Mustang Writer’s Notebooks Presented by Barbara DuPree

Rationale Ronald Wilson Reagan Middle will implement school-wide interdisciplinary writer’s notebooks to promote literacy across all content areas. The Mustang Writer’s Notebooks will serve as an instructional tool to foster reading, writing, speaking, and listening throughout the curriculum.

Support from Focus by Mike Schmoker Experts from all disciplines advocate for the same core practices of authentic literacy, or the intensive integration of purposeful reading, writing, and talking into each subject. ~Schmoker, M. (2011)

Goal To increase the time students spend engaged in literacy activity, specifically writing, within content area instruction

What is a Writer’s Notebook?  A way to LIVE LIKE A WRITER  A place where writer’s feel safe to take risks, experiment with various types of craft, and store “seed” ideas for future writing  A venue to explore reflections, explain thinking, record quotes, random facts, questions, lists, song lyrics, dreams, reactions, and generate ideas for formal writing pieces  An way to write off photos, objects, books, and prompts

Benefits of a Writer’s Notebook  Provides collection place for ideas, facts, and wonderings  Gathers materials for different genres of writing  Place to try different types of craft (i.e.- grabbing lead)  Organizes thoughts  Serves as prewriting for writing projects/research  Helps students be more attuned to world around them and inspires students to consistently think like writers

Food for Thought A writer’s notebook is like a ditch; an empty space you dig in your busy life, a space that will fill up with all sorts of fascinating little creatures. If you dig it, they will come. You’ll be amazed by what you catch there. ~ Fletcher, R. (1996)

Getting Started 1.Students designate a 5-subject notebook. Label a section for Language Arts, Math, Related Arts, Science, and Social Studies (alphabetical order)- Complete in Advisory Rooms on Sept.11th 2.Adhere Mustang Writer’s Notebook labels 3.Content based teams develop a list of first quarter prompts: (9 prompts – a combination of guided prompts, picture/photo prompts, and free-writes)

How do students learn to use a writer’s notebook?  Teacher modeling  Mini-lessons  In-class practice  Out of class practice (homework optional)  Classroom sharing  Revisiting and rereading (choose topic for research)

Integration to Content Areas Example prompts: Science – You are chosen to travel to a planet of your choice. Describe your experiences while on the planet, include as much factual information as possible. Social Studies – Choose one of the “founding fathers” studied. Write an entry imagining a day in the life of this individual. What would you do? What historical figures would you interact with? Interview a founding father. Create a historical comic strip. Math – Write a word problem for an equation. Explain your thought process for solving a complex problem.

More Content Area Prompts… Chorus - Select the song lyrics from one of our current pieces. Write an interpretation or personal reaction to the lyrics OR Write your own song lyrics. Physical Education - Write about your fitness goals for this year. Devises a plan of action to meet these goals. Language Arts – Write about a ‘most moment’. Write about a color. Write a family story, celebration, or tradition. Write small to create a ‘snapshot in time’ piece. Write a memoir, a persuasive piece, a narrative for a photograph, a poem, an interview, practice a crafting technique, etc.

Picture Prompts  Historical photos  Personal photographs  Comics  Drawings/sketches * mptgenerator.htm OR writingfix.com

Student Accountability  Turn and Talk (partner sharing and peer responses)  Class share  Rubric assessment (feedback once per month) – based on completion, effort, and quality of original thought  Rubrics will be created by content area teams

Suggestions  Teachers maintain their own Writer’s Notebooks to share and model writing with their class  Take entire team during advisory time to the lecture hall to write an entry in writer’s notebooks and host team sharing times

Noteworthy Quotes “ A powerful way to motivate students is to be a writer with them and share your work.” ~Fountas, I. and Pinnel, G.S. (2001) “ I’ve learned that if I am going to write well, I need to surround my words with the beautiful writing of others.” ~Fletcher, R. (1996)

After Lunch Task  Each content area will create nine first quarter prompts (a combination of guided, picture, and free-write prompts) – 3 per month  Content areas will develop a rubric to use for providing feedback and assessing writer’s notebook entries (once per month)

Brainstorm in Groups  How have you presently been integrating writing tasks into your discipline?  What new ideas/prompts can you think of for implementing the Mustang Writer’s Notebooks in your classroom? Think “out of the box”!

Ticket Out the Door Label the top of the provided index card with the content area you teach. On the card, write at least one writer’s notebook prompt or integration idea for your content area.

References  Fletcher,R.(1996). A Writer’s Notebook:Unlocking the Writer Within You. New York, New York: Harper Collins Publishers.  Fletcher,R & Portalupi, J. (1998). Craft Lessons:Teaching Writing K-8. York, Maine: Stenhouse.  Fountas,I. & Pinnell, G.S. (2001). Guiding Readers and Writers, Grades 3-6. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.