This post is part of the series: Elementary School Journal Ideas Soon, you’ll begin to see journal writing prompts everywhere.
What is the scariest dream you ever had?. 
What would you do if you had a million dollars?. For these elementary school students, try some of these prompts: If I could meet anyone in the world, I would want to meet…įor children who are beginning to write paragraphs, finishing the sentence prompts is no longer necessary. You can help children learn to stretch their minds and encourage them to begin to put their creative thoughts on paper with one or two sentence journal writing prompts. Of course, appealing to the imagination is always a good idea. Ideas for journal prompts that concentrate on familiar things are: For example, you may want to avoid a topic that assumes all the children in your classroom spend time with their fathers. Make sure you think carefully about topics that might leave some of the children out. My favorite thing about Valentine’s Day is…Īnother idea for a writing prompt for a one or two sentence journal entry is to concentrate on familiar things. Try one of these ideas for a quick and easy prompt that is sure to appeal to your students: One of the easiest ways to come up with journal topics is to think about the current weather, holidays and seasons. You need topics that appeal to a wide range of children and you also want the topics to spark their imaginations. You want to get your students excited about journaling, but you’re having trouble coming up with ideas. “I’m thankful for the journal exchange because it was a reality check.Journal Writing Prompts for Young Students “I enjoy getting the chance to be a kid again,” he said. The exchange is a win-win situation for both schools, said Brown. We were amazed that a room could be filled with 60 students and every one of them was engaged.” “There was such a positive energy in the room, yet it was so calm and quiet as they worked and visited. “All of the students were so engaged in solving the math puzzles, sharing stories and enjoying their snacks,” Mickey said of the party. The recent end-of-semester party marked an end to this year’s personal visits, but some will continue to write their buddies, said Erdmann. “When I was first asked to participate in this math journaling project, I had no idea what a positive impact this would have on my students.” “Writing in the content areas has been linked to developing higher order thinking skills, critical reasoning, problem solving, and analytical thinking,” said Mickey. The annual exchange - which is organized by Huntington Elementary School teacher Diane Mickey and NWU math professor Melissa Erdmann - has grown to something more than what they originally intended nine years ago. “It’s easy to get stuck in the monotony of school, but the journal exchange reminded me that the monotony has a purpose.” “This experience helped remind me why I decided to become a teacher,” said Brown. It made me feel good that she would open up to me like that.”įor Brown, the experience is a frequent reminder of his purpose in college. “She once was having a problem with a friend and she wrote to me about it. “My partner would often tell me about her family and friends,” said NWU junior Melissa Sorensen. In addition to math, the students journal about their everyday lives: their hobbies, their health, their home lives. 
The experience has also established new levels of friendship and trust. The groups meet in person midpoint in the semester and again at the end of the semester for a celebratory party. They journal about their math lessons, give each other math problems, and ask math questions of each other.
Early in the academic year, students exchange names and regularly journal back and forth to each other. But the group of 60 has been friends for much longer.įor the past nine years, both schools have participated in a math journal exchange. It was the second personal meeting between nearby Huntington Elementary School fifth-graders and NWU students enrolled in the “Math For Elementary Teachers” course.
“He’s way better at figuring those puzzles out than I am.” “I realized how smart my journal buddy is,” NWU junior Bobby Brown said after the party. It included holiday snacks, good conversation and Sodoku puzzles.
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