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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Hi everyone-
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book and will incorporate what I have learned into my teaching next year. First, Included a writer's notebook into my unit, I think I would use a separate notebook for science and I would either use it for each unit, or throughout the year. My nutrition unit has journal questions in it for the students to reflect about as well as topics to brainstorm as well as diagrams to develop. I have also thought about assembling my own notebook for the students at the beginning of a unit containing empty pages as well as the graphic organizers they are going to need for the unit. I would like to try to add some poetry into my unit as well.
I have been using my writers notebook for me to try the writing topics I want my students to do next year. I started with the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. This story is about a little mouse who is made fun for her name and school, however, she overcomes it and learns to love her name. I wrote about how I got my name, and what was special about my name. I have also written about the book, The brand new kid, this story can give a couple writing ideas, one is a time your feelings were hurt, another would be what you want people to know about you.
I will use a writer's notebook in many different subject areas. I want to use it to help my students work on small moment stories, or personal narrative stories. I also want to notebook to help me get to know my students and to help my students get to know each other. I am also hoping that the notebook will be a safe place for my students to write, with multiple abilities in one classroom, the notebook can be a safe place where everyone can grow and develop at their own pace.
How are you using your writer's notebook next year?
Hi Girls,
ReplyDeleteJenna, it is funny you should ask that questions because I was actually just thinking about it! As you know, I taught third and fourth grade for the past 4 years. As a third and fourth grade teacher, I used Writer's Notebooks with my students and pretty got into a "groove" about the ways in which they were utilized. However, this year as a first time kindergarten teacher, I was kind of thrown for a loop and as I entered this past year, I was not sure how I would approach my Writer's Workshop and the Writer's Notebooks. This year, I stil did Writer's Workshop with my students twice a week. However, I did not use Writer's Notebooks. Reading this text has given me the renewed confidence to try them next year again, but this time, with kindergarteners!
I know our text is geared for grades 3 - 8, but as I read the chapters, I kept thinking, "I could do that in Kindergarten" over and over again. For example, the heart that was in our book and we talked about in class is definitely something I could do with 5 and 6 year olds! The list poem is an example of another idea I could use, too. Of coruse, a writer's notebook in kindergarten may look more like a collection of drawingg but why not have "seed ideas" that are drawn rather than written?
I have a colleague who used to be my third grade teammate. We are not both part-time kindergarten teachers but at separate schools. She is someone with whom I always have conversations about Reader's and Writer's workshop. I am thinking that she would be willing to probably try the Writer's Notebook with her Kindergarten students this year, too. Together, we could duscuss ideas together and brainstorm ways to gather seed ideas.
This book also reminded me how writing is a way for me to relieve stress. I need to stop telling myself that I will "write it down later" and just take five minutes to jot down simple phrases or sentences in my own Writer's Notebook.
What are the benefits of writing in a Writer's Notebook for you?
Jessica-
ReplyDeleteI think you mentioned such an important aspect of teaching something new, which is having someone to try it with you. I sometimes feel like an isolated island in my gradelevel, if I can convince my teammates to try it with me, I need to already be prepared to explain to them what we should do and provide the materials. I wish I had a second grade teacher who I could plan this with because I think we'd come up with better ideas together. I also liked the heart poem and the list poems, I think they would be great ways to start off the year. As much as the students learn in first grade, it is amazing how much of a struggle writing is in september. I also think that this simpler poems would be great for differenciation, I know I have a few lower ability students in my class who could probably do these types of activities into the middle of the year and still be discussing the same topics as the rest of the class.
Great question, writing in a writers notebook for me personally gives me a chance to be in my students shoes and try first hand what I am asking them to do which gives me a much better perspecitive. I also like having personal examples of stories to share with my students as we take a seed and turn it into a story with a great beginning or ending. A few years ago I wrote the story of my husband putting dishsoap into the dishwasher and used it as my small moment story example for my students. Not only was it a great example for the kids, they were loving all the excitement of the story, but I now have that crazy night written down forever (although my husband might not be so happy about that). I've also always wanted to write down the funny things my students say. On the day of Obamas inauguration one of my students commented that the reason Obama and Bush met for breakfast was so Obama could pick up the keys. I loved his comment, I wrote it down on a piece of paper to save right away, I felt like this little boy really put into perspective where my 7 year olds were coming from and also made me smile.
I was thinking that I start my notebook off strong in the beginning of the year, but as the units change from launching to stories, i sometimes have a hard time incorporating it in consistantly for the children to add new seeds or revisit old seeds. Have you struggled to go back to the notebook? Also with Kindergardeners, can you use a notebook or do some students need a more structures graphic organizer to help them plan and write?
Reading this book has definitely made me rethink my thoughts on writer's notebooks, for both my students and myself. As a kid, I kept journals and notebooks as part of class expectations, and as an adult I have learned so much about my elementary school self that I didn't remember. Every so often, as an adult, I start a journal, but in the age of typing and keyboarding, I find writing long entries to be laborious, tiresome, and unappealing. However, I never thought to use the notebook as a moment for phrases or quick memories. I feel like that would be a realistic way for me to consistently keep a writer's notebooks. One of the things that I read about in the writer's notebook that appealed to me were recording quotes, phrases, or words. I have a great group of girl friends who are hilarious, and we make each other laugh whenever we are together. Sometimes they say very witty and funny things that we laugh about for years to come, but I think a writer's notebook would be a great way to collect this humor to laugh about upon reading again. I am also someone who loves to make up words, and amongst my friends and family, these made up words have definitions. I would love to use a writer's notebook to create my own dictionary, defining our many made up words. One example in my family is the word "unzizzle" which means to make your clothes right side in, particularly before doing the laundry. When I think about the personal writing that I do in my own life, it is fairly limited. I think I may start saving the email threads that I have between my group of girl friends, maybe some of the meaningful or funny ones would be great to print and stick in my writer's notebook. So many times I have great ideas for different things that I later forget, a writer's notebook could be a great place to store all the thoughts I cannot fit or organize in my brain. In terms of introducing the concept of a writer's notebook, I will spend the summer thinking about a realistic way to get my students using a writer's notebook, I will definitely make use of mentor texts when introducing seeds. And many of the poem styles that were introduced would be realistic for my students and also all students to make the poem as advanced or simple as they want, there is a lot of room for personal variation. I am using the 100% and list poem in my unit and will use my own writer's notebook to create some models of this. I think in edition to reevaluating my student's writing, I need to evaluate the writing I do and make sure I model myself as a writer.
ReplyDeleteSo everytime I take a class that involves writing, the wheels start turning...how can I do this with my own class...how do I incorportate this into my own life...how do I model for my students...and how can I put aside my perfectionistic traits in order to have a successful and continuous writer's notebook??
ReplyDeletefor starters, I think Elliot's book really provides a great launching point to use in my own classroom. I love the idea that both Jenna and Jessica discussed about plating seeds during the first part of the year. When I integrated a Writer's Notebook a few years ago, I found that free entries were just too broad for my students...and they are so incredibly hard on themselves that asking them to write "i dont know what to say" over and over was not the answer. Instead, we used writer's notebooks to reflect about personal experiences, mainly experiences we had had together as a class...fieldtrip, tough day, successful moment, etc. That way the kids could connect and I could guide them if needed. But I loved the ideas that Elliot offered...the five fingered prompt, using concrete objects, maps, quotes, etc. These are all strategies that could be taught and differentiated to meet the needs of my students. I really found her chapter about introducing the Writer's NOtebook helpful, because I definatley had some uncertainty. Lastly, I also like the flexibility the ideas and strategies provide...there are poems like the list poem that my students can take as far or as simple are their personal abilities. I can guide their writing or allow opportunities for their own personal reflections. And so many of these poems and strategies can be integrated into other units and subjects of learning. I know I took a second look at poetry and writer's notebook for my unit...
As for myself, my goal this summer is to acquire a style with which I am comfortable and willing to continue. So often I get caught up on handwriting, what pencil to use, not capturing the moment as I envisioned, that I end up pushing aside the Writer's Notebook until it has a thick layer of dust. So my goal this summer is to capture the small moments with the boys so someday when I am old and wrinkly, they will be able to read about their childhood...and our times together as a family. Once I can get past the need for perfection, then I can help my own students relinquish that control and really capture the true essence of a Writer's Notebook!
Stacy-
ReplyDeleteI think you made a really good point about how you will be able to help your students write in their notebooks better once you have come up with a way to use your writer's notebook. I think the idea of using a writers notebook in my classroom is so great, yet, i am never able to stay focussed enough to continue one myself. I agree that I need to work on continuing my notebook, even if I cam just writing down stories frommy life to use as example for my students in the fall, I will be in a better place to teach notebook writing. There are so many expereices that seem so important at the time, but that I forget as time passes. I want to make an effort to find a way to write down those moments to be able to relive and enjoy.
I think that the key to me incorporating a successful writer's notebook into my classroom is having my own writer's notebook. I cannot expect my students to be thoughtful and intuitive writers, if I do not demonstrate this myself. My goal for next year would be to introduce some mentor texts about a seed, write my own seed piece and share that with my students to get the wheels turning and have many models.
ReplyDelete