Using a Scripture Journal

Many teachers use a Scripture Journal to help students retain information they are being taught or to help themselves with personal study. Here are some ideas for using a scripture journal that will give you lots of ideas.

Occasional Use During Class

My friend DeAnn purchase a composition notebook for each student for use as a scripture journal. Into this book they paste quotes and are assigned to write FITs (Feelings, Impressions, & Thoughts) based on the quote. Sometimes she might ask them to write about a particular passage, especially a scripture mastery. They might write how they can apply that scripture in their lives or describe a time when a passage helped them. This book is private, and the information is rarely, if ever, shared with the class.

Use Scripture Journals as a Review Tool or Devotional

Tell the students to open their scriptures to the passages you will be covering during today's lesson (it might corresponds with last night's reading). Explain their writing prompt (they might summarize the material, describe the feelings of a person in the verse, make a list about something in the passage, liken the scripture to their past, present, or future lives, or something else, write how they will teach this topic to their children, prepare a 2 minute talk based on the passage, etc.). Set a timer to a few minutes minutes (5-7) for them to write.

While the timer is going walk around the class and look at the work students are doing. Offer words of encouragement. Remind them when they have 60 seconds left.

After time is up, invite a few students to share what they wrote to the class. This can serve as a devotional or attention-getter. It's also a useful tool to prepare students for material that will come up during the lesson.

You could also use the timer approach at the end of class to keep a lesson from going over.

From The Seminary Manual

Here's what the Seminary manual says:

Some people keep a journal in which they write the main idea of what they read, how they feel about what they read, or how they think what they read applies to their life. If you are using this manual for home-study seminary, you are required to keep a notebook to receive credit. This notebook will be like a scripture journal.

It is also good to talk with others about what you read. Writing down some notes so that you remember what you want to talk about and discussing what you learned will help you understand and remember more of what you read.

As Your Personal Index - From the Redheaded Hostess

The Redheaded Hostess has scripture journaling down to a fine art. She suggests that instead of writing in your scripture journal by passage you write in your journal by TOPIC. Using her method, you might record impressions, but the emphasis will be on writing doctrine you learn from the scriptures.

You can choose several topics you'd like to study and then study those one at a time, or you could start reading a book of scripture and add topics to your journal as you come across them. Here's where RHH describes her journal set up.

You could apply this method of journaling to a multi-year seminary program very easily using a 3-ring binder. Students can add pages and quotes into their journals as they are taught, alphabetically by topic. At the end of Seminary, students would have a fantastic resource chock-full of information for preparing lessons, talks, and for enhancing their own study later. RHH is using hers as heirloom gifts for her children. Beautiful idea.

Here are some samples of the Red Headed Hostess's journals for you to see

Here are some more links to her great information
http://www.theredheadedhostess.com/category/scripture-study-2/scripture-... - Quotes from her journals

http://www.theredheadedhostess.com/category/scripture-study-2/scripture-... - Journal tips

How are you using scripture journals?

Please, PLEASE share your ideas on using scripture journals below!