I recall throughout my elementary years always having a "Weekend Journal." In this journal, we were given the opportunity to free write about how we spent our weekends. I always looked forward to this assignment, which was almost always completed on the Monday we returned from the weekend. My teacher's did not just want to see us write, but to also use our creativity by drawing a picture that corresponds with what we had written. For a Monday morning, I think this is a great way to get children back into the swing of things by giving them some flexibility in their assignment while still practicing their writing skills. As a college student, I look back at these journals and find it very beneficial for one to complete at a young age. Last semester, throughout my field work experience with 1st graders-- I also realized that "Weekend Journals" are still a part of the classroom along with an "Author's Book"which consisted of writing from each student whenever they had free time throughout the class day. I noticed that when children were given the option to free write in their journal/"book"they tended to choose another activity that they found more interesting, such as one of the centers in the classroom. I found that it was the children who exceled more in reading and writing that showed the interest and actully took the time to write during their free time.
Good eye on the connection between reading and writing. We have to teach students to read like writers and write like readers.
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