Journal Jumpstarts: Quick Topics and Tips for Journal Writing

Rating:
Summary: Very useful!
Review: I have used Journal Jumpstarts in my middle school English class and find it extremely useful. It is just what my students need to stimulate their "creative juices." Not only do they enjoy writing about the topics, but I've heard them share their ideas between classes! I think every English teacher should have one!

Rating:
Summary: Very useful!
Review: I have used Journal Jumpstarts in my middle school English class and find it extremely useful. It is just what my students need to stimulate their "creative juices." Not only do they enjoy writing about the topics, but I've heard them share their ideas between classes! I think every English teacher should have one!

Rating:
Summary: High School Use
Review: This book provides a quick reference for lots of journal topics. Woodward also provides useful tips on how to work journal writing into your class; for example, she discusses the scoring of journals and how they fit into a grading plan. Some of the topics could have yes/no or one word answers, but by simply adding an "And why do you think so?" the problem can be addressed for upper-level students. As with any material you use in your classroom, you need to tweak it so it fits your particular classroom situation. The topics are general enough to give you a basic idea that you can use verbatim or that you can modify. Personally, I found the topics to be jumpstarts for my ideas as well, and huge time savers.

Rating:
Summary: High School Use
Review: This book provides a quick reference for lots of journal topics. Woodward also provides useful tips on how to work journal writing into your class; for example, she discusses the scoring of journals and how they fit into a grading plan. Some of the topics could have yes/no or one word answers, but by simply adding an "And why do you think so?" the problem can be addressed for upper-level students. As with any material you use in your classroom, you need to tweak it so it fits your particular classroom situation. The topics are general enough to give you a basic idea that you can use verbatim or that you can modify. Personally, I found the topics to be jumpstarts for my ideas as well, and huge time savers.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Resource for Journal Writing
Review: This is a MUST-have book for teachers who are looking for journal ideas with their students. I use ideas from this book every day with my high school students. It is also handy when you need an idea for a quickwrite during those remaining five minutes of class! BUY IT! It is worth the small cost!

Rating:
Summary: pretty cool
Review: This really is just a collection of journal topics. I liked it well enough. I think it will help me develop a gazillion topics of my own, which may well be its greatest value to me in the future. It also includes some info on how to actually deal with journals in the classroom. I found those less helpful, since I've been teaching for a bit of a while, but I think her tips are highly adaptable. So, if you're new to using journals in your classes, this could be a great resource. It's affordable, too, so why not?

Rating:
Summary: pretty cool
Review: This really is just a collection of journal topics. I liked it well enough. I think it will help me develop a gazillion topics of my own, which may well be its greatest value to me in the future. It also includes some info on how to actually deal with journals in the classroom. I found those less helpful, since I've been teaching for a bit of a while, but I think her tips are highly adaptable. So, if you're new to using journals in your classes, this could be a great resource. It's affordable, too, so why not?