Notebook Expectations
Students are expected to…
ð write daily in their notebooks at school and at home
2 times a week.
ð ”find” topics for their notebook writing from their
life, from reading, and from natural curiosity. Students are expected to make decisions
about their writing topics on a daily basis.
ð try strategies from the mini-lesson before
continuing with their own work for the day.
ð fold over any entry they deem too personal to share
with the teacher. (Students may not
staple, glue, or tape this page shut). Any folded-over entries the teacher
cannot read will not be considered an entry toward their required number per
week.
ð respect the integrity of the notebook by taking care
of it and having it in class EVERYday.
Students will respect other notebooks by only reading entries they are
invited to read by the author.
ð practice what
they know about conventional spelling and grammar. Entries must be legible.
ð discover how writing can enrich their lives.
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Students can depend on the
teacher to…
ð provide time each day for students to write during
writing workshop.
ð teach writing strategies as ways to discover writing
topics. Teachers will also confer with
students to help nudge their thinking and writing when students get stuck.
ð teach a mini-lesson each day to teach students how
to be better writers.
ð respect the folded entries. The teacher will respect the privacy of the
writer unless there is reason to believe the student is being hurt by
someone, is going to hurt someone, or is going to hurt him or herself.
ð have her notebook in class on a daily basis. The teacher will also share some of her
writing throughout the year to establish that she is a writer too! Mrs.
McDowell will not lose notebooks she collects, write all over entries in red
ink, or get chocolate smudges on them.
ð teach the
rules of grammar that will enhance student writing. Teachers will recognize that the notebook
is a place to practice new conventions and words and to master conventions
and words students already know.
ð discover how her life is enriched by the writing of
each student.
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