Entry #3

        In class this week we discussed journal writing as a genre and how it can be used in the classroom.  I was able to look at a few different types of journals in book form, when I first started I was looking at these books more as a teacher then just a reader.  Through that lens I saw them as just a teaching tool for journals and not so much for content.  The more I thought about it these texts can be used in the modeling of journal writing.  Then release students to write their own journal on a completely different topic once they understand the genre as a whole.
    
          I like the idea of using journals for students to respond to text on their own.  Expectially the double journal entry where I can give them something to focus on that is an important theme of the book that they may not have picked up on themselves.  Then use the journal to have them think and respond on their own. 
      
        I also think that I may have my future students keep personal journals in my classroom.  These would be just the students eyes unless they wanted to share it with me or the class.  I like the idea that they can write down things that they are struggling with or something that is going on in their own lives.  I know that writing things down has helped me in the past as a way to work through me thoughts and it maybe used as help release for my students.  These journals can also be a place for students to share ideas or other things they are excited about that is going on in their lives that they would like to share with the rest of the class during a designated share time.
         
        In conclusion journals will be used in my classroom both to further students understanding and to allow them a place to write without worry of a grade or who might see it so they are completely comfortable which will hopefully help them to become better writers overall.