What are spelling journals and how are they used?
We’re all familiar with writing across the curriculum, and spelling, just like other subject areas, can be a focus of writing. I’m therefore suggesting that you invite your students to keep a spelling journal. The spelling journal is intended to be both a resource collection (such as lists of common words, pages for the students to fill in words they want to remember, or activities done during your weekly lessons) and a home for children’s thoughts and ideas about spelling. At the end of most of the lessons, I’ve included a writing topic for children to do in their journals. Each writing idea is meant to be a suggestion for reflecting on the lesson, and shouldn’t be seen as a rigid prompt. Here’s how I’d introduce the journal: Every week when we do spelling lessons, I’m going to ask you to write something about what you thought about the lesson or what you learned. We’re going to have spelling journals to keep all these ideas in one place. This will also be a place to keep lists of wor
