Summer is the perfect time for a journal. It's natural for kids to record their summertime exploits, vacations, camp memories, and secret crushes. However, as the digital age is now in full swing, more students are journaling online, instead of using those lock-and-key diaries kept hidden from annoying, little siblings.
Although keyboarding is important, so is the need for knowledge of basic grammar, sentence structure, and paragraph composition (which can be practiced both online and offline). While English class builds skills during the school year, summer time is a great time for your student to practice fun, non-schoolwork related writing.
Journaling (and its modern alternative, blogging) is a great opportunity for students to grow writing abilities without a teacher looking over their shoulder or getting wrong checkmarks on their papers.
Ideas to give your student for journaling:
– Have your student set aside time daily to write
– Make the journal whatever the student wants to write about (daily life, interests or a specific hobby, relationships, general thoughts)
– Offer writing prompts if your student gets stumped
– Encourage various styles of writing (songs, poems, paragraphs, dialogue, research, book or movie reviews)
– Encourage your student reviews journal entries, re-write, or even start over fresh if needed
– Ensure your student has a dictionary and thesaurus (either online or hardcopies) handy
– Incorporate photos or graphics to illustrate journal writing
– Read examples of famous journals, diaries, or biographies together
Liberating and free, journaling is a safe, personal place to let thoughts go. Encourage your student to keep a journal this summer, and use this medium to help improve spelling, vocabulary, and overall grammar and punctuation.
Does your student currently journal or blog? Why or why not?