely!
Imagine this: you turn on your computer, log into your Word processing program and get ready to write. But then the cursor blinks at you for the next 20 minutes because your thoughts – just go poof…
This happens to every writer! Make sure you tell your students this! The blank computer screen and blank thoughts happen to every writer, but there is a solution for you and your students. That solution is – a writer’s journal.
I’m going to show you why a writer’s journal is essential and how your students can use them in a modern, tech-driven classroom. A writer’s journal helps students get past writer’s block.
Because writer’s block is probably the biggest reason why students procrastinate. In future blog posts, I’ll discuss different ways to use a writing journal to break through writer’s block.
So, you don’t have to choose between writing journals or computers. Your writers can use both!
Why use writing journals when students have computers?
I’ve got a little story to tell you so a couple of years ago, I started teaching a creative writing class in a computer lab. Now before this, I had always used interactive notebooks in my English Language Arts classroom.
At that point in time, I didn’t have computers for every single student, every single day. I had to check out the computer cart. Furthermore, I didn’t have my room set up like a computer lab as I have it now. Students were in groups of four, and it was very easy for students to be able to share materials on their desks.
Then, I could put a tape dispenser on the table, so they could tape things inside their notebooks. I tried to do that same thing in my creative writing classroom. However, it didn’t work out very well because of the way my students were all spaced out on long tables. Therefore, using interactive notebooks just didn’t work, and I decided to forego writing journals.
Big Mistake!
Later, when my writers needed to brainstorm about something, they had no place to do that. I had taught them that brainstorming before they go onto the computer can help them overcome that daunting white screen and blinking cursor.
So, I put out clipboards and paper every day before our mini-lesson. The problem with that is, they could lose the paper, or I would have to store those papers until they didn’t need them anymore.
I learned that by trying to write on the computer without being able to jot some ideas down or being able to discuss some of those ideas during our mini-lesson, the students would get lost when they were trying to write.
The following year, I made sure my writers had a composition book or some kind of notebook on their supplies list, and we used it every day.
I learned they could use both writing journals and computers, depending on what we were doing in class.
Writing Journals We Use
You may be wondering what students use for writer’s journals in my classroom. My students can use a variety of composition books, spiral notebooks, and 3-ring binders. I really don’t mind, as long as writers are using their writing journals every day, only for my class. Also, they use one page at a time, and it’s organized.
In other words, they go to the next clean page the following day, and they write their bell ringer and then whatever else they’re going to write for that day in their journal on the same page.
On some days, when the computers go down or wi-fi goes wacky, I have them write in their journals.
I want my writers to be comfortable with the tool that they’re using, so I let them choose what type of journal they want to use.
However, over the years, I used composition books because they are cheap at only 50 cents each. There was a time where I used to use the money that I got from the school system for student supplies for composition books.
Where do you store Writing Journals?
Let’s talk about storage. If you have a lot of students, I had 162 the year before last, so I had a lot of journals. There was no place I could really keep them in the classroom. In fact, I would have had to have double crates for some classes.
My writing students carried them in their backpacks. Now, I did have one crate for those students who knew they would lose, damage, or forget their journals, but it was their responsibility to get their journals before the bell ringer at the beginning of class.
However, you might not have that situation, you might want your writers to keep their journals in class. So, the best place to put them is in crates on an open shelf that is easily accessible to students.
You could have one student per table group get the journals for their table and that way you don’t have the juggernaut of thirty kids trying to get their journals from one crate. Another thing that you could do is station crates throughout the room where students can put their journals.
Additionally, you could use copier boxes to store writing journals. Those are always free, and they’re always in the teacher’s lounge.
Also, when I used to keep writing journals in crates, I would color code them so that each class had a different color.
Grading Writing Journals
How do you grade the writer’s journals?
Well, I’ll tell you what you don’t do. Please don’t ever do this – ever again – never! Do not bring home papers to grade or journals to grade. Your personal family time is your time. It does not belong to the school board.
Oh my gosh, I did that for years! I hauled journals back and forth that I had full intention of grading and never did! I would do that weekend after weekend after weekend.
However, I didn’t feel like grading them. So they just sat in the doorway of my home, and I tripped over them until I finally decided to stop bringing them home.
Best thing I ever did! When you grade anything, it should be during workshop time or your planning time. Now, I grade journals during workshop time.
However, due to huge classes, I conference with each writer about every other week. I use a rubric that lists my expectations for that journal assignment, and I review the rubric with writers before I begin to grade journals. Therefore, they know what to expect.
In addition, journal assignments are a culmination of a variety of class activities. These can include:
- bell ringers
- mini-lesson activities and notes
- Writing workshop notes
- end of class reviews
Grading Writing Journal Assignments
These journal assignments hold writers accountable for these activities, but I don’t have to grade each of them separately. I have about five to six of these journal assignment grades per quarter since we are on a quarter marking system.
Each journal assignment is worth 30 points, so 5-6 of them come to about 150-180 points included in their quarterly grade. We do spend a lot of time in our journals for different things, so it needs to be worth something.
However, writers do spend the bulk of their time in our writing workshop working on writing and reading projects.
Students earn the full 30 points for journal assignments if they meet the rubric expectations. In general, I’m looking for the consistent practice of strategies and techniques I’ve taught and brief notes. I’m also looking for organization, such as date, title, and that each activity is on its own page.
Now, that doesn’t mean students earn a zero if they don’t have their journals organized. I use the rubric which awards fewer points if the journal assignment is not organized.
Let’s review:
- grade journals during conferences in class
- use rubrics with specific expectations
- look for consistency, organization, and growth
How you can set up a writing workshop in your ELA classroom:
If you want to set up a Writing Workshop in your ELA middle school class, I have a free five-day challenge to help you build the systems that will save you tons of time and frustration next school year.
Do you want to save time on planning, grading, what about finding a great lesson plan filed buried deep in your computer somewhere?… or how about procedures that will get your writers into the groove of your course right away?
With the five-day challenge, I challenge you each day to set up a system that will save you time. Along with this free five-day challenge you get a free workbook that has links to all the free videos for the challenge. There are some bonus files as well in my Google Drive that I will be sharing with you.
When you sign up for the five-day challenge, you also receive exclusive bonus contact from me about teaching writing as well as a heads up about what I’m uploading to YouTube each week and what I will be teaching in my classroom. It’s like a PLC right in your email inbox.
So, you receive tons of tricks, techniques, strategies, and ideas for how to help your middle school writers next school year, that’s all happening in your email inbox.
You don’t want to miss out and like I said this is all free so to sign up click on the link below
