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Home : 2003 : September : 22

journals
By JB

I have several types of journals I use. I start the year with half sheets size blank paper that I bind with laminated covers. The children really experiment and get the idea of temporary spelling to match a picture they
have drawn. I have them write on one side and draw on the opposite page. They can just label pictures or put beginning sounds...whatever they hear. When first starting out, we count the words in a sentence we want to write and put that many lines. The the kids have to remember the sentence and attend to each line and just write what they hear.(I am modelling all these things in Shared

Writing). No lines works for about 2-3 weeks.
This year I am trying the starfall journals. Check them out---they're free at starfall.com! They have a variety of phonics, pre-writing and prompts etc. There are 2 journals, the 2nd is much more writing as you'd expect. They also come with little colorful cut, fold phonics readers to take home.
Lastly, I use composition notebooks for the kids to really start writing mostly on their own topics. They have to figure the lines out at first---usually I teach touch 3 line for capital amd tall letters. I respond in them so they have an audience and I use modelled correct spelling. Sometimes we use a prompt in there or try other kinds of writing like "lists", poems, etc
It is a lot to juggle,but I move on from the first one pretty quickly.I often save those first ones to show growth at conferences too.
Hope this helps!