Inside Out Chapter 5

The journal is an effective tool for building fluency. Many teachers have see students' writing ability bloom through journaling. Journals are effective because students can write about what interests them without fear of the red pencil. It is the one place they can write to please themselves, so they often take a great deal of pride in their journals. Journals are a pain for the teacher to keep up with, but
they keep the teacher connected to the students. Writing daily, keeping that writing together, and having it available for future viewing nurtures good writing. There are many ideas for getting students to write in their journals. I personally like a little structure. Many years ago, the idea was that students should have complete freedom. Without some structure, I'd get the same entries over and over.