Based on the idea that journal writing can help students discover gaps in their knowledge and explore relationships by allowing them to reflect on what they have learned, a study examined the usefulness of expressive journal writing in a first grade mathematics program. Subjects, members of a first grade classroom involved in a "hands-on" mathematics program, were asked to record in journals their impressions of what they were learning over an 18-week period. They were often asked motivating questions such as "What did I learn or discover this week at Math Centers?" Results showed that students used writing for four distinct purposes: (1) self-questioning, (2) organizing information, (3) assimilating and accommodating information, and (4) making guesses. As students became more comfortable with writing to learn rather than writing to display knowledge, they began to ask questions in their journals, order their experiences chronologically, connect new experiences with old, reflect on wrong answers as well as correct ones, and make guesses. The findings suggest that expressive writing makes learning active and personal, and does not relegate students to learning only by memorizing, transcribing, and recalling. (JC)