Journals
Students write in journals on a regular basis. This allows them to practice all writing skills and share their ideas, feelings, and personality. Journals can be adapted to reflect on learning, communicate with teachers or parents, or write to a specific prompt. Journal assessments show us grammar, spelling, style, and clarity skills. Teachers can also gauge a student’s current feelings and this helps grow relationships.
Grade: primary or intermediate
For, of, as: for learning because many short entries show development over time, as well as gaps in learning which should be addressed.
Summative or Formative? formative
Strengths:
Students can write on a provided prompt or any topic they choose. This gives choices.
Journals can be used as an assessment for language arts, but also assessment as learning if you use it to reflect a subject, like writing after every science lesson about what was learned and how.
Samples can be taken to compare for growth, students can see their own improvement, which is assessment as learning.
Journal time is a good time to support students who need extra help because little support is needed for explanation.
Weaknesses:
Some students are so excited to write that they do not put their best effort into how they write in journals.
Some students worry about finding the “perfect” topic and this can delay or prevent writing.
There is a lot for the teacher to assess.
Source:
Sample? ** photo of my old journal!!