Teaching Diverse Types of Notebook Entries
*Accepting What Comes *
The idea of just "getting pen to paper" would be the main focus of introducing this type of notebook entry. My students often do not know where to begin, what to write, or are fearful of writing in general. Having them merely write their thoughts or "I am writing. I am a writer" until an idea "pops" up, or a "spark" is ignited. This would be an "I Do, We Do, You Do" process over several days or weeks with a gradual release. I would model writing in my interactive journal over the document camera. A transitional lesson would include having the students add to my notebook entry as I think and write aloud. Gradually, the students would compose the notebook entry over a few sessions. These sessions would be 5-7 minutes either at the beginning or end of class. Eventually, the students are intended to write about "whatever comes to mind, accepting what comes" on their own in a consistent, daily structure.
*Using Questions to Pursue Ideas*
This notebook entry would be fun to incorporate and can be amended as the student conjures new questions. My first thought would be to use the summer journal entry I have pictured at the top of this blog post. To encourage writing during the summer, I give my third graders a packet of prompts to complete throughout the summer, including an envelope to mail me a letter. The incoming fourth-graders who return a completed packet earn lunch from their favorite fast-food restaurant in the classroom. The idea of expanding this writing prompt to a notebook entry seems natural. My students are pretty inquisitive with unique ponderings. Why not take these questions and transfer them to the written word? I would introduce the concept by reproducing the about questioning page to add to their interactive notebook. Again, this would be an "I Do, We Do, You Do" gradual release process. However, I do not anticipate the initial development of questions would need intense teacher modeling for more than a lesson or two. Future writing topics can be developed from the listing of questions, which the students can always add more questions throughout the year. This discovery of writing topics from the created list of questions would need to be modeled with the students. This would begin another process of creating writing together, followed by allowing the students to write independently.
"Intentional Strategies Versus Assignments"
In this section, Bomer conveys the separation between the writer's notebook and the assignments directed by the instructor. In effect, for the teacher to allow the notebook to be the student's place of refuge to gather thoughts and ideas, collect needed notes and tips to guide them in the writing process, and use it as a launch board, pre the written draft process. Allowing students to use the notebook as their point of reference instead of where the teacher is collecting writing samples. Bomer suggests the students use their notebooks as a place to search for new writing topics based on previous entries. Additionally, the notebook can be used as a personal word wall or dictionary and grammar and syntax. Overall, the author does not want the notebook to be used as a place to keep assignments from the teacher under the guise of writing topics.
At the secondary level, I definitely agree with Bomer's statements regarding the sanctity of the writer's notebook. I recall having a writer's notebook in my freshman English class. Every day, Mrs. Jackson had us write in our notebooks for 7 -10minutes on any topic we wished to write. If "our brains were dead," she had a suggestion on the board we had the option to write about. She just wanted us to write. We had a separate spiral for taking notes, collecting words, and composing assignments. Hmm. Reflecting back to 1989, Mrs. Jackson's techniques appear to align with Bomer's present-day thoughts on intentional strategies versus assignments regarding notebooks.
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