Correspondence Journals: Talk That Matters

Correspondence journals between adults and elementary‐school students promote child‐centered discussion and learning that is often squeezed out of our curricula. Through an extended example of an exchange of letters between a fifth‐grade classroom, including several English‐language learners, and a university classroom of preservice teachers, the author describes how these writing exchanges are a powerful tool for student reflection and risk taking. They offer children an opportunity to experiment with ways to position themselves in their writing, to gain distance on themselves and on their learning, and to engage in conversation about literacy with literate adult role models. Classroom teachers, rather than being mere bystanders, also benefit from these exchanges. The reflective teacher, as the informed observer, can use the correspondence journals to take on three professional roles: to become a connector who puts together the literacy pieces of their students' writing lives; to act as the challenger who pushes the child up the ladder of development while providing needed assistance; and to serve as a namer who, as Frank Smith would say, names the children as members of the literacy club.