Display and honor writers’ thinking (not just final products)

For starters, I’d always have one board that mimics a strategy I use in my writer’s notebook. I’d teach the strategy and invite students to try it—not only to try it in their notebooks but to post their ideas on the bulletin board as well. I’d choose a strategy that will serve students across genres so we can continue to fill the board for months at a time, just as I want them to re-use “old” strategies in their notebooks throughout the year, storing up ideas and inspiration for writing projects they haven’t even thought of (or I haven’t assigned) yet. After all, that’s exactly what I do in my writer’s notebook.

Feed your writers’ notebooks this summer

Summer is a great time for teachers to “stock up” their writers’ notebooks. Not sure what to write? Here are three strategies to help get you thinking. Read more

My 5 most frequently used notebook strategies

People always ask, “How do you come up with ideas for writing?” So I analyzed my writer’s notebook and identified my most frequently used strategies for recording, nurturing, and thinking about story content. Here’s what I found: