Journal Writing

Low-stakes writing, and what it is actually for.

Journal writing is low-stakes writing done regularly, usually unpolished and usually not graded for correctness. Its purpose is fluency and thinking, not product. The moment it is graded like an essay, students write what they think is wanted and the fluency benefit disappears.

Formats

• Free writing — a fixed period, no stopping, no editing.
• Dialectical or double-entry — the page split, quotation or observation on one side, response on the other.
• Learning log — what was understood, what was not, written at the end of a lesson.
• Response journal — sustained reaction to a text over time.

Responding without grading

Respond to content, not correctness. A short written reply to the idea keeps the exchange going; a page of corrections ends it. If journals must be assessed, assess completion and engagement on a simple scale and leave the prose alone.