Journals of science - use of journal writing in teaching science - includes a related article on enhancing students' learning from science journals

Instructor, Oct, 1998 by Lynne Kepler

When my oldest son was in first grade, I did a science activity with his class using Indian corn. I assigned one child in each small group the role of recorder, and these recorders wrote down the words their group members used to describe their ear of corn.

This activity took place fairly early in the school year, so I was a little concerned about how the recording would go. But the results were very exciting: Each group came up with a wonderful collection of words, the children eagerly shared their written observations, and they loved seeing their descriptions hanging on the wall.

This experience helped convince me that writing is a very important part of teaching science. Writing allows children to communicate their observations and ideas while reinforcing their understanding of key science concepts. Eight years later, I am still delighted to see how much my students and I can learn from writing in our class science journal.

A Simple Notebook

My third graders keep a science journal on a regular basis. It's nothing fancy - just a simple 7-by-9-inch notebook.

Because one of my goals is to have my students gain a sense of nature and their place in it, our science journal focuses on the natural world. Students begin each school day by writing the date and responding to a prompt that is written on the board.

Though I am the one who writes the prompts, they are not always my ideas. Sometimes they come from questions the kids ask as we explore a science topic. Other times I write a prompt that relates to our science curriculum. For example, prior to our unit on the water cycle, I used the following prompt: "We haven't had any rain for a couple of weeks. So why was the grass wet this morning?"

Prompting the students' journal entries allows me to activate their prior knowledge. Prompts also allow me to focus students' writing. I can have them list observations, summarize information, or reflect on what they have learned. I also encourage students to draw in the science journals to help explain their thoughts.

Journal writing in my class isn't limited to responding to prompts. I always have students make entries on their own, especially when we are studying topics that are easy for kids to observe and write about. For example, I encourage students to make their own entries about phases of the moon, or during our unit on birds in the spring.

Shared Science Journal

Keep one notebook for your entire classroom focusing on one subject. An aquarium, classroom pet, or the seasonal changes viewed from the classroom window are all easy subjects with which to sustain a class journal. For younger students, you may wish to either have them dictate their observations or let their entries take the form of drawings.

Before-During-After Journal

If you are looking for a way to use journals in conjunction with the curriculum activities you are doing in science class, try this format:

Give each student a loose-leaf holder or notebook. For each activity, design a three-part journal entry. Part one provides space for students to write down their hypotheses, or what they think will happen during the activity. Part two is for students to write down their observations, data, or responses to questions that you have given them. The final part of their journal entry is for students to think about their conclusions or what they learned from the activity and to record their thoughts.

SCIENCE JOURNAL TIPS

To help your students get the most out of their science journals, keep these things in mind:

* Select a format that matches your goals for your students. The beauty of using science journals is that you can tailor them to fit the needs and interests of your classroom. Consider whether you will use journals for a lot of quick experiments, long-term thematic projects, or ongoing observations.

* Make sure that students get in the habit of dating all their entries. Conclusions can be drawn and concepts built based on time lapses and the analyses of patterns of results over time. Dating entries will also help reinforce using the journals regularly.

* Be consistent. Students will feel very comfortable writing if they can rely on a regular format and a designated time.

* Keep your own science journal and share it with students from time to time. You can provide a great model for what there is to discover through regular science journaling.

* Don't forget the value of a drawing. "A picture is worth a thousand words" is particularly true when it comes to keeping science journals. Drawing pictures helps children express abstract ideas and observations.

* Avoid grading journal entries. When students know something is being graded, they are more likely to put down only what they think the teacher wants to see. Science journal writing is not about the "right answers," but should be an enjoyable laboratory in which children explore the journey of science learning.

Lynne Kepler is a third-grade teacher at Clarion Limestone Elementary School in Strattanville, Pennsylvania. She has written a number of books on teaching science, including A Year of Hands-on Science (Scholastic Professional Books, 1996).