| Journal Writing Tips for Students
The word journal comes from a French word
meaning "day." A journal is a daily record of a writer's thoughts on various
topics. One of the best reasons for writing a journal is for the exercise.
If you want to lift weights, you must practice daily. To improve your
writing, exercise is needed. However, daily writing is not always necessary.
A journal is usually not meant
for publication; in other words, it is a place to explore ideas without
concern about the surface elements that make writing readable to others.
Some teachers assign journals with time criteria. For example, some teachers
say to write for ten minutes every day or three times a week. Other teachers
give no time guidelines. Under these circumstances, students can assign
their own time criteria. Establishing a time pattern is often a good idea.
Some teachers assign journals with
subject criteria. For instance, these teachers require that students write
about computers in the work place or medical issues in the newspaper or
economic issues like the ones in the textbook. Other teachers tell students
to write about whatever interests them.Please do keep in mind that your
instructor does not evaluate this based on if you "spill your guts" or
not. For these open topics, reflections on community issues or family
life or personal relationships or job plans or recreational preferences
or school concerns or class assignments are some possible issues to focus
on. Consider writing test questions in your journal based on what was
covered in class or use it to remember questions to address in class.
A student journal can take many forms.
Teachers may require a spiral notebook or a loose-leaf notebook, or they
may allow students to choose whatever format they prefer. A double-entry
journal is convenient for going back to reflect on and edit journal entries
at a later date. Many people, including professional writers, carry small
notebooks with them everywhere they go so they can jot down their thoughts
and keep a record of them. Even Thomas Edison kept such notebooksthousands
of themwith ideas that led to the many inventions and patents for which
he is well known. Perhaps your daily scribblings will become the topics
for major breakthroughs in your chosen field. Date your entries and write
down the time. Then, just write. You may wish to free write, putting down
everything that you think of without stopping to edit or revise or correct.
After all, a personal journal, even for a class, is a place to think through
ideas on paper, not a place to polish writing for an audience. If you
decide to build on an entry, do it on separate paper.
On the other hand, if your teacher wishes you to
edit and revise your journal entries, do so according to the class guidelines.
A sample of a double-entry journal follows.
DOUBLE-ENTRY NOTES AND JOURNALS Divide paper vertically, creating a
2-to-3-inch column on either the right or the left. Use the larger column
for main entries and the smaller column for summaries, comments, reflections,
and revisions. Some versions divide the page horizontally instead.
Small section for summaries, comments, reflections, revisions.
Teacher emphasized these points-- used "The Red Wheelbarrow" as
model. I could write poems like this! It's just a list. And chickens?
The pictures evolve as the poem progresses. First we see the wheelbarrow,
then we see the shiny surface, then we see chickens.
Small section for summaries, comments, reflections, revisions.
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Large section for class notes or main journal entries.
Imagism 1. Concrete images 2. Strong active verbs 3. Precise nouns
4. Sound effects emphasized 5. Pound, H.D., Hulme, Amy Lowell, Moore
Large section for class notes or main journal entries.
Imagism 1. Concrete images 2. Strong active verbs 3. Precise nouns
4. Sound effects emphasized 5. Pound, H.D., Hulme, Amy Lowell,
Moore The pictures evolve as the poem progresses. First we see
the wheelbarrow, then we see the shiny surface, then we see chickens
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Comments: writcent@tcc.edu
Last updated on
August 4, 2003
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