Dialogue Journals

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Dialogue Journals
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What is a Dialogue Journal?

• New channel of communication
• Context for language and literacy development
• Written conversation between child and adult

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What Dialogue Journals offer

• Teaches value and enjoyment of reading
• More time for teachers to communicate with
  students
• Develop writing skills
• Students can share and address personal issues
• Teacher can observe and comment on students
  thinking

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How Dialogue Journals Work

• The teacher is a participant in a conversation
  with the student rather than an evaluator who
  corrects the students writing.
• The teacher demonstrates correct English when
  responding to the entry.

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First Documented Use of Dialogue Journal
Sixth grade students in Californianative and
nonnative English speakers
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Logistics

• Materials- notebooks or computer disks
• Frequency of writing- done regularly based on
  number of students, length of class, schedules,
  and needs
• Length of writing- set a minimum in the beginning
  (EX three sentences), and then allow the student
  to choose the length

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Logistics cont.

• Writing Instructions and Topics- allow students
  to pick any topic and let them know their writing
  wont be corrected
• Journal partners- the partner may be a teacher,
  aides, classmates, or students from another class

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Benefits

• Extending contact time with students and getting
  to know them in a way that may not be possible
  otherwise
• Management of classes with students of varying
  language, ability, interest levels-
  individualized instruction, feedback of
  understanding
• Optimal language learning conditions- teacher
  models input of English skills for reading and
  writing

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Drawback
Time The teacher must find time to read and write
the journals in addition to other classroom tasks.
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When can dialogue journals be used?
Due to the fact that childrens needs are
incorporated into the process As early as
kindergarten (The Reading Teacher, Nov. 1999,
v53, i13, p.200)
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Suggestion
In order to make this a worthwhile activity,
allow the students to see you, the teacher,
writing in your own journal.