Creating a Writer's Notebook

How do pupils use a writer’s notebook? What exactly is a writer’s notebook? These are questions that came up during my first year of teaching. I found that even seasoned teachers struggled with the idea of how to get students to produce writer's notebooks that were unique and meaningful. A writer’s notebook is a notebook for one to keep and to personalize. It is not meant to be a diary, and is not supposed to be corrected by a teacher. It is a notebook that celebrates the writer's ideas, poems, quotes, thoughts, artifacts, and photos. It is a unique place for students to share personal feelings and memories. It can also be used as a planning tool for future projects.

Introducing the Idea

The way you introduce the idea of the writer’s notebook to your students is probably the most important part in making sure it is a successful endeavor. It is important to make sure your instructions and expectations are clear. If you don't make the guidelines clear, your class might not understand the notebook's purpose. In the past, a few of my students would draw a picture and then write about it. That’s fine for some entries, but it shouldn’t be the main type of entry. Entries in a writer’s notebook are meant to be much more in-depth.

Why is it Useful?

This year, I introduced the writer's notebook by having students create a list of ways it could be used. You can even keep a writer’s notebook yourself during the school year so that you have a model for next year. Some may not have experience with a true writer’s notebook, so it is important to emphasize the various ways to use it (collecting ideas, thoughts, artifacts, photos, questions, etc.) After creating a list of how a writer’s notebook is used, I have my pupils personalize their notebook. This is probably the most exciting part of the lesson for most. I usually send a letter home asking parents to send their child to school with photos, clippings from magazines, stickers, or any memento that tells something about them. I use the work of a previous student so my current class can visualize the outcome I'm aiming for. The conversations that develop while notebook decoration is underway, is one of the most amazing results of the entire project. This is one time when I don’t mind if they speak to one another during writer’s workshop. If you listen closely, there are a ton of connections and observations they make by looking at each other’s notebook covers. It a fantastic icebreaker as well.

Growing as Writers

At this point, I instruct my pupils to use our Writer’s Heart Graphic Organizer (please see my earlier article, Launching Writers Workshop) and discuss how to “plant seeds” to grow as writers. I usually model how to use the writer’s heart to choose a seed idea, and how to build upon that idea. Using a think-aloud method during this mini-lesson is highly effective.

A writer’s notebook is meant to be a launching point for ideas. It’s up to the individual to choose an entry he/she wants to build upon for writer’s workshop. The most heart-warming thing to see is your students taking pride in their notebooks and taking pride in the fact that they are authors.  

Writer's Notebook Lessons:

Launching a Writer's Workshop

This is a fabulous lesson that explains how writer's workshop is directly related to constructing a writer's notebook.

Notebook Writing

This lesson highlights how you can use various books to introduce and model how to use writer's notebooks in your classroom .

Utilizing a Writer's Notebook

This is a writer's notebook lesson which focuses on its use with middle and high school students.