Notebook Know – How: Strategies for the Writer’s Notebook
By: Aimee Buckner
A Quick Reference and Assignment Packet
This packet will serve as a guide for developing your own notebook. Working on your own notebook will help you see the value in using these same notebooks with your students. Writing notebooks may give your reluctant writers a way to find their writing voice, while giving your more capable writers a way to improve their craft.
We will not have time to complete all of the strategies described within Buckner’s book, however, we will try to experiment with as many as possible. In class we will discuss many of the different strategies, but you will also have assignments to complete at home.
Launching Notebooks:
*Page 9 – Getting Started with Storytelling
What to Do: Read aloud an exciting, well-written picture book. Buckner suggests the book, Enemy Pie by Derek Munson, but any picture book with opportunities to make predictions and engage in discussions would work well.
After reading the story students should be encouraged to share their reactions or connections to the story. Then each student should be asked to write in their own journal about the story or about something that reminds them of the story.
Why Do It: This type of writing gets students used to responding to literature. It also allows them to write freely about their own ideas and thoughts-which helps to build the feeling that their writing is important.
*Page 15 – “History of a Name”
What to Do: Read Chrysanthemum or a similar story about a child with an unusual name. Ask children to think about or learn about where their name came from and write about it. This may need to be a take-home assignment because some students may not know.
Why Do It: It gets students WRITING!! The best way to improve writing is to write. The best way to get kids into writing is to not let them know they are actually writing! Journals are different – they can be fun ways to share their thoughts with your, themselves and their peers.
Page 17- “Writing from a List”
What to Do: Help students get comfortable with writing lists but starting two lists with them – The Best Events of My Life list and The Worst Events of My Life list. Students only need to write enough about each item to remind them of the event – there is no need for long sentences with this strategy. Then have them write a few entries off each list. It is helpful to begin with the Best Events list and work your way to the Worst Events list later.
Why Do It: This strategy can help eliminate the “I don’t know what to write” comments that are usually a part of every classroom. By making these lists students have something to turn to for ideas and writing inspiration.
Page 27- “Observations”
What to Do: Ask students to observe an area around the school or an area around their neighborhood. Explain to them that you want them to write as much description as possible about what they see, hear, smell, feel (or taste?? – I guess that depends on the area!). They may also draw small pictures that help describe what they are experiencing.
Why Do It: It is important for students to learn how writers use all their senses as they write. Creating a mood, scene or picture in a reader’s mind requires vivid description – observation can help do this.
*Page 28- “Writing from a Word”
What to Do: Give students a noun to write at the top of their journals. Ask students to write for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their writing maturity, about this noun. This should be what Bucker terms, “stream of consciousness writing”. So, if they get off topic, it doesn’t matter.
Why Do It: It builds writing stamina and fluency.
*Page 30- “Rereading and Highlighting”
What to Do: Students reread their entries and look for sentences and phrases that they may like to use or think about in another entry. They highlight these lines so they can use these later.
Why Do It: It teaches students to go back to their writing and REREAD!! It teaches them that rereading is an important part of the writing process.
*Page 31 – “Lifting a Line”
What to Do: Students return to their highlighted sentences and phrases. They choose one of these to use as the beginning of a new entry.
Why Do It: Students are able to look back at their work and expand in areas that interest them the most. They also may realize that they forgot things in their original entries that can be added to a new entry.