Using the

1
Writer's Notebook

• Using the
• Writers Notebook
• with
• Secondary Students

2
A notebook can be boring, routine,
non-personalsomething students trash at the
end of the year. Or A notebook can be
the clearing in a forest of your life, a place
where you can be alone and content as you play
with outrage and wonder, details and gossip,
language and dreams, plots and subplots,
perceptions and small epiphanies. Ralph
Fletcher
What the notebook becomes is up to you, the
teacher. Oh the power you hold in your handsthe
power to change lives.
3
A Writers Notebook is . . .

• a nonthreatening place to write
• a place to record memories
• a place to savor life
• a place to explore the world and feelings
• a place to record observations
• a place to wonder, question, challenge
• a place to organize, analyze
• a place to collect ideas for writing
• a place to plan for writing
• a place to live like a writer
• a tool to improve writing fluency
• a tool to use across the curriculum

4
Slowly, as I continued to write in my notebook,
I began to view myself as a writer. I had
thoughts, feelings, opinions, reactions, and
memories to record. I became more observant of
people and of my surroundings, and I began to
feel the urge to write down things that
previously would have seemed insignificant. I
squeezed a lot of artifacts between the pages of
my notebooks and wrote about the experiences that
were tied to them. But, more important, I found
that I did some of my best thinking when I wrote.
When I had opinions, thoughts, or reactions to
express, I grabbed my notebook so that I could
disentangle them on paper. Some of these
entries have led to letters, poems, tributes,
op-eds, and other forms of published
writing. A writers notebook can be
seductive in a good sort of way. It tugs at
your elbow, enticing you to write just a little
about this or thatuntil you realize that you
are living a writerly life! -- Ralph
Fletcher
5
GETTING STARTED

• SELECTING A NOTEBOOK
• -- inviting
• -- sturdy
• -- convenient to carry
• -- affordable
• -- you can have all students get the same
  notebook (composition notebooks are sturdy
  and affordable), or
• -- you can have students select their own
  notebook
• -- make sure you get a notebook, too!

Getting a journal is like buying shoes. You have
to find one that fits. -- Jean Little
6
GUIDELINES

• write name/school on inside cover in case it
  gets lost
• keep notebook close at hand and in a safe
  place (may want to keep in class and only let
  students take them home if they beg!)
• date and number all entries
• leave 1-2 spaces between each entry
• cross out dont erase/tear out/throw away
• mistakes are OK conventions not the focus
• write often
• add special mementos, artifacts
• be respectful of your writing and the writing
  of others
• create an Ideas page at the very back (opt.)

7
IDEAS

• Within every person is a drama, a tragedy, and
  a comedy. -- Mark Twain
• Most of the basic material a writer works with
  is acquired before the age of 15.
  -- Willa Cather
• We cannot give students rich lives, but we can
  give them the lens to appreciate the richness
  that is already there.
  -- Lucy Calkins
• As teachers, it is our job to validate the
  lives of our students by honoring their
  thoughts, feelings, and daily experiences.
  -- Janet Elliott

8
IDEAS Process

• With students create a web for fear or any
  other emotion/topic. On the spokes, list
  things people fear as students contribute.
• Ask students to make their own fear webs in
  their notebooks.
• Have students circle one that they want to
  write about.
• Have students do a quick write (3-5 minutes)
  on the fear they selected.
• Allow students to share what they wrote.
• Ask students to record any additional ideas
  from the share session on their Ideas page.

9
IDEAS More Webs
Have students process ideas from the previous
slide using the following
memories of food surprises pets friends school family heroes hobbies weather music nature celebrations sports clothes birthdays/holidays dreams
10
IDEAS Lists
Continue having students process ideas from
slide 9
ways I like to relax things that are difficult things I love things that annoy me things that frighten me things that are gross things I want to do/try things I want to forget things parents say things that are peaceful things I question keepsakes happy moments funny moments embarrassing moments irritating sounds mistakes Ive made favorite places favorite movies/tv shows favorite books favorite school memories people I admire places I want to visit concerns
11
IDEAS Topic Cards

• Give each student a laminated topic card.
• 2. Students write about whats on the card for
  2-3
• minutes.
• 3. Students pass their card to the next person,
• and repeat step 2.
• Repeat steps 2-3 four or five times.
• 5. Then have students select their favorite
  quick
• write and finish writing it.
• Allow students time to share before and after
• step 5.

12
IDEAS Give me 5
GREAT BEGINNING OF THE YEAR ACTIVITY
Have students trace around their hand and
write five things (one on each finger) they
they want others to know about them or
five things that dont think others know about
them.
13
IDEAS Pass the Photo

• As students enter the room, hand each of them
  an
• unusual photo cut from magazine ads.
• After studying the photos, students begin
  writing
• stories about them.
• After three minutes, students pass their photo
  and
• partial draft to the person on their left.
• Each student studies the new photo, reads what
  has
• already been written, and continues writing
  the
• story.
• This process continues for about five rounds.
• Papers are returned to the original author.
• Students get in groups and read their stories.
  
• Each group votes on the best story and reads it
  to
• the class.
• For homework, students can finish or revise
  their
• draft.

14
IDEAS Maps

• favorite place maps
• job maps
• life maps

15
IDEAS Mementos/Artifacts
My journal is the heart of my writing. There I
record dreams, memories, funny happenings and
wild ideas. Free to play, I write in different
directions and colors I draw, I tape in leaves,
notes, boarding passes. From such compost,
poems, stories, and even novels grow.
--George Ella Lyon
16
IDEAS Mementos/Artifacts
Mementos serve as a catalyst for our memories.
-- Janet Elliot Collect mementos and record the
memories.
17
IDEAS Mementos/Artifacts
PHOTOGRAPHS are fragile paper timeships dusted
with information. Photographer Joel
Meyerowitz
18
IDEAS Sketches
SKETCHES are quick and simple. When writers
sketch or draw, they think more deeply about that
person or object. Sketch a neighbor, friend,
teacher, family member, favorite places, or
objects.
MENTOR TEXT Maxs Logbook, by Marissa Moss
19
IDEAS Wonderings
WHAT DO YOU WONDER ABOUT? Why are bubbles
round? How did the zebra get its stripes?
What is a black hole? What is the
Bermuda Triangle?
20
IDEAS Wonderings
Have students write down three things they wonder
about. Have them do this daily for several days
to get in the mind-set of wondering. You can
use one of the many question-and-answer books
like How Come? by Kahty Wollard (1993) that shows
how questions can lead to writing and even
research.
21
IDEAS Newspapers and Magazines

• Clip individual words, phrases,
• headings, cartoons, quotes,
• pictures, or articles that
• interest/irritate you and glue/tape it
• into your notebook.
• Write a personal response related to
• your clipping.

22
IDEAS Art

• View various paintings, sculptures,
• etc. Then record thoughts, feelings,
• interpretations.
• Give students clay or play dough to
• mold their own art (make a paper
• collage, do ink blots, or any other
• art activity). Then have them write
• about their creations.

23
IDEAS Music

• Have students write/sketch what they are thinking
  as they listen to various types of music.
• -- What does the song/music remind you of?
• -- How does it make you feel?
• -- How do the lyrics impact you? What is the
• message?
• -- When sketching to music, what does it
• cause you to draw wavy lines, circles,
• jagged lines?

24
OBSERVATIONS
Get in the habit of quietly
observing and
experiencing the world around you. Trust your
five senses to lead you to ideas, which are
everywhere, just waiting for you to connect with
themand make them your own.
25
OBSERVATIONS
As we develop a greater
awareness of our
surroundings and record the details, we gather
great material to use in future writing.
SPRINGBOARD Seinlanguage by Jerry Seinfeld
26
OBSERVATIONS Nature

• Have students divide a piece of paper into
  fourths and to categorize their observations into
  sight, touch, smell, and sound.
• 2.Take students outside to record their
  observations (no talking) or make this a homework
  assignment.

27
OBSERVATIONS Nature

1. Crawdad Creek (Sanders, 2002)
2. Snowflake Bentley (Martin (1998)
3. Snowflakes in Photographs (Bentley, 2000)
4. Sketching Outdoors in Winter (Arnosky, 1988)
5. Nature All Year Long (Leslie, 2002)

28
OBSERVATIONS People

• Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street (Schotter,
  1997)
• Have students take people notes when they go to
  the mall, movie theater, grocery store, hair
  salon, etc.
• Scribbled notes written about a seatmate on an
  airplane BIG hockey fanunbridled enthusiasm
  for EVERYTHING. Very, very fun guy. Dirty
  fingernails.

29
OBSERVATIONS Listening

• WHAT DO YOU HEAR?
• Listen in on snippets of conversation (with
  discretion, of course).
• Sit in a public place (restaurant, mall, library,
  locker, cafeteria line, football bleachers, etc.)
  and listen to snatches of talk the cadences of
  ordinary talk. -- Ralph Fletcher

30
OBSERVATIONS Listening
Janet Elliot wrote the following two-voice poem
after hearing an argument among employees in a
fast-food restaurant.
31
OBSERVATIONS Listening

• WORDS, WORDS, WORDS
• agreement
• ARGUMENT
• compliment
• CRITICISM
• soothing
• IRRITATING
• humorous
• ANGRY
• eloquent
• CRUDE
• helpful
• HURTING
• A gift
• or OR
• A CURSE
• words, WORDS,
• words, WORDS,

32
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
Literature has an impact on readers in different
ways. It connects us to past experiences, stirs
our emotions, and causes us to react,
wonder, or chuckle.
-- Janet Elliott
33
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
You Have to Write (Wong, 2002) Helps writers
realize that their daily lives are full of rich
writing material. Excerpt No one else can say
what you have seen, and heard, and felt today . .
. . Write about fights. Write about holes in
your socks, your grandmother cracking her
knuckles, your father snoring all night long.
34
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
Share powerful examples of memoir with your
students and discuss the differences between
memory (recalls what happened) and a memoir
(includes the reactions, thoughts, and emotions
that accompanied that memory). Writing a Life
Teaching Memoir to Sharpen Insight, Shape
Meaningand Triumph over Tests (Bomer, 2005)
35
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
MENTOR/ANCHOR TEXTSuse your favorite exemplary
texts to teach students about various types of
writing and refer to these texts throughout the
year.
36
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
MENTOR TEXTS for Teaching Memoir
CHAPTER BOOKS Marshfield Dreams When I Was
a Kid by Ralph Fletcher Looking Back A
book of Memories by Lois Lowry A Girl from
Yamhill by Beverly Cleary Small Steps The
Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret When I Was
Your Age Original Stories about Growing Up
(Vol. 2) edited by Amy Ehrlich Boy Tales of
Childhood by Roald Dahl But Ill be Back
Again by Cynthia Rylant Knots in my Yo-Yo
String, by Jerry Spinelli Many of these you can
just use one or two chapters.
37
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
MENTOR TEXTS for Teaching Memoir
PICTURE BOOKS When I Was Young In the
Mountains by Cynthia Rylant White Water by
Jonathan and Aaron London Fireflies by Julie
Brinckloe The Summer My Father Was Ten by
Pat Brisson The Keeping Quilt, by Patricia
Polacco
38
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
MENTOR TEXTS for Teaching Memoir
PICTURE BOOKS (Sensory Connections) The
Long Closet, by Jane Yolen (from When I Was
Your Age) The Hickory Chair, by Lisa Rowe
Fraustino Ma Dears Aprons, by Patricia
McKissack
39
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
MENTOR TEXTS for Teaching Memoir
HOLIDAY MEMORIES/TRADITIONS The Christmas
House, by Ann Turner One Candle, by Eve
Bunting Chases Calendar of Events
http//mhprofessional.com/category/?cat3
40
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
WRITING ABOUT NAMES
My Name, from The House on Mango Street by
Sandra Cisneros My Name is Maria, by Alma
Flor Ada My Name is Yoon, by Helen
Recorvits The Name Jar, by Yangsook Choi
Gooney Bird Green, by Lois Lowry (Chapter 2)
Angel Child, Dragon Child, by Michele Maria
Surat
41
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
WRITING ABOUT SPECIAL PLACES
All the Places to Love, by Patricia
MacLachlan Quiet Place, by Douglas Wood
The Secret Place, by Eve Bunting Hey,
Al, by Author Yorinks
42
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
WRITING ABOUT SCHOOL
Thank You, Mr. Falker, by Patricia Polacco
Sister Annes Hands, by Marybeth Lorbiecki
It Happens to Everyone, by Bernice Myers
43
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
WRITING ABOUT PETS
My Cats Nick and Nora, by Isabelle Harper
Nibbles and Me, by Elizabeth Taylor The
Tenth Good Thing About Barney, by Judith Viorst
44
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
WRITING ABOUT FAMILY
The Pain and the Great One, by Judy Blume
I Remember Papa, by Helen Ketteman and Greg
Shed The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
The Memory String, by Eve Bunting Sunshine
Home, by Eve Bunting
45
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
WRITING ABOUT FAMILY
My Rotten, Redheaded Older Brother, by P.
Polacco Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney
My Great Aunt Arizona, by Gloria Houston
Always Wear Clean Underwear! and Other Ways
Parents Say I Love You, by Marc Gellman
46
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
WRITING ABOUT FRIENDS
Rosie and Michael, by Judith Viorst
Enemy Pie, by Derek Munson Freedom Summer by
Deborah Wiles The Other Side, by Woodson and
Lewis Mrs. Katz and Tush, by Patricia
Polacco Roxaboxen, by Barbara Cooney
47
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
WRITING ABOUT FEELINGS MOODS
The Way I Feel Sometimes, by Beatrice Schenk
de Regniers What Are You So Grumpy About?
by Tom Lichtenheld Once When I Was Scared by
Helena Clare Pittman Courage, by Bernard
Waber Today was a Terrible Day, by Patricia
Reilly Giff Ira Sleeps Over, by Bernard
Waber
48
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
PLAYING WITH WORDS
Fighting Words, by David Small Maxs
Words, by Kate Banks The Boy Who Loved
Words, by Roni Schotter
49
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
PLAYING WITH PATTERNS
Fortunately, by Remy Charlip The
Important Book, by Margaret Wise Brown
Things that are Most in the World, by Judi
Barrett Texas Night Before Christmas, James
Rice Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
(circular storyany story by the author), by
William Steig
50
LITERATURE SPRINGBOARDS
IMITATING POETRY
Poems by Adolescents and Adults A Thematic
Collection for Middle School and High School
Any of the Teen Ink Series Any poetry by
Mattie Stepanek Paint Me Like I Am, teen
poems from Writerscorps The D- Poems of
Jeremy Bloom, by Gordon Korman Almost
Forever (novel in verse)
51
A PLACE FOR POETRY
I write poetry for the same reason I read it
the sound of words, their taste on my tongue, is
irresistible. Words are the apple pie in my
pantry that draws me out of my warm bed and sends
me shuffling down the dark hall in the middle of
the night. -- Bobbi Katz
52
A PLACE FOR POETRY

• Read Poetry
• Collect Poems
• Notice Poetic Elements
• Imitate Poetry
• Write Non-Rhyming Poetry
• Collect Info. About Poets
• Make Individual/Class Poetry Books or
  Individual Digital Poetry Portfolios

53
A PLACE FOR POETRY
Have students read I Remember by Edward Montez
a few times. Then have them use it to create
their own I Remember poem. Each stanza becomes
a potential writing topic to explore on future
writing days.
54
WORD PLAY
Once we start noticing things, it is difficult
not to notice them again. -- Peter
Johnston How do we get students to notice
language in what they hear and read? It comes by
immersing them in languagegiving them lots of
opportunities to read words, write words, talk
about words, and most important, enjoy words.

55
WORD PLAY
Even in my forties I have benefited as a writer
directly from hearing writing read aloud. The
music, the word choice, the feelings, the flow of
structure, the new ideas, the fresh thoughtsall
these and more are banked into my writing
checking account whenever I am fortunate enough
to be read to. -- Mem Fox
56
WORD PLAY
Read aloud beautiful language everyday to your
students and share why you selected it. Look for
language that is stunning, rereadable,
readaloudable (Katie Wood Ray), and memorable
(Janet Elliott). The writers notebook is the
perfect place to collect language, but it
requires nudging, reminding, and lots of sharing
to get young writers in the habit of using their
notebooks to record intriguing language. Sticky
notes can be used to jot down words that students
encounter during reading to transfer to their
notebook later on. -- Janet Elliott
57
WORD PLAY
THE FABRIC OF WORDS
Like fabric, words have texture
SMOOTH-Sounding Words swim,
love BUMPY-Sounding Words radical,
persnickety HARD-Sounding Words stop,
crack
58
ASSESSMENT
Risk Free
I use my journal for self-talk, a way to gain
perspective when Im frustrated. Writing it down
helps me sort things out. It helps me keep my
feet on the ground and my head going in the right
way. Its also a place I go to dump toxic waste,
which is why it would be so unfair for somebody
to come along and read it . . . The frustrations
and anger I dont want to drag out in public I
leave in my journal. -- Sarah Holbrook
59
ASSESSMENT

• Keep it simple
• Keep it useful for students
• Keep it useful for teacher
• Use rubrics, checklists, and
• self-assessments