Journal Writing
Journal writing is key to the success of any language arts classroom. I require students to purchase journals (hard cover marble composition books) at the beginning of the year and keep them in my classroom for weekly writing. There are a variety of ways to set up journals with different sections, table of contents, etc. A great source for more information on journal writing is Ralph Fletcher's
A Writer's Notebook
.
Having journals in the classroom provides students with an easy access, low maintenance record of the writing they do. Students are encouraged to write in them often and in a variety of formats. Some pages are listings; there are time lines, illustrations, comics, poetry, questions and a thousand other types of writing and responses that go into students' journals. Hence the journals become, like the students themselves, individual reflections of personalities and writing styles.
Teachers should participate in all writing activities. After assignments are explained, teachers should sit down, write with the students, and share what they have written with them. This is a good way to encourage students to share with each other, either as a class or in pairs after writing exercises.
Some possible journal topics that will go well in this unit are:
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Make a list of the most memorable moments in your life
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Write a paragraph about yourself from someone else's point of view
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Create a timeline of your life
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List all the important people in your life; choose one and write a paragraph about him or her
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Write a paragraph about something that happened to you that changed your life
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Make a list of interview questions which you will ask your classmate before writing a short biography on his/her life
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Write a journal entry written from Emmett Till's point of view on the day of the incident at Bryant's store/ write a journal entry from one of Till's friends point of view on the day of the incident at Bryant's store
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Create a time line of the Civil Rights Era
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Write a one page monologue from your Civil Right leader's point of view as he gets up to make breakfast in the morning
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Write a one page monologue from your Civil Rights leader's point of view at the moments right before his or her death
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Writer Workshop
It is important to get students used to the idea of revision and rewriting before beginning this unit. Students need to understand that unlike in journal writing, which is freer flowing, creative and personal, the writing of biography, and many other types of writing for that matter, is not something that is finished in a first or even second draft. Scores of drafts may be necessary before a piece of writing is really complete.
One way to approach this idea of multiple drafts is to start with journal entries. If students have written a list of the life changing moments in their lives, for example, have them write a paragraph on one of those events. Next, students take the idea to another level, expanding on it in a composition that begins to grow. Students should understand that everything has a beginning, middle and end and that in order to really tell the story they will need to include details and ideas that bring that moment to life for readers.
Once students have a decent draft to work with they should go through some peer editing with partners or with small groups. With teacher's guidance, students should be encouraged through mini–lessons to focus on revisions. After students have gone through a peer edit, and then another draft, they should sit with the teacher and undertake yet another revision. By this time, the student should have completed several drafts and be ready to type the final one on a computer. The students need to understand, though, that even a "final" draft can still be revised.
The more students practice this writing process, and the earlier in the year that they get started, the better off they will be when it comes to writing this unit and other longer, more formal papers. I always let students know that they are allowed to revise their writing for a better grade any time right up to the end of the marking period. This helps them understand that even their final draft can be improved upon, and that they are responsible for their own writing and grade.
Splatter! And other University Resources
Splatter!
is a Yale University student run literary magazine for New Haven's elementary and middle school students. For years I have invited
Splatter's
editors into my classroom to help students see their writing in published form. The Yale students run writer workshops in the class, and use the finished products in an on line and printed magazine which they give to the children at the end of the program.
There are also volunteers from Yale who will come in individually to any classroom and help teachers with lessons they are conducting. Both
Splatter
! and the individual volunteers are extremely helpful for teacher and students alike. Another adult in the classroom is always a welcome and any time students can see their work published this is an important step in helping them reach their potential. Most other universities provide opportunities and resources that can be tapped into to make teaching classes a more productive and exciting experience.
Art
For many years I worked in an arts magnet school. All of my academic units culminated with some type of arts project. Students would make sculptures, paintings, masks, creative dioramas, or act out scenes from books they were reading or their own writing. Students' journals can also be a type of artwork as they illustrate and doodle around the writing that they partake in.
I believe that all middle schools should be arts magnet schools, or at least adopt the philosophy of the arts magnet school. In an arts magnet, all students find their niche in which they excel and their work overall improves as they utilize the arts in their work. In this unit I will ask students to finish their work by writing and performing interviews of Civil Rights leaders at the end of the unit. Once again, the arts bring a new, enjoyable depth to the lesson, addressing varied learning styles and philosophies.