Running head: IMPACT OF DIALOGUE JOURNALS ON AN EL STUDENT

Impact of Dialogue Journals on an EL Student

Belen Gamboa

Loyola Marymount University

Writing is a difficult task for many students because it can be a very complex process. It involves higher organizational skills with that of basic transitional skills of handwriting and spelling. Writing involves the ability to apply learned vocabulary, grammatical rules, and present ones thoughts in both an organized and logical manner. (Lenski 10) Sara is a seven year old student at Saint Thomas the Apostle School. She is in the second grade class, which consists of 30 students. Saras first language is Spanish and her second is English. Sara stated in a conversation that she speaks only Spanish to her mother and both English and Spanish to her father. In September, Sara took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and her performance overall in English Language Arts indicate that she is below grade level. Her ELA composite was 1.6 (First grade, sixth month). This test provides a snapshot of her academic performance. Through her writing, it is apparent that Sara does not have the writing skills necessary to create meaningful sentences. Her writing lacks correct grammar, syntax and punctuation usage. Often times, her writing is very phonetic. However, with guidance she is able to self-correct orally but not in a written format. The purpose of this research is to study the effects of implementing research based writing strategies on an English learner focus student who is currently displaying difficulties in writing. This research aims to answer the following question: What impact will

these research based writing strategies have on her writing overall?

Literature Review Dialogue journals place an emphasis on communication between the student and the teacher, thus promoting literacy. Learners can choose to write about various topics of interest and can be shaped by current curriculum topics and goals. The writing can vary from descriptions, narratives, complaints or arguments depending upon the topic chosen. The teacher and learner are communicating regularly which allows the learner to increase confidence and grow in their writing skill (Peyton 2000). When a teacher responds they can serve as a model of correct English usage. Therefore, it allows learners to use reading and writing in purposeful ways and provides a natural, comfortable bridge to other kinds of writing (Peyton 2000). Kim, (2011) further notes, it provides a process that can support L1 and L2 progress. For young children dialogue journals consist of three main components: writings, drawings, and the teachers regular responses. The journals are a gateway for childrens self expression and allow them the opportunity to share their opinions about events freely. This in turn promotes literacy development and offers insights about their lives. It enhances reading and learning by providing the context for

learning. When students share their writings and drawings, it offers useful resources for examining clear sequences of L2 literacy practice and development (Kim 2011).

Dialogue journals can strengthen student-teacher relationships because it is continuing conversation between the writer and teacher. Anderson et. al, (2011) further note, students seem more likely to feel supported by teachers who make efforts to know them personally and use effective ways of communicating positively. Furthermore, these journals provide an alternative way for educators to communicate oneon-one with students. This will potentially strengthen the studentteacher relationship (Anderson et. al 2011). The role of social interaction in dialogue journals can lead to students thinking more critically. Garmon (2001) further comments, the idea of promoting a continuing exchange of ideas between teacher and student seems to be congruent with Vygotskys view on the role of language and social interaction in learning. As the teacher identifies the learners current level, they can guide them toward higher levels of knowledge and understanding. Garmon, (2001) states teachers can, push their students to higher levels of cognitive

development by virtue of the challenges provided via the instructors written comments.

Cycle 1: Establish a Baseline In second grade, students are taught the writing process so they can become stronger writers. Since the beginning of the year, students have been given various topics to write about. Some topics include: What Kind of Pet Would You Like?, Writing About Fall, Writing About Winter, Black History Month, How to, etc. Students then are guided through the writing process beginning with bubble maps/drawings for pre-writing. Looking at Saras drafts of her writing pieces, she is not writing at the level of her classmates. Figure 1 closely looks at her drafts of two writing pieces. Figure 1: Writing Drafts Collected by Teacher Writing Assignmen t Winter Writing Capitalization/Punctua tion - All sentences are missing capital letters and end marks. -Most sentences are missing capital letters and end marks. Grammar/Synt Ideas/Content ax -In most sentences, grammar rules are not applied. -In some sentences grammar rules are not applied. -Subtopics are not supported by details. 3 sentences (run on) -Subtopics are not supported by details 5 sentences (some run on)

Black History Month Writing

Saras writing samples clearly demonstrate that her writing

performance is not at grade level. In both of these samples, her ideas are not well-developed in her writing.

Cycle II: Intervention and New Benchmark Before the intervention was introduced, I spoke to Sara regarding her personal writing journal. In the journal, I glued four paper pockets and explained that inside she would find writing topics and picture cards. Sara would choose a writing topic and would write in her journal. Once she turned it in, I would comment on what she wrote. During the two-week intervention, Sara would choose a writing topic independently, with the exception of the first day. She chose topics that interested her such as, What kind of pet do you think a teacher should get for their classroom? Appendix A shows the writing topics that were found in the pockets and which topics Sara chose to write about. I allowed Sara fifteen minutes prior to dismissal to take out her writing journal from her desk and to start writing. After the two-week intervention was implemented, Sara drafted another writing piece. This time, the topic was on Spring. Figure 2 shows the results after two weeks of journal writing. Figure 2: Data Collected After Implementation Writing Capitalization/Punctua Grammar/Synt Ideas/Content Assignmen t tion ax Spring - All sentences have -grammar -Subtopics are

Writing

capital letters and two sentences are missing end marks.

rules are applied

supported by details. 2 sentences per subtopic 6 sentences total (2 run on)

Analyze Intervention and Reflection Based on the results, her draft writing piece, after the intervention, was a stronger piece than the two other writing drafts before the intervention. However, I would need more data to fully prove that the writing journals did in fact play a major role in her ability to write sentences that were more grammatically correct compared to the drafts before the intervention. The journal entries varied in length during the two-week period. Sara would sometimes go off topic. For example, in her journal entry of describing her first bike riding experience, she wrote a how-to piece. She would capitalize but would fail to add the appropriate punctuation. Oftentimes, Sara would not want to elaborate on the topic, instead when asked if she wanted to add more, she would state no. During the intervention, Sara would participate more during class discussions. As I started to know more about Sara through the topics she would write about, I would encourage Sara to participate when it was relevant. During our class discussion on How-to writing, I asked

Sara to share with the class her journal entry in which she explained how to ride a bike. Most of the time, however; I would see Sara raising her hand more frequently and her motivation of sharing increasing. Furthermore, the use of the dialogue journal proved effective during the two week intervention as Sara participated more in class and her draft had more meaningful constructed sentences.

Appendix A Whats the most important thing you would like to do this summer? Go for a walk. Write a sentence about the walk you went on. What is your favorite thing to do when you play outside? *What is your favorite thing to do when you play inside? Tell about what you will be when you grow up. Write about what you would like to do for your next birthday. *If you could go on a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go? Make a list of groceries that you think mom or dad should buy for you from the store. *Tell about an animal you would like to have for a pet. What would you do if there was a dragon stuck under your bed? What is the funniest thing that you have ever seen? *What did you do today?

What is something you would like to learn more about? *What kind of pet do you think a teacher should get for their classroom? What is the best movie you have ever seen? Tell about your most favorite book. *Tell about your favorite food. *Tell about your favorite holiday. Tell why it is your favorite. Tell about your favorite restaurant. Tell why it is your favorite. Write a haiku poem about nature. *Do you have a bike? Write about when you first learned how to ride a bike. *What is something you love about yourself? If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? Make a list of the things you are most thankful for in your life. *Which season do you like the most? Why? Which season do you like the least? Why? * Topics Sara chose to write about

References Anderson, D. H., Nelson, J., Richardson, M., Webb, N., & Young, E. L. (2011). Using dialogue journals to strengthen the student-teacher relationship: a comparative case study. College Student Journal, 45(2), 269-287 Garmon, M. (2001). The benefits of dialogue journals: what prospective teachers say. Teacher Education Quarterly, 28(4), 37-50. Kim, D. (2011). A Young English Learner's L2 Literacy Practice through Dialogue Journals. Journal Of Reading Education, 36(3), 27-34.

Peyton, J., & National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education, W. C. (2000). Dialogue Journals: Interactive Writing To Develop Language and Literacy. Revised. ERIC Q&A.