Writing Journal Of

English

Reasons for asking students to write

English Journal
Fluency

Practice - It helps to get the world

flowing. You cannot work on improving their
writing until they produce words and
sentences. The more the better. This is about
quantity

Reasons for asking students to write

English Journal
Source

of ideas Journal entry might hold

an idea for an essay or other more formal
writings.

Reasons for asking students to write

English Journal
Non-Threatening

Because you define it

as informal writing, students are less afraid
of making mistakes. Because they are more
relaxed and have fewer fixed ideas about
what journal should be, they often write
better in their journals than in formal essay.

Reasons for asking students to write

English Journal
Audience

and argument Students learn

that they can actually communicate in writing.
They have readers and the readers have
opinions! They learn to give reasons for their
opinions.

Reasons for asking students to write

English Journal
Self-Expression

Students write about

what interest them instead of assigned topic.
This is motivating

Reasons for asking students to write

English Journal
Practice

English Students can practice

using new words and expressions they learn
in other courses

Reasons for asking students to write

English Journal
Information

Students will tell you what

they like and dislike and what is on their
minds generally in their journals. This helps
you to know them and teach them better

Types of Journals

Types of Journals
Personal

Journal Each student keeps his

or her own journal notebook. Ask them to
write 2 5 entries each week. Minimum 10
lines to one page for each entry depending
on their English level. Occasionally, they will
claim to have nothing to write about. Then it
is time for transforming ideas in class.

Types of Journals

Group Journal Groups of four or five students keep

a journal notebook in which they discuss topics with
each other. I ask them to form groups with people
they do not know well (no roommates!) because then
they really have something to say. One person starts
the notebook each week and is responsible for
choosing the topic. After writing about one page,
pass it on to the next, person who must respond to
what the first person has written. Continue until all
group members have responded. Hand in during
next class.

Types of Journals
Special

Journal If all your students have a

particular need or interest you can restrict the
journal to a specific purpose a career
planning journal, a reading journal, a creative
writing journal, a film viewing journal, etc.

Grading Journal

Responding to Journal

Dont grade them otherwise you will arouse their

anxiety. I give them checkmarks. This means they
have completed the assignment. A check minus
means they didnt respond as expected (too few
word, too mechanical, maybe copied from
somewhere else). A check plus means they
responded better than expected (lot of words, good
thinking, creative, well expressed, observant, etc.)

Responding to Journal

Comment on the content This tell the students that

you got the message and have something to say
about it.

Dont correct grammar If the student seems to

searching for a word, I will provide it, but this is free
writing and they should be focusing on expression
rather than accuracy. Also you dont have much time
for so much correcting.

Responding to Journal
For

group journal Give the writing groups

class time at least twice a semester to review
their work and make plans for their future
journal writing.
Respond to the whole class Occasionally I
give a feedback session on common error I
notice they are making in their journal. I also
make a point of telling them as a class what
I like about their journal writing

Responding to Journal
Use

what you learn about the students

interests and concerns to invent motivating
class activities. Once I noticed that many of
them were writing about love, so I made up a
handout on words of Love.
At the end of the term ask students to review
their journals and write an entry about how
they have improved their writing and about
their goals and plan for future improvement.