Just Write!

Writer's notebooks or journals have been around a long time in some form or fashion in language arts classrooms.  Today's model frequently shows up as a "composition" notebook like the kind found at the discount store for a dollar.  I have several of those filled up.  I recently found one that I used during a summer writing institute.  That was about 10 years, or so, ago.  I have enjoyed reading through it.

I write each day that my student's write, which is usually every day.  I just finished a class for writing teachers and I wrote a lot during that time.  I wrote with my students and I wrote for my goal for this class.  There are all sorts of things in my notebook.  There are reflections about things that are happening in my life.  There are reflections about books that I am reading.  There are frustrations.  There are lists.

At the beginning of the semester I had a new group of 5th grade students transfer into my classroom first hour.  The first day we began with writing in a notebook.  I gave them these notebooks with a list of 45 possible topics to write about.  The first few days they relied on these topics, heavily.  However, I'm noticing this week that they are relying more on their own ideas to begin writing.  They are beginning to think of themselves as writers.  Hooray!

I was asked by a younger teacher yesterday for some ideas about how to help some lower elementary students improve their writing.  I thought for a moment about that.  I was thinking about different programs that might be beneficial for her to use.  But, what I finally came up with was the suggestion to simply have them write each day.   Then, look at what they wrote and  figure out where their gaps are.  I think putting them in an authentic writing environment is the best way to help them become better writers.  They have to actually write.   I feel there are strategies that we can give them to help them develop ideas or to organize their thoughts.  But, I don't think that teaching them an organizational system to remind them to put things in a certain order is helpful if they do not write consistently each day.

After I came home, I thought about how I had given her ideas about what I would do, but I didn't point her in the direction of any resources. I knew that I should have some resources that I could share with her.  I went to my bookshelf and came up with two books by Ralph Fletcher and JoAnne Portulupi about Craft Lessons.  There was a non-fiction and a fiction version.  These are older. They were published in 2001.  But, as I looked through them, I realized there was some great information in them.  The lessons within the books give a skill and break that skill down into a lesson with practical suggestions about to teach it.  I hope she finds these books helpful.

The best way to get better at something is to practice.  I don't know of anything that anyone can get better at by just thinking about ways to get better at it.  Practice is the answer.  It's the key to athletics, FFA judging teams, quilting, typing, giving speeches or anything.  And, it's the answer to getting better at writing.  So keep writing! 

2006 -  Writers Notebook at OWP Summer Institute