Thoughtful Journal Entry

In Writer's Workshop, students were given four speculative writing prompts.  For each prompt they had to create a few possible story ideas.  This was to help them prepare for responding to writing prompts during a timed writing assignment.  They have to quickly think of how the story will unfold.  What exactly will be the problem?  How will you describe the setting?  How will the problem be solved?  How will the story end?  

The next day, they opened their notebooks to the page with all of their possible story options.  Each student picked their favorite story and began completing the 4-Square graphic organizer.  (Problem, Turning Point, Solution, Closing).

Now that we are beginning our next genre study (mystery) in Reader's Workshop, students learned how to complete a Thoughtful Journal Entry.  This is building on what they have learned already this year.  Typical reading homework includes reading assigned pages, flagging thoughts (on post-it notes to help novel discussions run smoothly), and completing a journal entry.  Students are allowed to work on this assignment in class if they have time.

Students are already familiar with writing summaries and using strategies as they read.  Now these skills are being rolled into one written assignment. 

Students have been introduced to our expectations, through a minilesson, an anchor chart displayed in the classroom, and each journal entry form includes the expectations.   After students learned about the expectations I showed them an acceptable response I wrote from a short story we read. The response shows a 3-5 sentence summary of what I read.  Next, the second paragraph includes 1-2 sentences of the reading strategy I used and a final sentence that started with one of the conversational moves students have on a bookmark. 

Then it was time for students to try this new format out for themselves.  The class was provided a short story from Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul: first paragraph – 3-5 sentence summary; second paragraph – strategy/thinking.  Students referred back to the flagged post-it notes to help them write the second paragraph.

This format allows students to think about a text at a deeper level through: reading independently, flagging their thoughts, writing about their thoughts, and discussing the text. 

During Science, groups gathered around with their notebook and magnifying glass to observe the frogs.