We prepared as much as possible.

I selected books for kids of all ages and types, as well as a box full of coloured markers, crayons, stickers, and blank journals to give to each of them.

I asked them to write answers to questions and prompts about the books in their prescribed journals.

Decorating the room was creating a nook: placing bean bags, cushions, and rugs around, creating a comfortable and welcoming space where they feel like relaxing with their journal.

I put books on the chosen shelf so they can reach the books easily.

A key factor in its success was that we did it together.

We met briefly to discuss the goals of the Interactive Reading Journals and how we could all support the children in their journaling.

For instance, we asked children what topics they had been learning about, what questions they still had, and what books interested them.

Then we split the children up into small groups of two, three or four, each supervised by an educator.

Through the activity, we modelled reading through to the groups, allowing the children to think about the picture and respond to the story in their journals.

Download and customise the PDF template for the Interactive Reading Journal to fit your needs.

Best Tips and Tricks

Among the best advice I can give is to keep the prompts simple and open-ended, especially for smaller children: for instance, questions such as ‘What was your favourite part of the story?’ and ‘How do you think the character felt?’

Also, asking them to construct their responses by drawing (as well as by writing or dictating) is helpful for different developmental levels.

Another trick: stickers and other fancy stick-ons and colour pictures.

Including these three things will drive kids crazy.

One of the issues was making sure that every child’s voice could be heard, especially those who were less verbally expressive.

While we asked everyone to ‘write’ in their journal, as a group we made rules for how they could.

If children weren’t able to write clearly or didn’t want to draw, they were encouraged to use pictures or scribbles to make their entry.

The second was time – as the children worked independently at their own pace, some finished their journals in the 40 minutes allowed, while others didn’t.

We solved this by having additional activities ready for those who finished early, like creating story-related crafts.

References and Further Reading

References

• Chall, J. S. (1983). Stages of Reading Development. McGraw-Hill.

• Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Basic Books.

Other articles you might like

Learning Through Play

Home Reading Tips

DIY Learning Materials