Table of Contents
Introduction
In this Keeping a Journal Lesson Plan, students will develop their writing skills through regular journaling activities.
By encouraging students to reflect on their daily lives, share their thoughts, and explore their creativity, this lesson plan provides an excellent way to foster consistent writing habits.
Through journaling, learners can freely express themselves without the pressure of being overly corrected, making it an ideal activity for building writing fluency and confidence.
Lesson Plan Overview
Keeping a Journal Lesson Plan
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Duration: Ongoing (Weekly or Monthly Submissions)
Objective:
- Encourage regular writing practice and self-expression in English.
- Develop students’ writing fluency through personal reflection.
- Build students’ confidence in writing without fear of over-correction.
Materials:
- Notebooks (one per student)
- Pens
- Optional: Printed list of journal prompts for student reference
Time:
- 15-20 minutes per class for journaling
- Weekly or bi-weekly review sessions with teacher feedback
Objectives:
- Train students to write regularly in English.
- Encourage self-expression and creativity through personal writing.
- Improve sentence structure, coherence, and fluency in a low-pressure environment.
- Build students’ writing stamina.
Keeping a Journal Lesson Plan: Procedure
- Introduction to Journaling
- Explain to students the benefits of keeping a journal to improve their writing and practice thinking in English. Stress that they can write freely about anything they wish.
- Emphasize that spelling and grammar won’t be overly corrected, allowing them to express themselves without worry.
- Prompt Ideas
- Distribute a list of writing prompts (or display them in the classroom) to help students get started. Tell them that they are free to use any prompt or write about something else.
- Remind students that their writing can be as short as a sentence or as long as a full page, depending on how much they want to share.
- Writing in Class
- Set aside 15-20 minutes at the start or end of class for students to write in their journals. This could be done daily, weekly, or bi-weekly, depending on class frequency and time constraints.
- Encourage students to reflect on their daily life, dreams, experiences, and imagination. Offer guidance if students struggle to start writing.
- Teacher Feedback
- Collect journals once a week, fortnight, or monthly depending on the schedule you set.
- Offer brief feedback. Avoid heavy correction, but provide positive comments or questions to encourage students to expand on their ideas. Example comments:
- “I enjoyed reading about your weekend!”
- “Tell me more about your dream vacation!”
- “I see you like movies—what’s your favorite one?”
- Class Sharing (Optional)
- Once in a while, ask students to share their journal entries with a partner or the class. This can help foster community and allow students to practice their speaking skills.
Prompts for Journals
Personal Reflection
- What happened on my way to school today
- My favorite subject and why
- Something that made me laugh today
- My biggest goal for this year
- What I’m doing this weekend
Imagination & Fantasy
- My pet turned into a monster…
- The day I flew to the moon…
- If I could have three wishes, I would wish for…
- I woke up this morning and everything was strange…
- If I were invisible for a day, I would…
Dreams and Aspirations
- Ten things I want to do in my lifetime
- When I leave school, I want to…
- My dream school looks like…
- In 20 years, I will be…
Fears and Excitement
- My biggest fear is…
- The most exciting thing I have ever done is…
- I feel happiest when…
- I really hate it when…
- My most embarrassing moment was…
Follow-Up Activity: Reflection Writing
- Reflection Paragraphs
- After a few weeks of journaling, ask students to write a longer reflection on a topic they’ve enjoyed writing about in their journal. They can choose any topic they’ve explored and expand it into a full paragraph or short essay.
- Class Discussion (Optional)
- Hold a group discussion where students share how journaling has helped them with their writing or thinking in English. Ask them about any favorite entries or prompts they found interesting.
Homework
- Encourage students to continue journaling at home if they can. Remind them that the more they write, the easier it will become.
Conclusion
Journaling is a powerful way to help EFL/ESL students improve their writing skills while expressing themselves freely.
This activity encourages regular writing practice in a low-pressure environment, building confidence and fluency over time. By giving students the freedom to explore different topics, teachers can foster creativity, reflection, and personal growth in their writing journeys.
