Journal writing gives students opportunities to practice writing in a way relevant to their experiences and not merely as an exercise in writing for writing's sake. There are many opportunities for a student to write about subject matter learned from ongoing lessons, as examples from the journal of a sixth grader illustrate. Listening to current…

Journal writing in science can be productive and stress basic skills. Students need to be highly motivated to engage in journal writing, and since the world of science fascinates most learners, chances for motivation are good. The subject matter to be written about needs to relate directly to the ongoing unit of study. Dramatizations, both formal…

Pupils need variety in their writing experiences, and social studies writing involves writing across the curriculum as well as stressing positive attitudes and feelings of the learner. Subject matter should come from the pupil, and diverse learning opportunities should assist the pupil in acquiring the relevant facts, concepts, and main ideas…