JUST WRITE! Reflect & Respond Journaling

Reflect & Respond Journaling

Here is a routine that I started implementing this year.  My class knows it as "reflect and respond" journaling.  The goal is to encourage students to JUST WRITE by offering a variety of writing stimulus - an interesting picture, an inspirational quote, a paragraph from a text or short video clips (Ted Talks for kids is an awesome resource on youtube).

STEPS:

1.  The item you choose should engage student THINKING.  Always start with reasons to write.  Just recently, my students watched this video:

2.  Allow about a minute for students to reflect silently (this is the REFLECT part of reflect & respond journaling).  I explicitly teach them that writers gather their thoughts before writing.  I encourage them to think about how the item made them feel.  Could they connect the ideas presented with something in their personal life or to something they've experienced in a text?

3. Students write for 15 minutes (this is the RESPOND part of reflect & respond journaling).  This step is important as ALL YEAR they will write for 15 minutes non-stop.  This builds stamina and writing fluency as well as volume.  Gentle, quiet reminders to keep writing can be given if you roam the room.  However, I encourage you, as the teacher and model, to also write along with them in your own journal.  Below you can see a short video of our class responding to the video above.  However, we only had ten minutes on this occasion because of parent conference week shortening our schedule - you can literally hear the lunch bell towards the end of the video! (I highly encourage the use of timers).

Author's Chair

4.  Once the timer is up, we move to Author's Chair.  Students volunteer to share their journaling with the audience.  You may choose as many volunteers to read depending on your time constraints.

5.  This part of reflect & respond journaling is crucial.  The teacher must listen carefully to responses and take notes as to specific ideas that come from one of your volunteers.  It could be a phrase or an interesting expression that comes from their responses.  I have started to encourage the audience (those listening) to try to state the main idea of each response.  For example, in a recent student response, one student wrote how "small kids can have big hearts."  This caught my attention and I asked the class to think about what those words mean.  I explicitly want them to build on one another's ideas in a meaningful and authentic way.  They had conversations about it right at that moment.  I encourage students to support their answers with examples in their own lives if they can.

6.  Select that ONE student journal that you think might stimulate more writing.  I have done this all year long and I can guarantee you that you will always find at least ONE response that stands out.

7. Make a copy of the selected journal entry and transcribe the journal on a word document.  Make double-sided copies (one side has the handwritten journal entry, the other side has the same text in typed format) for all students.  Each student will receive a copy of this entry to annotate.

Students should LOVE to write!

8.  Use that student's journal entry as the mentor text for the next day's reflect & respond journaling.  Think about the implications this has on your students - using THEIR writing as the text for reflecting and responding.  Even your most struggling student will have an opportunity to have the class respond to their writing because the focus is on IDEAS not grammar (yes, this will be difficult for those teachers who really want to correct every mistake but don't do it; celebrate ideas!).  Students will analyze that student's ideas and build upon them with examples and/or more thinking.

9.  There are SO MANY ways you can alter or change this routine to fit your needs.  It is very organic.  Don't be afraid to try it.  The more you implement this unique writing opportunity, the faster your students will become and you will also see their enthusiasm to write something OTHER than a prompt (we all know they get enough practice on those!).  If you have questions, please email me.  I am more than happy to assist or offer ideas!

1.  How long does this take?  30 minutes would be sufficient (4 to 5 minutes to present stimulus + 15 minutes to write + 8 to 10 minutes Author's Chair).
2.  How often do you do this?  Depends on the week.  I try to do this on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  However, it truly depends on your scheduling.  If you have a busy schedule, try once a week at least.
3.  Is this the only type of writing you do?  No.  I have a formal writing program where students will still continue to learn how to write constructed responses, essays, and other writing items.  It does NOT supplant my regular instructional program.
4.  Common Core standards addressed?  Here are the ones that float to the top (however there are many more if you really dive deep):

Writing Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research

Listening and Speaking Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.2
Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.D
Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.3
Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

There are two solid reasons why I love to implement this routine:

• Students become writers NOT students of writing.  There is a difference.  They begin to see writing as a tool of expression.  They write because they want to write.  Offering them the reasons to write is the tricky part for the teacher, however, I assure you this will become habit after you feel comfortable with the routine.
• RACE and SBAC - I have noticed that this routine sort of "frontloads" and then supports the "E" skill in RACE.  I understand that many teachers struggle with how to teach students to explain, elaborate, or extend during formal constructed response activities.  When our class begins a lesson of this nature, I remind students that the "E" in RACE is basically what they do during reflect & respond journaling - can you connect the text with something you've read before or a life experience example.  This can be very abstract especially for fourth graders and I have witnessed that our journal routine has enhanced responses since the beginning of the year.  It is not as difficult for them to wrap their heads around this.  Obviously, if students become more proficient in RACE, they will most likely meet the rigors of SBAC where a huge piece of assessment is the ability for students to find connection between ideas whether within one text or comparing two texts.

Would you like to learn how to strengthen your OWN writing abilities?  Why not apply for the Invitational Summer Institute?  Follow this link to my first blog of this school year for information on how to be part of this amazing opportunity:

Click here to learn about the Invitational Summer Institute

Happy Writing!
Gustavo Macuil