Transcript WRITER’S NOTEBOOKS

LAUNCHING NOTEBOOKS
AND
WRITING WORKSHOP
Upper Grade Professional Development
P.S. 171
Presentation by Stacey Shubitz
Friday, September 1st, 2006
Idea Notebooks
• A portable writer’s notebook is used to record
wonderings, observations, overheard
conversations, sketches, etc.
• Students need a pen or pencil to carry along
with their notebook.
• Author Lester Laminack calls his Idea
Notebook a “Spy Notebook.” He never leaves
home without his secret weapon (pen) and
something to write about.
– Cute idea for younger kids… might not work in 5th,
6th and 7th grades.
We Want Kids To Know Four Major Things About
Collecting Entries In Their Writer’s Notebooks
• Within the personal
narrative unit:
– Process
– Qualities of Good
Writing
– Volume
– Conventions
This slide, and the four that follow, are adapted from a presentation at
T.C. by Grace Chough, 8/17/06.
How Writers Fit Notebooks Into
The Writing Process
Adapted from the work of Randy Bomer, A Time
For Meaning.
Process Goals
• How to get started (on an entry)
• What to do when you get stuck.
• How to go from one entry to the
next (entry).
– NO CLOSED NOTEBOOKS!
Qualities of Good Writing Goals
• Focus
• Entries are easy to follow
• Appropriate use of…
– Dialogue
– Sensory description
• Knowing the difference between a
summary and a detailed retelling
• Crafting strong leads and endings
• Development of the internal story
• Show, not tell.
• Stories have a structure (rising
action  climax  resolution)
Volume Goals
• About 2 entries/day.
• Approximately 12
entries/week.
• If students are publishing 1
½ pages of writing, then you
should expect their entries to
be about 1 page long.
Conventions Goals
(within notebook entries)
• Ending Punctuation
– Making appropriate choices about when to use
periods, exclamation points and question marks.
• Paragraphing
– Whenever there’s a new person introduced, a new
person talking or there’s a move to a different
place.
We can’t ask our students to
do what we won’t do, so…
• Now it’s your turn to try it.
• By the end of this session you’ll have
five entries in your writer’s notebook.
– All of these entries are directly related to five
minilessons you might teach during the first
two weeks of school.
– Your entries could be used as
demonstration texts for your students.
“Observation of the Room”
Strategy
• Read the room right now.
• Write a quick entry about what you’re noticing,
how you feel about being back at school today,
an overheard conversation or anything else you
wish to record about what’s happening in here
this morning.
• You will not have to share this entry with
anyone!
• This is the type of “Idea Notebook” entry you’ll
want your kids to write.
“Meaningful Place” Strategy
• Think of a meaningful
place.
– It could be anything from the
kitchen table in the home
where you grew up to your
favorite beach in Florida.
• List small moments related
to that place.
• Write about one of those
small moments in your
writer’s notebook.
“Look at a Photograph”
Strategy
• Study the photograph.
• Think about:
– Who or what is pictured?
– Where was the picture taken?
– When was the picture taken?
– Why did you choose this photo
to bring in today?
• Write about the small moment
related to the photograph.
“Think of a Person” Strategy
• Think about a person
who is important to
you (living or
deceased).
• List as many small
moments as you can
about that person.
• Write about one of
those small moments
with him/her.
“Look at an Object” Strategy
• Examine the object
closely.
– When did you get it?
– Where did you buy or
acquire it from?
– Who gave it to you?
– Why is it important?
• List everything!
• Write a small moment
entry related to this
object.
Q&A
• Questions
• Comments
• Concerns
Conferring During September
The following slides serve as additional
support for conferences you might hold
during the first month of school.
Sample Questions for the “Research”
Stage of your R-D-T Conference
SITUATION
CONFERENCE QUESTION(S)
The writing is unfocused.
•What’s the most important part of your story?
•What do you want your reader to know after reading this story?
The writing covers several events or ideas.
•Which of these events/ideas is the most important to you?
The writing lacks depth and information.
•Can you tell me more about _____________?
The writing contains too much information.
•Can you point to the most important part of this piece?
•Can you underline the most important thing you want your reader
to know?
The piece just lists information and doesn’t contain the writers
thoughts and feelings.
•Why is this piece important to you?
•How did you feel when this was happening?
The lead does not draw the reader into the writing effectively.
•Why did you choose to start your story this way?
•What’s the first image in your mind when you think of this story?
The conclusion is too sudden or drags on.
•What feeling did you want the reader to share at the end of your
story?
A narrative piece makes limited use of dialogue.
•Was anyone talking when this happened.
The writing is poorly organized.
•Can you retell the story to me?
•Tell me a little bit about the plan you made to get to this point…
Chart adapted from Atwell (1987) and Anderson (2002). Conference questions generated by Matthews & Shubitz (2006).
A Hierarchy of What Matters Most When Conferring
During This Unit of Study
Adapted from the work of Jen Serravallo (2006).
Conferring Menu
Sample Writing Conference Teaching Points
Topic Choice
Genre
Focus
Structure
Elaboration
Word Choice
Conventions
Writers think of
an important
person and the
memories
connected with
that person.
Writers ask
themselves,
what is the
heart of my
story?
Writers make a
timeline of all
the main
events and
then circle one
part of the
timeline (and
then stretch out
that part).
Writers
describe the
setting clearly
(without
including
unnecessary
sensory
details).
Writers add
more relevant
detail to the
heart of their
story.
Writers choose
words that are
specific and
appropriate.
Writers begin a
new paragraph
when someone
new is talking.
They use
quotation
marks to show
when that
person is
talking.
Writers think of
an important
place and list
memories
connected with
that place.
Writers write
their stories in
sequential
order.
Writers ask
themselves, “Is
there a clear
beginning,
middle and end
to my story?”
Writers stretch
out the most
important part
of their story.
Writers show,
not tell.
Writers use
specific nouns
throughout
their story.
Writers
capitalize
proper nouns
as they write.
Writers focus
on small
moments
(seed-sized
stories) rather
than giant
watermelon
topics.
Writers
determine the
most important
event or idea
they wish to tell
about and then
write about that
small moment.
PARTNER
CONFERNECE
OPTION:
Writers
sometimes
recruit readers
who can tell
them where
places in their
draft are
confusing.
Writers start
their stories
with the lead
that hooks their
reader (an
action, surprise
or dialogue).
ADVANCED
OPTION:
Writers push
themselves to
say more by
writing twin
sentences.
Writers use
specific verbs
that represent
actions.
Writers use
appropriate
punctuation
and the end of
every sentence.
Teaching points created by Matthews & Shubitz (2006).
Management Tips
to establish during the first weeks of school
1.
2.
Always work towards independence.
Don’t be afraid to use Workshop time to teach management.
•
•
3.
4.
What to do when you’re done with an entry.
My job/your job in a conference.
Make sure you’re building stamina.
Use mid-workshop interruptions to give students a break.
•
5.
Can be compliments that reflect independence.
Create word walls and portable spelling lists (for WW folders) to help students
with their spelling.
Self-Assignment Boxes (see next slide)
Compliment Conferences
6.
7.
•
8.
Quick conferences that consist of 1-2 research questions, then give the student a
“paragraph worth of speech” as a compliment. Then, move on!
Teach-Only Conference
•
Drop a teaching point to kids as you work the room.
•
9.
Example: “Oh, don’t forget to do _______________.”
Build-in time to move around the room to see what’s going on in-between
conferences.
Adapted from a presentation at T.C. by Jen Serravallo, 8/18/06.
“Self-Assignment Boxes” in
Writer’s Notebooks
EXAMPLE #1:
EXAMPLE #2:
Pick another entry from Write a scene where I
my notebook and
show the internal
rewrite it in tiny little
and external story.
steps.
Closing Quotations
• “Walk through life like a writer.” --Lucy Calkins
• “Tell the truth about your life and what’s really
going on.” --Georgia Heard
• “We know the truth of ordinary life events.
Everything doesn’t end with ‘happily ever
after’.” --Georgia Heard
• “Careful control in craft makes for artful
writing.” --Lester Laminack