The Writer's Notebook

I currently teach 2nd grade and spent a lot of time researching and trying out different ideas for a "writer's notebook" that was appropriate for my grade and age level.

What is a writer's notebook?  I believe it to be a special space for students to collect and try ideas!  Now, when you have a "collection" of ideas you need a place to put it.  In the back of the notebook I gave the students a large manila envelope that just fit on the inside back cover.  I told the kids this is where you can store special items.  These items could be special photos of memories, vacations, things they found in a magazine.  They could put something like pressed flowers & leaves, song lyrics, post-its, and poems.  They could keep anything to give them inspiration for writing "from the heart".

Here is a sample picture of the type of envelope I used:  It can be plain or you can have the kids decorate it.


Personalize:  Before we get started as a class, I explain to my students that this is their notebook and we want to make it our own.  I invite the kids to take it home and decorate the outside covers, front and back.  They can use glitter, glue pictures, draw pictures on the covers.  Again, this is to get them excited about writing!  This decorating process is important because not only does it make it "their own" it helps give them another place to look when they experience the dreaded "writer's block"!

I also saved a few pages in the front of their writer's notebook to put categories and topics to write about.  Here are a few I've used this year and in the past as a "writer's idea bank".  The following links are from teacherspayteachers.com.  The links I am sharing are free to download for classroom use.

About Me:  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/All-About-Me-Pennant-Bunting-781564
This is a really cute banner flag.  You can have your students cut out the banner and glue it right into the notebook.  I love the shapes and the colors on it.

Thing I Love: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/i-Love-1106078
There are two things on this activity you can use.  I use the heart and have the students write words or draw pictures of thing they love.  You don't have to copy and print it.  You can have the students make up their own heart too.  I have also used construction paper hearts.  I let the kids pick any color heart they want too.  Here is an example I have found and used below.


My Favorite Things: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Favorite-Things-1053993
This graphic organizer is great!  The students answer the questions and write in their favorite song, favorite thing to do after school, and much more.  The students can also color it in when their done.  I have my students lightly color the boxes in when they're done.

No More Skipped Pages!:  There are a few things you can do for this.  I have found if I used paper bookmarks, they would fall out and get lost.  You can glue a ribbon to the book long enough that the kids can move it as they write from page to page.  I also found a lot of success with BIG clips similar to these below:  As an organizational strategy, I have groups of students by color pods.  I simply match their classroom color to the color of their clip.  Here is the type of clip I used.  I found these at the Dollar Tree!

Other clip ideas could be the BIG paper clips or even wooden clothespins.  Use what words for you and your students :)