Writer's Notebook Expectations

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.

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.