Morning Journals: A Pathway to Improved 3rd Grade Writing Skills

Third grade is the beginning of a new type of school for learners. We all know the saying they first learn to read so then they can read to learn, and in third grade, they are really starting to use more analyzing skills and higher-order thinking when it comes to literacy. This also means they need to be doing more 3rd grade writing whether it’s for written comprehension or creating writing pieces in general. But how do we motivate our students to write every day so they build these important skills without becoming bored?

Why Do I Need to Use 3rd Grade Journals?

While third grade comes with even more capability and independence from your students, it also comes with the huge pressures of end-of-grade testing. This can make it more difficult to keep that love of learning alive in your students and can start to compress the time you have to teach other important subjects, such as writing. While we know writing is such an important tool for students to express what they know, think, and feel, we can feel the pressure to teach more to the test.

This is where 3rd grade journal prompts can really shine. These writing prompts can be used even on the busiest of days. This means even when preparing them as much as we can to master other third grade standards that we can still focus on learning important writing skills.

3rd Grade Journals Make Daily Writing a Real Possibility

Why a 3rd grade journal? These project and write morning work slides are perfect for a no-prep morning activity that engages your students right from the start. You will love knowing that they have already completed a writing piece at the very beginning of your day and they will love the predictability of the routine, the engaging prompts, and the chance to express themselves. Even better? You never have to worry about running out of copies or preparing a bell ringer again since you will have a whole year already prepared!

How Does it Work?

All you need to do is select the morning journal you want your students to work on, project it onto your SMARTboard, whiteboard, or even a plain white surface in your classroom, and watch the magic happen. Every one of the 3rd grade journal prompts includes a writing prompt with an example layout or response so students understand the format and have a visual expectation.

The predictable format means you can teach the requirements once and not every week of the year. This means your students can spend more time writing and less time asking questions about what they need to do. This also means you can have more time to complete all of your morning duties (and drink your coffee!)

What Is Included?

This 3rd grade writing bundle includes over 200 third grade morning work slides. These 40 weeks of journals come in both editable PowerPoint and Google Slide formats so you can choose which works best for your classroom. Students will only need a spiral notebook and a pencil to complete their journals with. Printable prompts are also included if you need a technology-free version, want to include some in your emergency sub tub, or need to send some home!

Each week the 3rd grade journal prompts follow the same predictable schedule:

Make Your Case Monday: Opinion Writing

Teach Me Tuesday: Informational Writing

Wordplay Wednesday: Grammar

Tell a Thursday: Narrative Writing

Free Write Friday: Write and draw about anything you want or use the prompt provided.

The entire bundle of 3rd grade writing is editable so you can make it work for your particular group of students. This also means you could edit prompts to fit the needs of different small groups if you wanted to use it in that format instead of a whole group activity.

As a bonus you will also have access to over twenty journal covers for students to print and glue on their notebooks or to print on labels for a no-prep activity. There is also calming classical music to play while students work to help them focus.

Benefits of Daily 3rd Grade Writing

With all of the pressures and even anxieties that can come with end-of-grade testing in the upper grades, it is even more important that we still make time to focus on 3rd grade writing. We know that everything in literacy is connected, and therefore we must work on writing to help our students become stronger readers. Having a designated daily writing time allows us to focus on grammar, spelling, and other mechanics of writing that are still important for our students to complete assignments and write strong pieces that show they know what they are talking about.

Perhaps even more importantly, these 3rd grade journal prompts can be a built-in way to continue to grow your classroom community. As you check student journals or even have them share in author’s chair this opens the floor to student debate on different opinions, finding connections about shared life experiences, and can create student friendships that otherwise might not form. This can even be the chance for you to find out more about your students than you would from other academic opportunities.

You will love that your students are getting the chance to complete 3rd grade writing every day, how easily it fits into your schedule, and the variety of ways you can use these prompts. They make a fantastic option for morning work but you can also incorporate them as homework, a writing center, formative writing assessments, and a through-the-year writing portfolio. Students will love to show their 3rd grade journal at student-led conferences to show how much they have improved over the year and parents will love learning more about what their student thinks and knows on various subjects.

What Teachers are Saying

“We use this resource for morning work to start our day. I love that it provides a visual of what the student’s notebook should look like, it’s easy for the students to follow. The prompts are engaging.”

— Bartlett’s Brainy Bunch ★★★★★

“I loved this! I used the primary grades version and I needed the intermediate grade version. Love how it is set up. Makes my life easier for sure!”

— Julia Z. ★★★★★

“This was a good tool to build confidence writing paragraphs with my ELA intervention time. I love the built in music and how easy it is to implement!”

— Elizabeth D. ★★★★★

“I’ve had this on my wishlist for a while and finally purchased it. I am loving using it for morning work and it has really saved me time. I no longer have to think of journal prompts every day and students know the routine.”

— MBB Creations ★★★★★

“The 3rd Grade Morning Work and Writing Prompts Journal is a fantastic resource that provides engaging prompts for the entire year. The prompts are thoughtfully designed to spark creativity and encourage daily writing practice. This journal is a great way to start the day, helping students develop strong writing habits and skills throughout the year.”

— Linda T. ★★★★★

Try A Free Week of Third Grade Prompts!

Check out this page to choose which free 3rd grade journal prompts you want to try in your classroom this week. See how easy they are to incorporate and how motivated your third graders are to write!

Why Should You Use A 3rd Grade Journal with Your Students?

• No More Morning Rush. Forget last-minute copy trips and utilize this no-prep digital resource to begin a new morning routine that works for you and your students.
• Consistent Writing Practice. Daily, consistent practice is the best way to improve student writing skills. Ensure your students are writing daily by making these 3rd grade writing journals part of your schedule.
• Constant Engaging Prompts. Don’t worry about continuing to come up with writing prompts for your students. With over 200 prompts included, you have more than enough to use every day of the school year!

Read on to find new ways to use writing prompts!