Each day during our literacy block, the students who have a Work on Writing rotation have the option of writing in a Class Journal. They can look through the basket and pick out a journal topic that interests them.
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| The basket sits on top of the bookcase for easy access! |
Then they head back to their seats to write. Most students like to read what their classmates have written before they get started with their own writing.
The Class Journal covers have reminders about expectations for the writing inside, however I've found that students really put forth their best effort knowing that their audience is their peers!
Having a bunch of journal covers to choose from is great, because I can rotate them out to keep things from getting stale, or to incorporate seasonal topics. I stocked up on composition notebooks before school started to take advantage of those great back-to-school sale prices. I like to use composition notebooks because they're sturdier than spiral notebooks and do a good job holding up with the amount of use that they get.
Whole Class Journals have been a perfect addition to Work on Writing. And I honestly think they've helped build a community of writers as kids read each other's writing much more frequently and even have conversations about it. ("Hey Megan! I play soccer too!") I'd highly recommend them for any classroom, whether you use them for Work on Writing, a Writing center, early finishers, etc.
If you're interested in the Class Journal covers in the post, you can grab them HERE!
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