They have much to say and once they get going, they forget about how many words they've written. I think they get excited when they start talking about something and just write and write and write. The value of the journal is getting to know the students. I think the students also become more comfortable with me through the journals. I certainly feel comfortable with them.
Students take risks with the new grammar they're learning.
One of the reasons why I keep giving their compositions back for revision is that they can get a hundred percent on them. I allow them to take risks because they can rewrite them as many times as they want. I really think students should be allowed to make all the corrections possible. I'll underline what's wrong without telling them what's wrong. They have to go through that process.