PRESENTED BY:CHRISTAN WILLIAMS

6TH GRADE ELAJUNE 18, 2013

Digging out the Crystals: Using Writer’s Notebooks to

Enhance the Writer’s Workshop

Turn and Talk: Do you currently use a Writer’s Notebook with your

students?

If so, how do you use them?

How are they organized?

If not, what’s something you hope to learn about them during this demonstration?

Turn and Talk

What are your roadblocks with using Writer’s Notebooks?

Instructional Roadblock

I’ve always used Writer’s notebooks in my classroom. Mostly, they’ve been used for students to collect

ideas on “seed pages” for future writing. The writer’s notebooks became the back-up work for

independent writing time—something that was not used frequently during our units of study in the

Writer’s Workshop. Some students even used it for drafting with little to no planning.

My goal is to understand how to more effectively implement the use of Writer’s notebooks as a multi-functional tool that enhances and personalizes the

Writer’s Workshop experience for my students.

Objectives:

What are Writer’s Notebooks?How can Writer’s Notebooks be used more

effectively to help students become better writers?

What strategies can be used to help students create more meaningful pieces of writing through the use of Writer’s notebooks?

How can Writer’s notebooks aid students in becoming more reflective writers?

How can Writer’s notebooks be assessed?

Are you ready for a learning journey into the world of note booking?

Take out a sheet of paper and get ready to dig out your own personal crystals.

What it is…What it is… What it isn’t…What it isn’t…

A place for writers to explore and rehearse the art of writing

A place for writers to save their words; an empty ditch, waiting to be filled

A place to keep a list of strategies studied in Writer’s Workshop

A place to include examples of good writing from other texts (mentor texts)

A place to keep notes on mini lessons A place for students to try strategies

introduced in mini-lessons A place to collect what you notice

during close study as a reference tool An essential tool for writing conferences A notebook that most suitably reflects the

writer

A journal (“A day in the life…”) A diary A place for solely drafting or

publishing A scrapbook

Writer’s Notebooks

Considerations for Launching the Writer’s Notebook

From Aimee Buckner’s Notebook Know-How

Notebook Setup

Student (and teacher) friendlyMini-lessons and toolboxes in the front/backStudent writing in a separate sectionTable of ContentsDated and numbered pagesIf using a binder, tabs could be useful for

organizing

Introducing the Notebook

Picture BooksHeart MapNeighborhood MapHistory of a nameListsI-chartQuestionsI WonderABCs of Writing

Discuss a writer’s life, why we write and our writing territories

Teacher models using a notebook

Students personalize their notebooks

Set expectations for the notebook from the beginning

Keep the notebooks organized for easy reference

Let’s Try a Strategy: The Neighborhood Map

Draw a sketch of the neighborhood you grew up in or have the most memories in.

Try to label the “hot spots:” places in your neighborhood that you remember a particular

event vividly

Consider how can your map be used for your writing.

Writing Territories

Topics Genres Audiences

Going beyond “Seed Pages” to Strategy Lessons

Develop a topic by noticing patterns in the notebook Daily Pages Writing off literature Writing from a word Observations Re-reading and highlighting Lifting a line Favorite collection Writing from another POV Interviews Listing the possibilities Researching to develop an idea

Turn and talk: How can we apply these strategies across the content areas?

Living Like a Writer…

“Don’t be afraid to live like a writer. Writers explore. There are two whole universes for you to explore—the one on the inside, and the physical one on the outside. Take your choice; inner or outer. Or best: both.”

-Ralph FletcherBreathing In, Breathing

Out

Meaningful Mini-lessons

Notebook setup Purposes for writing Audience Structure Craft Genre

Tabs for each genre Noticing chart with craft

features Multi-genre studies

Word Choice Stamina Vocabulary

Connotation/Denotation Personal word bank

Revision strategies (toolbox) Beginnings Endings Sentence structure &

variety Back up work Close study of the writing

process Put it away and come

back later

Understanding Genre Structure

Literary NonfictionWhat I can expect Elements of Literary Nonfiction What I

Need to as a reader Know as a Writer

From Notebook Know-How by Aimee Buckner

Self-Selected Genre Studies

Too many genre studies, back to back, can limit students’ opportunities to be initiators of writing

Give students time to explore self-selected topics and genres of writing More willing to take risks and more likely to become

life-long writers, when they are given the right to see that writing can be used for personal objectives

Accountability is key Student planning sheet (handout)

“It’s not what a piece of writing is about, but how it’s written, that makes

good writing good.”

-Katie Wood Ray, Wondrous Words

The Reading-Writing Connection

“I learned to write from writers. I didn’t know any personally, but I read.”

- Cynthia Rylant

So, what do gain from writers?An understanding of craft, structure, genre, purpose, style,

etc.

Chart authors styles Collect compelling words Chart interesting leads

Try 10!

Mapping the text

Author Style Noticing Chart

Author Style Example Text Reference

Reflective Writers

Re-read notebook entries daily Encourage students to share what strategies they attempted in

their writing Set goals for writing Writing across the curriculum tasks (digging deep)

How-to writing Feature articles Poems with 2 voices Historical narratives

Self-assess writing What parts will the reader enjoy? Are there any parts where my reader might get confused? Have I left out any information the writer needs in order to

understand what I’m trying to say?

The daily practice of craft sharpens the writer’s vision and tunes the writer’s voice.

Habit makes writing easy.

-Don Murray

Notebooks as an Assessment Tool

Formative Assessments Writing process, writing techniques, initiating writing

Self-evaluations (see handout)Accountability rubric

Consider your goals and values for the notebook Is organization important? Do you value students’ process of writing—tied to the unit of

study? Do you want to see evidence of how the notebook helped

them thoughtfully draft and plan?

Portfolio AssessmentParent conferences

THENTHEN NOWNOW

Student ownershipComposition

notebooks – don’t tear out the pages!

A place to collect ideasA place to practice

writing Try it; no risks

No notesImages welcome

Student ownership (i.e. personalizing) “If the notebook is to be a useful tool, it must be

useful to the writer first, and the reader (teacher) second.”

Aimee Buckner, from Notebook Know-How A place for writers to save their words and

collect others: “memory, reflection, sketch, scrap of print taped to a page” – Aimee Buckner

Practice writing in any form Find ideas Can and should be teacher guided A place to build writing fluency A place of discovery A safe place for students to write Multi-purpose tool: reflective, assessment,

reference, collaborative GOAL: to develop INDEPENDENT writers

Reflecting on the Journey of Writer’s Notebooks in the Classroom…

Why use Writer’s Notebooks?

CCSS places emphasis on: Three types of writing (narrative, informational, persuasive) The writing process The quality of student writing Writing as integral Writing across all disciplines for real purposes

Anchor standard 5: students should be able to “develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising and editing” with

expectations for revision and independence increasing with age. Anchor standard 10: students will “write routinely over extended

time frames (time for research, reflection and revision) and shorter time frames

Turn and Talk

How can you make Writer’s Notebooks work in your classroom? Discuss specific example and

be ready to share.

Works Cited

Anderson, Carl. Assessing Writers. Heinemann, 2005.

Atwell, Nancie. In the Middle. Heinemann, 1998.

Buckner, Aimee. Notebook Know-How. Stenhouse Publishers, 2005.

Calkins, Lucy, Ehrenworth, Mary., Lehman, Christopher. Pathways to the Common Core. Heinemann, 2012.

Fletcher, Ralph. A Writer’s Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You. HarperTrophy, 2000.