Engage in an online discussion group on our class blog.
1)Reflect on how what you learned in Chapters 1-6 will inform your unit,
2) Share entries from your Writer's Notebook
3) Explain how you might incorporate your writer's notebook into your classroom teaching.
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I incorporated one idea from the writer’s notebook into my project. I liked the webs and used them as an introductory activity. Before reading Encounter I will have the students make a web around the word fear. I will model this for them to try and evade the superficial ideas. Then after reading Encounter, as a group we will brainstorm things the natives feared based on the book, class discussion, and their background knowledge. This lends itself to making a connection in their reading response books. My students tend to make connections to events and not feeling. This design forces them to connect to the feeling and use the events as the supporting details. Because of my teaching situation, I was unable to add any other activities.
ReplyDeleteAs far how I have used my writer’s notebook, well there is nothing to brag about. First I listed all the quickwrite ideas in the back of the book. Then I tried a few ideas, the web, the life map, and in class we wrote about our names. I’m giving all my kids summer journals on the last day of school. This will encourage them to write daily. We set aside time to read daily so now we are going to do the same with writing. I figure I will use this time to write in my own notebook. Hopefully, I will get a few entries a week. I will use the quickwrite ideas during this time.
I wish I could discover some way to include a writer’s notebook in my time with students, but that is not the area of my support. I am supposed to support reading and writing, but the writing is limited to reading response. This summer I sent home reading bags with my needier students that included numerous student chosen books, activities, and a notebook to be returned to me in the fall. Maybe I could create bags that are also sent home during the school year. In these bags they could have a notebook. Not a structured response notebook but something they could use after they read to collect ideas, favorite lines…a place to write about what the book inspired. I could put examples of my own writing in the book as models for them. The notebooks could go home over vacations…I’m just brainstorming. Any ideas? Has anyone done this type of activity with their students?
Hi Girls,
ReplyDeleteBeth - I see your dilemma with the writer's notebook and time. Since your students are in a pull out situation in which you only have them for about 45 minutes, it would be hard to incorporate the many layers of activities you would like to do when the teacher most likely wants you to focus on a given agenda (i.e. reader responses.) I know you mentioned eventually going back into a regular classroom setting, so at this point, you would probably use the book more for gathering ideas you would want to implement in the future. But your idea of putting a notebook in the take home bag is a good one. I think struggling readers and writers who most likely don't automatically read and write at home really benefit from a prescribed assignment that is predictable and packaged. The notebook would allow for a little more freedom within the structure where they could explore their feelings and thoughts. Modeled examples is also a good idea. I have not done something like this with my students, but I think you should try it and see how it goes.
In my unit, I incorporated the writer's notebook by connecting it to the idea that plants grow from seeds and our writing grows from seeds as well. The students will begin the year by gathering ideas (seeds) in their notebook to refer to when they want to write. We will continue this theme as their writing grows and blossoms. Since this will start in the beginning of the year, I noted some writing ideas that would work well. For example, I really liked the heart map and think this is a great activity for the beginning of the year. It tells a lot about the student and gives them something familiar to share in our "getting to know you" stage. I think I might let students sketch more and use some of the ideas for getting boys to write such as connecting the writing to Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
I try to provide my students with writing time on a daily basis. That does not always happen due to curriculum constraints, but I do my best. I am becoming more comfortable with the idea of quickwrites, especially after reading Elliot's book. If I can't fit in a 30-45 minute writing block on a particular day, I am going to try to give my students 5 minutes to write in their writer's notebook. At least this way they will see that it is good to write every day and short snipits can be as effective as long pieces. I think in the quickwrites, students will be more honest because they don't have the time to ponder so much.
I used to love to write things down in a writer's notebook. I haven't done this in a while because of time, demands, and the fact that I am in the process of writing a book. If I have time to sit down and write, that is what I want to work on. The book is based on a personal experience and takes a lot of time. I do play around with the language often and maybe a writer's notebook to keep track of language I like would be helpful. But again, it's the time issue. In the notebook I've kept during this class, I have found myself keeping more of a journal. I've written about things I have felt or experienced each day - playing with the new kitten, my daughter moving to Newport, separation anxiety, school ending, and so on. There have been a lot of feelings building up over the past few weeks. Since it is summer and I will finally have time to work on my book, I can't say I will keep up with the notebook. But I think I will write in mine while the students write next year. Now that I've rambled, what are the ideas from the book that others thought were most beneficial? And since we are always focused on the students, does the idea of teachers sharing their notebooks with each other ever happen? Is it even feasible?
Lisa, Donald Graves has a more recent book that comes with a quickwrite journal. It is loaded with quickwrite ideas. I found it useful as a tool for teachers, to help us grow as writers.
ReplyDeleteI think your idea of sharing notebooks with other teachers is outstanding. If your new position comes through next year, persue this idea. Once a month teachers can come with their own notebooks, you could model minilessons or use fishbowl conferences to help teachers in the areas that are troubling them within the classroom. Also, it is a great place to share ideas and yourself as an author. Wouldn't it be fabulous if each of the participating teachers published a piece? Then the piece and process can be used as models for students. Elliot's book is full of literature you could use as a jumping of point. Georgia H. for poetry...You could have a genre focus...choose one the teachers are uncomfotable with. I'll have to remember this idea in the future. Thanks:)
Thanks Beth! I'll look up the Donald Graves book next time I have a chance. I think you referred to him once before.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, the teachers sharing notebooks was an idea that came out of the Elliot book. But you're right. As an instructional lead, I could set something like this up with other teacher. It would be an ongoing type of PD that would get people on board with a writer's notebook idea. It's so great for students to see that teachers or adults are doing the same things they are. They see more value in something when you practice what you preach. It's also a great community building activity. I just got another idea. In that position, I want to set up some literacy nights throughout the year. Wouldn't it be fun to explain the writer's notebook to parents and then have them write in one as well. Or have a student/parent book at home that they can write things for each other in. The wheels are turning!
The majority of chapters will provide practical ideas that will be readily at my fingertips when teaching students to use the Writer's Notebook. There were many issues that were addressed throughout the text that addressed valid concerns that a teacher may find themselves contemplaiting after successfully launchihe writing notebookin their classroom.
ReplyDeleteOne issue that I found myself relating to is privacy issues. Working in an urban district I many times feel having to teach to the social and emotional intelligences in my classroom. Teachers are placed in a delicate position when they learn of information that is perhaps of mportance to acknowlege with the right people (social worker, schoolpsychologist, etc.)Such issues as privacy issues and how to address a student that struggles when writing are some of the questions that were addressed I think in a effieciet way that I will take with me and effect my philosophy behind teaching.
I look forward to sharing my entries with my students as models for many of the suggested ideas throughout the text. I truly believe that not only paying attention to the craft of the writing, but the content, are equally important when teaching the whole child. I am also a big believer in celebrating the progress made with students throughout the year, aknowledging their success and continually setting goals. Children also need to celebrate their progress by sharing the entries they choose to share with their peers and classmates.
Beth, I too found that the semantic web idea informed my unit as well. After providing some activities to build background knowledge, I then asked students to list as many different polygons in the semantic web in my cyberlesson. I also have learned that using the semantic web throughout the unit as a cumulative semantic web allows ELL students to readily retrieve key vocabulary that they need to be successful throuhgout a unit. Perhaps you could assign students to articulate what they have learned in an exit slip which would be written in their writer's notebook during language arts. I feel that the writer's notebook can be easily adapted and modified to creatively throughout content areas. I am curious to know other ideas of how you could modify the writer's notebook in other content areas such as science and social studies. Perhaps using the 100%, but asking students to describe an animal of study or even habitat, breaking down the components that encompass that particular unit of study in a content area is one creative idea I thought of.
ReplyDeleteHi Rose,
ReplyDeleteI still get a bit confused when talking about how to work in content writing into the notebook. I always think of the writer's notebook as a free place to explore writing, thoughts, feelings, and gathering ideas. Some ideas can be given to write about, but bringing in the content area information is where it gets fuzzy for me. I'm not sure I feel comfortable with it yet so I would probably keep that writing separate until I had a good plan of how to integrate it.
I feel that it would be an interesting and challenging initiative as well. I agree that the writer's notebook text surely lends itself to the writing portion of the day. And certainly many of the examples provided lended themselves to personal narrative. Since completing the unit and integrating language arts into a content area, I feel that using a writing notebook across content areas would be ideal. It is imperative to allow students to express their ideas and new learnings across content areas in a reflective and creative way. I feel that the writer's notebook would be a great way to provide a venue that was open and personal that allows students to reflect upon their new knowledge in a way that connected to their background knowlegdge. It also allows students to play with writer's craft and develop their style of writing for not only fiction but non-fiction.
ReplyDeleteHello girls,
ReplyDeleteI think I'll respond to your comments before I talk about my own experiences.
Beth, your situation is tricky as you are not in the regular classroom. I'm wondering how open the classroom teachers would be to integrating some of your suggestions into their classroom. Then you could reinforce them when you see the kids. I also think that based on the reading and writing units your district does, there can be many opportunities to pair reading and writing. My distric tries to connect the reading and writing units as much as possible, and boy does it make a difference! I think it would be easier to help kids with their writer's notebooks if they were doing a similar unit in reading. But if they are limited to reading responses that can be tricky. I like the idea of the take home bags for kids. I've never done anything like this...we've mostly pushed reading for the summer. I wonder if they had a list of strategies, quickwrites etc. that you did over the year if that might motivate them to write more.
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI think having the kids to quickwrites in the short amount of time you have is a great idea. Since they don't get a consistent, extended period of writing daily, this is also a nice way to ease them into writing, and it's very non-threatening for kids who don't like to write. I too have written many personal responses in my writer's notebooks for this class, and I have tried some of the poetry ideas from the book (100% and heart poem). Poetry was one of my favorite units to teach this year but also a challenging one.
I also like the idea of teachers sharing notebooks. I think it would be intimidating at first but easier as time goes on. I also agree that students need to see us practice what we preach. Right now I am taking a reader's workshop training and the instructor is having all of us read children's novels and form book clubs. Our students do book clubs as a unit during the school year and it is so amazing to go through it myself and see the difficulties and great things about them (trying to agree on a page to stop, having conversations about the book, writing post-its). It has definitely opened my eyes to always trying things that I'm making my kids do!
One idea I took from the book that I will use in my unit is using the writer's notebook in the content area. I like the idea of posing thought-provoking questions for the kids to respond to after an event or activity. In my unit, I have my kids do this after attending a Civil War reenactment (an event we do each year and I've never thought of having them write about it before in their notebooks!) In the beginning of the unit, I will also had them make a list of "wonderings" one of the ideas from chapter 3. For the purpose of the unit, I will ask them to write their wonderings about the Civil War instead of keeping it open-ended.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this book, I have so many new things I want to incorporate into my students' notebooks. As I mentioned before, we do writer's workshop, and their notebooks were strictly a place for gathering seed ideas and entries for our current unit of study. Now I will introduce other fun and interesting ways to get some good writing in there, even if it doesn't relate exactly to our current unit. Chances are, they might be able to explore it in a later unit. I love all the ideas in chapter 3- lists, quotes, sketches, and clips from newspapers and magazines to name a few. I know this summer I need to do much of this work myself so I can share it with my students next year.
I'm seeing a lot of questions arise regarding content reading and a writer's notebook. I think it depends how you approach your classroom management. Are you using a reading response notebook in addition to the writer's notebook or they all in one. This book gives a lot of ideas for quickwrites and possible units, but it falls short in the nitty gritty management component. How do we get to all the types of writing we need to do in the classroom? As a teacher how do we keep track of all these types of writing?
ReplyDelete