Generalization is the death of good instruction. Clear, simple steps ensure that the educational benefits of any lesson get delivered effectively. LitART provides four steps to set up the Journal Response.

1. Establish Prompts. Prompts get the juices flowing. Typically we advocate using four prompts: two are provided in the MAPs section of the instructor's thematic notebook, the third choice is free writing, and the fourth is to continue yesterday's writing.

2. Get Ready. Sometimes students need a catalyst before writing. Quick Talk provides them with a chance to get ideas from each other before beginning. Give them one minute to talk to a partner about one of the prompts, and then get into it.

3. Provide Writing Time. It's important to allocate enough time to the journal writing segment. At least 10 minutes should be set aside everyday for the Journal Response.

4. Use a Sharing Strategy. Remember, writing is communication in print. Therefore, the students should be communicating after their 10 minutes are up. LitART provides several different sharing strategies to ensure students share their writing with each other.