Journaling is a great way to get kids writing about the world around them. As some really good teachers know, using journals is also a great way to keep track of student progress and prompt creative thinking. Two of our favorite ideas for journal success come from Joy in Walnutport, PA and Jeanna in Houston, TX. Their ideas prove that journals work for more than just the morning routine.
How to Use Journals in the Classroom
Learning Center Success
“I love the idea of incorporating learning centers into my classroom, but have always foundit hard to track my students’ activities at each one,” says Joy, a 2nd and 3rd Grade teacher from Pennsylvania. “Instead of having my students simply hand in worksheets from each center, I employ a centers journaling activity. Five minutes before center time comes to a close, I ask my students to stop their center activities and use special journals to write about what they completed during center time, and what they learned from each experience. Not only does this activity empower students to reflect on what they learn at our centers each day, but it allows me a peek into how they regard their own growing knowledge base.”
Color Creativity
“I’m constantly looking for creative ways to teach and motivate my students. Recently I hit on a great idea when I was at my local home improvement store,” shares Jeanna, a 3rd Grade Teacher from Texas. “While there, I grabbed a handful of paint strips, each featuring color chips labeled with compelling color names: Delhi Bazaar, Inky Pool, Bronze Gazelle, etc. Back in class, I greeted my students by handing each one a paint strip. I explained that they were each to pick a name of one of the colors and include it in their personal journal work. Not only was this colorful activity a great vocabulary boost, but my students also practiced dictionary and thesaurus skills as they investigated their assigned color name.”
What are your favorite journaling ideas? When do you use journals during the day?
Leslie says
I teach first grade and we journal every morning. After the kids check in, they go to thier seats and work on thier morning journal. When they finish, they read thier journal to me and we have a nice discussion. It is wonderful for me not just to watch the kids progress, but it gives me time to work on attendance and to deal with other morning issues.
Denise Knowles says
Where do I start?? I LOVE all the journal choices!! My favorites (today) have to be the Nonfiction Journals and the Concept Map Journals. Both of these are so valuable in my students’ thinking processes! Thank you for all the wonderful products and ideas! If only it was in the “budget” to get everything on my wish list!!
Thank you for the Really Good Stuff!!
Brian says
My Journal (1-2) would save a lot of time making journals for the students to write in! Love the idea of having children write about their center experience, very creative!
Kelly Walters says
The 3-6 journal would be great for my 3rd graders…I’ve never used one of these but would love to try them!
Anna Schembra says
I like the use of journals in the classroom.
Emily says
I’ve always wanted to start journaling but never had the resources to. These would be awesome!
Kristin says
I was actually considering the “100 Things About Me” journals for my first graders. My kiddos this year love writing, and I feel they would love having a journal with 100 things about them. 🙂
Kathleen Gruffi says
My favorite is the My Journal 1-2! I fit in Free Writing after lunch and it helps resolve conflict issues because the kids end up writing about what happened at lunch! Then I get to peek in it and see whose been problematic! Thank you!!!
Mikaele Majeroni says
I like the daily discovery journals. I am using one that I obtained from another teacher. I teach special Ed and this is a great way for one of my students to use the date and focus on the text corresponding with the illustration -one of the new Ohio standards 🙂
Jana Wilson (@cimeronejana) says
After each science lesson, students have to answer a reflection question, so I know what they learned about the lesson. I love the look of the Capture The Adventure journals because it has the leather-bound look.
Adina says
the 1-2 journals would be great for my special needs students
Jennifer Weaver says
I work with special.education students a co-teaching science class. My personal favorite journal to use are the math journals with space to illustrate the problem solving process. Most of the time, students I work with have difficulty getting their thought processes down on paper but with the space that’s provided, they have room to really work through those problems and show me what they are thinking.
Paula Livingston says
I Really love the cart that holds the bins. It keeps everything so nice and tidy. Very well made. Nice locking wheels. I am addicted to your items. Please bring back the file folder system!! It’s been discontinue. 🙁
Paula Livingston says
The 1-2 journals are my favorite. Very colorful and well made. As is all the products I’ve ordered. Thanks
MJ says
My favorite is the Deluxe Spiral Draw And Write Journals (Pencil Cover)- Pre-K – K. These would be wonderful to have! http://www.reallygoodstuff.com/product/deluxe+spiral+draw+and+write+journals+pencil+cover+prek+k.do?sortby=ourPicks
Ruth Jensen says
I teach 2nd grade and when we get into the year, after the first marking period, we use journals almost every day in the morning at the beginning of the day. They are able to write what they did the previous day that was important to them and why it was important. I try to encourage them also to think of something that they are thankful for to journal about. It helps them in forming sentences of their own and putting them down on paper where they can reread them and see what makes sense. It also trains them to keep them dated, and if they choose, they can add a picture. I so could use these this year.
Marianne Griffith says
I teach art to lst-9th graders. I really like these journals that having drawing space : Spiral Draw & Write Journals (Kids Cover). They have a lot of pages, so it would make a good portfolio of student’s art work for a quarter! Plus they could add important art vocabulary!
Missdenton says
My class and I loved using the Intermediate Readimg Response journals. My students were able to apply the graphic organizers to many different genres of literature. They looked forward to using them and they were great for Reader’s Workshop.
Christin Frank says
I love the idea of journaling for my class too! I call mine a conversation journal where we write back and forth to each other about anything….you learn a lot of interesting things about your kids this way.
Rhiannon says
I like the concept map journals for getting students to think in different ways (if works for all learning styles!!). I also like the discoveries journals. At the end of the day we do target practice to review all our lesson targets (objectives). This journal could fit seamlessly into that time. It is hard to find time in the day to incorporate all the cool ideas out there, but this journal fits with something we are already doing.
Debbie S. says
I love the idea posted of journaling after lunch! We journal in the morning – particularly on Monday when they write about their weekend. My first graders get a chance to share their journal entry with a partner or a group.
Andrea Adams says
After reading Non-fiction my students respond in their journals about new facts learned on topics. Perfect for application and assessing understanding of lessons in ELA Common Core.
Wendi Beattie says
I like the jumbo journals! They are great for kindergarten!
Shabre Providence says
I love journals. I love your Intermediate Reading Response Journals. They include all the information I discuss. It is a good way for my students to use what they learn. They are perfect for reading workshop.
Susan says
I have always liked journaling especially for older students because it is a way to express thoughts and ideas that they may not want to say out loud. I like the discovery journals because they help the students think about what they have learned in a lesson which is important in the common core standards.
Donna says
I teach Kindergarten and I love journals for the primary grades with the bigger writing spaces and the large drawing space at the top. I use them everyday and love to watch the children grow and become much more confident writers and illustrators as the year progresses.By the end of every school year my students love to write in their journals!
Cheryl A says
I have always had daily journal writing regardless of the grade level I’ve taught. Love the primary journals for 1-2!
Shawna Reagan says
I like the k-2 draw and write journal. The pages are set up for the kids to practice printing on the lines we are learning letters with and leaves a page for a picture when words can’t say enough.
Dawn Keenan says
My favorite journal is the leather look Capture the Adventure journal. They make the kids feel so grown up!
Sara says
I am a first year (yahoo!!) kindergarten teacher at a charter school. I have a group of students who are very different levels, but we journal all the time! We use journals for morning work, science and writing! As the year progresses I want them to have one where we can write back and forth to each other. These take a lot of time to put together and a set of the 1-2 journals would be a great assesset to a new teachers class! My kids really thrive off of this stuff and their parents LOVE seeing how much better they get as time goes on!!
Stephanie Stamper says
I love the idea of the discovery journal! Giving students guidance to share thoughts and ideas and to encourage that creativity! How amazing!!!!
Sara says
I love the draw and write journals (Pre K-K). At the beginning of the year we usually only see the drawings with written dicatation by the teachers. As the year progresses we begin to see the children captioning their own work!
Dema says
I really like the daily discovery journal.
Rhonda Peña says
I like the My Journal (3-6) . We use journals in every subject. Thanks for the opportunity!
Brandi Knippling says
I love the draw and write journals!
Heather Soucy says
I like the My Discovery Journals. I like helping the students to focus on the positive notes of the day: what they learned, what they did well, etc.
S Young says
These journals would be a great resource in our Daily 5 book boxes when the student chooses Work on Writing!! I’ve done some form of journal writing ever since I started teaching 10 years ago. It’s a necessity!! 🙂
Melanie Watson says
Love the math journal!
Katy says
I love, love, LOVE the math journal. I do a math problem of the day every morning and after a couple of weeks, my students are able to transfer the thought process they have ro show in the journal onto their classroom papers. Without me even having to remind them! The vocabulary section is also great. Some weeks I have them copy the words and look up definitions and other times I use it as a post assessment after we have completed a unit! Thanks!
Susan Keller says
I would love the journals for grades 1-2. My class loves to write and would love to give them something really special and updated from what I currently use. Thanks for the chance to win!
Carolyn says
This will be first experience with Really Good Stuff journals. I’ve always just used spiral notebooks before. RGS journals would be a welcomed change.
Carolyn says
Oh, I would like the 3-5 version. Thanks
NaDyne Meyer says
I like the write and draw journals. My first graders love to draw their pictures! In the beginning of the year,there is more drawing than writing, but by January their writing gets longer. I love to see the progression of their writing skills throughout the year. And these journals make it easy to see that!
Debbie says
I teach First Grade and we do Draw then Writes as well as journaling about our what we do when we are not in school. I like My Jumbo Journal – Draw and write journals.
Pat says
I like the draw and write journals for some of my students, but the 1-2 journals for some of my others! I teach SpEd and have multiple ability levels in my classroom. We will be having a big push to journal in about a month, and these would really be a great addition.
JoAnn says
I haven’t tried the journal but would love to! I teach second grade. We use Thinking Maps quite often and I am thinking that the Concept Journals would be perfect!