Launching and Sustaining Reading and Writing Notebooks
1. Launching and Sustaining Reading
and Writing Notebooks
Presented By
Heather Corral
Mindi Rench
Northbrook Junior High, Northbrook, IL
Tuesday, April 3, 12
2. Why a notebook?
• Notebooks offer a place for students to
capture their thinking. A place to call
their own.
• In writing, notebooks provide a place to
experiment and take risks.
• In reading, notebooks serve as a
collection spot for a student’s thinking
about his/her reading.
Tuesday, April 3, 12
3. Whose Notebook?
• Writer’s Notebooks will look different
depending on your purpose:
• Ralph Fletcher Style
• Aimee Buckner Style
• Your Style
Tuesday, April 3, 12
4. • Less Structured:
• No formal sections
• Dependent on student
preferences
• “junk drawer”
• quick writes
• student’s observations
• writing territories
Writer’s Notebook: Organization and
Layout - Three Possibilities
Tuesday, April 3, 12
10. • Books Read List
• Someday Books List
• Genre Chart
• Reading Response
Reader’s Notebook Structure
Tuesday, April 3, 12
11. A Reader’s Notebook...
• Captures a reading life
• Provides a place for
reflection and response
• Encourages students to be
“personal, individual, and
real as they take notice of
themselves and their
world.” (Rief, 2007)
• Allows students to see
growth
Tuesday, April 3, 12
12. Don’t Give Up!
Once you see the power of the notebook, you
will place a priority on making it work!
Tuesday, April 3, 12
