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Thursday June 4th 2009 Engaging Student Writers: Extending the Writer’s Notebook By Mr. Chris Lowrey AUSSIE Literacy Consultant Ice Breaker! How can I support my students with WRITING? In class you can support your child by investing in TIME. Talk to your students about their Writer’s Notebook. Invite them to write about family and life experiences. Make meaning of, respect and praise their writing. Enjoy hearing your students read their stories and share your own. What it takes to become a good writer: • PRACTICE and practice and practice and more practice! • FEEDBACK that is positive and adds value. • LISTEN and respond to stories in Reading Response Journal. • RECOGNIZE the sounds of spoken language. • WRITING REGULARLY in your Writer’s Notebook. • LEARN and USE new words. • UNDERSTAND how reading and writing are connected. What is a Writer’s Notebook? •A writer’s notebook is unique to its owner. •A place to collect important things from your life. •MAY prove valuable in later writing. •A place to record thoughts, feelings,sensations, observations and opinions. •You may write an entire story, paragraph, sentence, key words, or word - or simply have a diagram, photo, Clipping etc. From those who know… •An excerpt from Ralph Fletcher •An excerpt from Aimee Buckner What Writer’s Notebook is NOT! •Not a reading response journal •Not a journal •Not for a teacher to write in! •Not a social studies book, a study log, a place to put spelling words, times tables or anything else along those lines Participate and respond Attempt with support Practice and problem solve Teacher support Observe, listen and respond Student Independence Gradual Release of Responsibility Introduce and model use of the Writer’s Notebook Demonstrate how the extract ideas and turn them into more detailed pieces Support students as they practice the strategies in small group settings Observe, students as they practice independently Small group guided reading Reading Response Journal Vs. The Writer’s Notebook When getting your children to respond in their Reading Response Journals ask them: What can they connect or relate to? What did they notice? What do they question? What did they learn? So, how does this differ from a Writer’s Notebook? Simply put, in a writer’s notebook, the writer or reader generates their own topics for developing a written text whether it is now or in the future. It is an important part of a writer’s personal life. A reading response journal provides a response or reaction to a specific reading or piece of literature. •To foster an enjoyment of writing. •To help us remember things we have read, seen and heard. •To keep memories. . •To get ideas from our heads to paper so they don’t get stuck there or forgotten about. •To remember moments, days, events. •Write when there's nothing else to do. •Jot down something as you read. •‘Get stress/worry off your mind’ – Tell it to your notebook. •Write about what you think of someone’s ideas. •Work on writing and collecting it. ‘There is always something to say. You just have to collect the ideas down from you head.’ Ralph Fletcher. •Sit down and write routinely every day. •Don’t stop! •Keep on going! •Never erase! You might get ideas from something you crossed out. How it should be used… •The writer’s notebook should to be used as part of the daily writing workshop. •It should be an on-going resource tool for the writing workshop. •It provides a bank of ideas for teachers to refer to throughout the year. •Ideas for authentic writing are contained within. •Notion of ‘writers for life’ is developed. •Eliminates ‘…..But I have nothing to write about!’. Activity 1 In just a few sentences write down what you did this morning before coming to this workshop… Cooking breakfast! Driving here! Doing housework! How can I support my students with Writing? Encouraging them to write and respond to what they have read, seen and done! Building a snowman Grocery Shopping Playing at the park Playing games and eating meals at…. Trick or Treating! A sampling of the lessons: • Collecting Mind Pictures N-5 • Wondering About the World N-6 • Starting a Seed Idea N-11 • Reflecting on yourself as a Writer N-14 • Thinking about Genre N-18 • Crafting a Finished Piece N-20 • Experimenting with Goof Around Writing N-9 An example of ‘Goof Around’ writing What can my students place in their Writer’s Notebook? •Artifacts – Tickets, Newspaper cuttings, wrist bands, photos, drawings, stickers, napkins, maps, fliers, stamps, coins, notes, flowers, sand, letters etc •Memories – A wedding, a birthday, a vacation, a day trip, something really funny, birth of a baby brother or sister. •Wonderings – About the world e.g. have you ever wondered if there is anything at the end of a rainbow? •Snatches of conversation – What did you overhear the pedestrian say? How did they say it? •Seed Ideas – A few words, a phrase and sentence – that may ‘grow’ into a full story. •Poems – Any rhymes, favorite words, topics, copy some of your favorites. •Mind Pictures – Use your senses to see, hear, smell, touch and taste the world around you. •Goof around writing – Write about some silly ideas, rhymes, imaginary friends , thoughts you have. Starting your own notebooks! •Here are some ideas! My Vacation in the Dominican Republic… General activities. … My Halloween 2008… General Observations… What do the kids think? Activity 2 – Write a top 10 list of things that interest you 1. Family Time 2. Music 3. Sport 4. Reading 5. Writing 6. Cooking 7. Walking 8. Going to the Movies 9. Traveling 10. Visiting Museums Now choose One – add some sub categories! Music 1.Writing concert reviews 2.Rock music 3.Jazz 4.Blues 5.Fleetwood Mac 6.Van Morrison 7.Metallica 8.Playing guitar 9.Composing 10.Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Now choose a sub category and write a few sentences! Writing concert reviews I really enjoy writing about concerts I have been to. It means I can email my reviews to family and friends at home to keep in touch. I can also send the reviews to magazines and band web sites. One day I would like to make a living from it, but it is a select field so I’ll have to be either very good or very lucky! If that doesn’t happen I will still keep writing reviews though because I enjoy it! Report Writing Writer’s Notebook Essential Resources 1. “Lessons for the Writer’s Notebook” by Ralph Fletcher and Joanne Portalupi 2. ‘How Writer’s Work’ – Ralph Fletcher 3.‘Unlockign The Writer Within’ – Ralph Fletcher 4. Notebook Know How – Aimee Buckner 5. Your Writer’s Notebook! Good Luck!