Writer’s Notebook Starter Activities

Setting up your notebook Leave the first three pages for a contents list. Rule three columns: Date (narrow column), Subject (wide column) and page number (narrow column). Now start numbering all the pages up to the middle of the book Date Content Page

For each new entry Rule off a section at the bottom of the numbered page (around four lines) for each activity. This will be used to answer four questions about your writing: Audience (who are you writing for?), Form (what sort of writing is it?), Purpose (Why are you writing or what reaction do you want from your audience?) and Persona (Who is the voice of the piece: yourself, a character etc.?). Audience Form Purpose Persona

Handouts/Notes (back of notebook) Flip your book over and turn it upside down. Leave the first three pages for another contents list. Subject (wide column and page number (narrow column). This section will be used to store all handout sheets or notes. Loose sheets must be glued in. Handout/Notes Content Page

Generating Ideas for Writer’s Notebook The following slides each represent a page in the Writer’s Notebook that is designed to trigger ideas for writing. These ideas should provide stimulus for imaginative, expository and persuasive writing These sorts of activities can be revisited at any stage of Writer’s Workshop, when you are stuck for writing ideas

Alphabet spread across a double page Alphabet spread across a double page. Students think of a form or genre to represent each letter of the alphabet. This could be a source of ideas for writing forms to use for their own choice writing ideas.

What objects are important to you? What has really affected your heart/emotions? What people have been important to you? What experiences will you never forget? What happy/sad memories do you have? You could use words or pictures and words. You could have each item filling a space that represents the space they occupy in your heart? You could use a heart shape or simply fill a whole page with words.

Take one or more items from one of your lists and expand it Take one or more items from one of your lists and expand it. Could form the basis for a persuasive and/or persuasive writing piece.

A list of experiences that represent the things you value or see as important to experience at least once. The list could form the basis for a creative writing piece around a particular experience.

Students consider some of the strong emotions they have felt and write one on each finger and perhaps even the palm. Above each finger they write a brief list of times in their lives when this emotion was at its strongest. The hand then becomes a source of ideas for personal writing based on childhood memories and experiences.

This is a map that represents a special place in the student’s life: past or present. Source of ideas for personal writing/descriptive writing. Think of a place that holds a lot of memories or stories you could tell Draw a sketch of that place Then place a “X” on your sketch where a memory happened that you could tell or write about

The Thinker A collection of thoughts and ideas. Students could come back to this page whenever they have something weighing on their mind, that they need to express. Could be a source of both creative and persuasive writing.

This list could be used as the basis for expository writing, using various forms. Take a few minutes and label a sheet of paper “My Authority List” Then list all of the things you know a lot about OR Draw a picture of yourself Then write words or short phrases about things you know a lot about

Using the notebook to generate writing ideas First choose a topic from one of your starter activities pages Circle it Then begin to write an extended piece from your choice of topic You have 30 minutes of silent writing time.