Research Reading Journal

This research reading journal can be used as part of a writing unit, for students to keep track of any research that they do in the process, or it can be used in an informational reading unit where students follow one topic for an extended period of time.

In my classroom, I run research clubs, where students work together to research a topic. These are usually mixed-level groups with a variety of source types. My end product varies: in the past, students have created posters, podcasts, trivia games, dioramas, or just good old essays.

As a teacher who tends toward disorganization and chaos, I really rely on coping strategies like reading and writing journals to keep track of my students’ progress. It’s not a good look to tell parents that I can’t find their child’s work and that it’s fallen into the black hole of either my desk or their child’s desk.

I have included a blank assignments page at the end, in case you do not want to use every assignment in the journal. Simply replace the regular assignments page with the blank one and have students fill out the name of the assignments that are due.