“FOUR FOR FRIDAY” (FFF)
4 Journal Entries Due Each Friday
In order to encourage reflective writing, my homework consists of diary or
journal writing. The homework is the same throughout the entire school year.
Journal entries MUST BE HANDWRITTEN - I WILL NOT ACCEPT COMPUTER-GENRATED
ENTRIES.
The requirements are:
• Write for about 10 minutes at least 4 times per week, on whichever
days you choose.
• Date each entry - including the day of the week - and underline the
date.
• Write this diary in a composition book, or an actual diary
or "journal" if possible.
• Bring the diary into class on the last school day of the week
(usually Friday) to be graded.
• Grading is strictly on completion of the assignment, not on the
quality or content of the writing, or on spelling and grammar.
• Late homework may be turned in the first day of the following week, but
will be marked off 50%.
• I do NOT read the entries, so students may feel free to truly express
their feelings. It is a private journal.
• Writing may be informal and slang is okay. Only rule: no cursing or
foul language.
• Emoticons and other drawings are okay to include, but the majority of
the entry should be written.
• The topic is anything that happened that day, or that they thought
about. Feelings may be described as well.
The BEST part about this homework is that, at the end of the year, the
student has a real diary of 6th grade. I believe that this is a great
keepsake for them to look back on when they're older.
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From Wikipedia:
A diary is a record (originally in written book format) with discrete entries
arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or
other period. Diaries undertaken for institutional purposes play a role in
many aspects of human civilization, including government records (e.g.,
Hansard), business ledgers and military records. Schools or parents may teach
or require children to keep diaries in order to encourage the expression of
feelings and to promote thought.
Generally the term is today employed for personal diaries, in which the
writer may detail more personal information and normally intended to remain
private or to have a limited circulation amongst friends or relatives. The
word "journal" may be sometimes used for "diary," but generally one writes
daily in a diary, whereas journal-writing can be less frequent.
