At the start of the year, I give my students an interest survey about their reading and writing habits. Not surprisingly, many students report a dislike of writing.
Why? That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?
What I’ve discovered from both formal and informal research with middle and high school students isn’t really so surprising after all: Students don’t enjoy writing (or reading, for that matter) when they have little or no choice. In other words, we, as teachers, have helped kill students’ love of writing when we dictate the writing genre, topic, length, and format. The solution? Implement a weekly writing journal that allows students to express themselves in a variety of ways while sharing their writing with an authentic audience.
Why we need to change
Many students who dislike writing at school are often avid writers of narratives, poetry, and expository modes of writing at home. One high school student said, “I like writing. It’s awesome!” When “Jenna” first started writing in sixth grade, she dedicated time at least three days a week. As a senior, she made writing a priority, spending up to an hour every day working on her stories or poetry. When she was assigned writing in English class, though, she said, “I hate being told exactly what to write. I don’t like that.”
Jenna is not alone. My current 7th and 8th graders report the same feelings. Young people have many constraints and rules placed on their lives, so the chance to have complete choice in expressing themselves makes them feel truly empowered. That’s why the writing journal is the most popular assignment I give all year.
When I survey students at the end of each quarter, about 85 percent report liking their writing journal and 5 percent say they have mixed feelings. Only 10 percent of students report disliking the assignment. Here is a sampling of what students said on my most recent survey:
- “I like it because it’s the homework I do as a break from math or science and it gets my brain thinking.”
- “I like writing in my writing journal because I have the opportunity to get my ideas out on paper.”
- “I can express myself in any way I want with little to no restrictions.”
- “Writing in my journal allows me to use all of my creativity in a way that tells a story and can deliver a message.”
- “At times, I’m excited to write because I have this great idea in my head, and I can’t wait to get it out.”
- “I like to write in my journal because it’s a place where I can basically do whatever I want and use weird, creative ideas that I have and craft them into something that I can take pride in.”
How to set up a writing journal
Due to the demands of testing in my district, I only have students write in their journal during first and second quarter. During third quarter, students select something they have written to revise and edit into a publishable piece of writing. For extra credit, students may enter their writing into a contest or submit it to an online teen publication, helping them reach an authentic audience of their peers.
Students may write in any genre they wish – narrative (fiction and nonfiction), poetry, expository, or script. I require my students to write a minimum of two pages a week, which are due each Thursday. No class time is allotted for the work, but if students finish other work early, they know they can read or write in the journal. While some students complete the minimum each week, other students write three to five pages each week. Spelling and grammar don’t count, so students feel free to write without fear of making mistakes. I encourage students to try genres they’re less familiar with and to explore and experiment with new ideas and approaches in their writing.
Helping students with topics
Many students are excited to come up with their own topics, but others need inspiration to get started, just like adult writers do. In fact, frustration in finding topics is one of the problems students cited when they said they were mixed on whether they enjoyed writing in their journal. One student said, “When I get passionate for an idea, I like writing, but sometimes I just don’t’ want to. I just don’t have an idea I like,” and another student said, “When I have no good ideas to write about, it’s really hard for me to be motivated to write, but when I do get an idea that I like, I do enjoy writing.”
Each week I offer students a mix of writing ideas and post these at the front of the room. New ideas are given each week, creating an ongoing list of ideas students can refer back to at any time. I typically offer four or five sentence starters for stories, such as “The door slammed, and Jenny heard a scream. Then the lights went out” or “When I reached the highest level in the game, the console made a strange noise. Suddenly I was no longer in my family room; I was inside the video game.” I also select at least one interesting photograph from the web, such as the aftermath of a tornado, a rescue situation or a protest, and offer suggested writing ideas that could be inspired from it. Students can also draw from a list of brainstormed ideas we create at the start of the year using Kelly Gallagher’s “writing territories” from Teaching Adolescent Writers. This helps them tap into ideas connected to their own lives.
Creating an authentic audience
I want students to know they are writing for a wider audience beyond the teacher. That’s why each Thursday we begin class with partner sharing. I usually allow students to self-select a partner, especially in the beginning, because they feel more comfortable exposing themselves as writers to people they already know well. Each student has about 3 minutes to share his writing with the other person. Most students opt to read their writing aloud due to messy handwriting, but some trade journals and read silently.
When we come back together as a whole class, students nominate two to three classmates to share. Different students are selected each week until everyone has had a chance to share their work with the entire class. Afterward, I show students some new writing prompt suggestions for the week if they need them. The whole process takes about 20 minutes, but every minute is a valuable exercise in building a writing community in the classroom. It’s wonderful to hear students talking about each other’s writing and offering support after class.
Grading the Writing Journal
Grading writing journals can be difficult because the journal is a place for students to experiment with new ideas. Sometimes these explorations have fantastic results, and other times they fall flat. I grade my students’ journals in two ways. First, I do a weekly completion check. While students are sharing with a partner, I walk around and mark down how many pages students have written and translate that into points in the gradebook. It gives me a chance to encourage students who are falling behind, and I get to listen to a mix of what students are writing.
Second, at the end of the quarter, I give students a summative grade on their writing journal. Students fill out a reflection sheet that has a grade sheet on the back in which they must identify one piece of writing they want me to read closely and give feedback on, and I randomly select another week to do the same. I skim the rest of the journal. Grades are based on completion and overall effort shown. It’s fairly obvious when students have put minimal effort into the work. They tend to write nonsense garbage entries or silly “roses are red” type poems. As a result, most students receive good grades, which further boosts their confidence as writers. The journal takes a lot of time to grade and provide feedback, but the payoff is more than worth it.
The Final Draft
During second semester, I have students select a favorite piece of writing or started idea to finish, revise, and edit into a polished final draft. At first when students learn they won’t be writing and sharing weekly any more, there is an audible “No!” from one contingent in the room who act as though I have now forbid them to write. (“You can keep writing in your journal on your own,” I tell them.) Then there are a few kids who sigh with relief or shout, “Yes!” Still, the idea of taking a rough draft and going through the steps of the writing process has countless benefits.
I offer students four class periods spread throughout the quarter to work on their polished draft with the rest of the work being done at home. The in-class time allows students to engage in conversations about their writing with peers and to seek feedback from me.
I also offer students an opportunity for extra credit if they submit their writing to an online publication or contest. Since the work has already been done, about 75 percent of students take advantage of this option. I want students to share their writing with a larger, authentic audience beyond the doors of our classroom. Students are excited at the thought that people all over the country (or even the world) might read their writing.
Long Term
I’ve had several students in the last year become so passionate about their writing journal that they work on it year round. One student I had in 7th grade started a novel in her journal that she continued to work on. When she ended up in my class the following year, she told me she finished her novel over the summer and was almost done typing it. She said she was excited to start a new novel for 8th grade. When students become authentic impassioned writers, we know we have done our job!
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