Driven by the day-to-day demands of school, it is sometimes hard for students to be aware of their learning progress and to remember the details of projects they've worked on days, weeks, or months ago. Journaling is a great tool for these students, an excellent way to look back on the school year and remind themselves of subjects studied, projects accomplished, and special events experienced.
A daily journal covering all the events of the day, perhaps including homework assignments and instructions, quiz and test dates, special visitors to the classroom, and books and magazines read by the students themselves or aloud by the teacher, all serve to orient children to their schoolwork and to keep track of upcoming events. In addition, teachers may want their students to keep journals in each of their major subjects, to record experiments for science class, basic concepts in math class, original poems, short stories, and essays in language class. A weather journal updated daily can be part of a fun classroom activity; an art journal with blank pages can combine pencil and color sketches with written commentary.
Collecting a body of work in journal format makes it easy for students to review their learning and see the progress they've made. Journaling is also a great habit to develop, a tool that will enhance students' lives as they progress through high school, college, and beyond.
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire. She has written numerous articles for local and regional newspapers and for a number of Internet websites, including Tips and Topics.