Buddy Journals

Have you tried buddy journals?

My first graders used to write to fourth graders and it was so much fun! These buddy journals taught my first graders how to write letters and gave the students in both classes a fun, real reason to write! 

I saved this particular journal because both students happened to move during the school year. It is a little old (only from 2007!!), so the pages have wrinkled some but they are still so cute to read. 

"Dear Daniel, My favorite sport is soccer. My favorite color is blue. I have a dog. Do you have a dirt bike? Do you have a cat? Your friend, Seth"

"Dear Seth, I do not have a dirt bike but I do have a motorcycle. And I do have a dog. But I do not have a cat. My favorite color is blue too."

You can see here that I wrote out some of the inventive spelling so his buddy could read it! I tried to stay away from writing on their letters as much as possible, but sometimes had to so their buddy would fully understand what they were trying to say. 

The relationship these kids formed by doing these buddy journals was amazing. They were so excited each week to trade journals and see what their buddy had to say. My favorite part was that it was a "real" writing experience which we often lack in school!