Dialogue Journals in the Classroom

Teaching positions don't always start at the beginning of the year, but there are ways to make any situation work. When I started teaching in a third grade class in the middle of the school year, I found that my class had already built community and their classroom systems were already in place. Coming into this unique classroom environment was intimidating. Everyone knew exactly where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to be doing; then, I came into the mix. I wanted to get to know my pupils on a more personal level, but I had no time for ice breakers or fun first-week-of-school activities, so I decided to have everyone start dialogue journals.

What is a Dialogue Journal?

Dialogue journals are a way for students and the teacher to communicate; it is a way to engage in a written, private conversation. I began by asking my students to write a letter to me, telling me about themselves and what I should expect as a teacher in their classroom. At the end of the letter, I also asked them to write at least two questions they wanted me to answer. I replied to each question individually (in writing), telling them about myself, and asking a few questions. After the first week, I didn't have give them a prompt anymore. Each of my 22 learners led the conversation in his/her dialogue journal. I learned about Mia’s relationship with her twin sister, Cesar’s love for baseball, and Omar’s compassion for lizards. These written conversations broke the barrier between my students and me. It also provided the groundwork for a more cohesive relationship. Getting to know each individual pupil on a deeper level also helped me to better instruct each one.

Dialogue Journals and Basic Skills

Although I never corrected the spelling or punctuation in the dialogue journals, I began to notice that students' writing fluency began to increase, even though I put no pressure on them. I think that the combined effect of having them practice writing often, and being able to read my writing as an example, helped learners to gradually increase their writing fluency. At the end of the school year, it was neat to see the amount of progress each learner had made in his/her writing abilities. The evidence was obvious, not only in their dialogue journals, but also in other classroom assignments. The dialogue journals provided a way for kids to write freely, which has a positive affect on their writing habits for all assignments. After using the dialogue journals, my students became more creative, more independent, and were, most importantly, more excited about writing.

Creating Dialogue Journals

Ways to create a dialogue journal:

• Use composition journals or spiral notebooks.
• Sandwich a stack of lined paper between two sheets of card stock for the covers--bind with staples or a spiral comb.

Here are some questions for teachers:

• How do you get to know your students, whether it be in the beginning of the school year, or in the middle?

• What learning activities or assignments have you found helpful in increasing your learners’ writing fluency?

By using dialogue journals, and thinking about other activities that can build community and increase writing fluency, teachers can create a classroom full of successful and fluent writers.

Writing Fluency Lessons and Activities:

Special Places to Live

Pupils practice using prepositional phrases to increase their writing fluency.

Getting to Know You Interview Questions

Eleven interview questions for learners to answer or ask each other.

Getting to Know You

Scholars learn more about each other, after discussing what they read in the One and Only Special Me. They also create a class graph.