Writers' Notebooks -- What's the Big Deal?

As a self-proclaimed writer and soon-to-be-published author, I'm a tad embarrassed to admit that I never understood writers' notebooks until this summer.  I understood journals -- journals are easy -- but the difference between a journal and the ever-elusive writer's notebook?  I didn't get it.  Then everything changed.

This summer I attended a professional development class to help me teach writing based on standards and built on passion.  I never expected a writer's notebook to enter the conversation.  But boy, did it ever.  My professor had a bursting behemoth of a notebook on her desk, all but spewing papers, clips, and napkins onto the floor.  When she held it up for the class to see, she pointed at travel brochures she had accumulated over many road trips, menus with exotic food names, notes handwritten by friends and family, and an endless conglomeration of paraphernalia from her daily adventures.  Nowhere did I see an obligatory run-down of a blah-blah day.  Not once did I glimpse an essay.  Or haiku.  Or short story.  So this was a writer's notebook -- a concrete thought bubble brimming with inspiration.

Not thirty minutes after class, I stood in the back-to-school aisle (which seriously appears earlier every year) and picked out my fifty-cent composition book to claim as my own faithful companion.  I decided to glue scrapbooking paper to the right-hand side of each page spread as a background on which to washi-tape my inspiration.  The left-hand side I left blank for little notes to myself.  (I know I would forget why I taped that randomness in there otherwise.)  See, isn't it pretty?

Still, I needed to find a way to make this concept work in my classroom.  My students constantly complain that they "can't think of anything to write" or "don't care that much about anything."  Yeah, right!  I often wish I could point to something in a student's brain and say, "See?  You're interesting!  You think!  You notice things!  You have opinions!"  Now I can point to their writers' notebooks.  But how can I measure something as abstract as inspiration?  First, I put together a checklist of various inspirational categories I would like to see in my students' notebooks.  I then created page dividers for each of these categories:  fascinating words, inspirational quotes, sensory photos, etc.  Each divider has several examples so my students can get a good idea of what to look for in that category, and hopefully my examples will inspire them, as well!  I probably could have left it there, but I know some of my kiddos (especially the guys) will want a little direction as to the actual taping in of ideas, so I created a few cut-outs with space to write, as well as some comment cut-outs to eccentuate what they've found.  I think they turned out pretty well!

I can hardly wait for the school year to begin so I can descend upon my classroom with passion and inspiration, but until then -- happy planning it is!  (If you would like to see my student version in more detail, check it out in my TpT store!)

Happy Planning!

Writing Prompt Flow Charts

"I don't know what to write about . . . "

Sound familiar?

When I first started teaching, I was shocked to discover how many students felt completely lost when given a "free write"  assignment.  I love coming up with new writing ideas -- doesn't everybody?  

I soon learned that not everybody is exactly like me (thank goodness, actually) and decided to come up with some creative alternatives for students who prefer writing prompts to stimulate their imagination.  My favorite idea so far:  writing prompt flow charts.

Flow charts allow students to find their own personalized writing prompts based on their interests and/or current mood.  Check out the flow chart below!  If a student doesn't like the first prompt he chooses, he can answer the questions again for a different outcome.  I'm feeling inspired to make a whole notebook full of these and keep it at the back of my classroom for students who need inspiration.  What do you think?

5 Reasons Your High School Students Need to Read Audacity, by Melanie Crowder, NOW

Last week I picked up a young-adult novel and didn't put it down until I finished it four hours later.  This is not normal for me.  But neither is the book.

Audacity, by Melanie Crowder, incorporates everything I love about literature into a relevant novel for teenagers.  Here are five reasons your high-school students need to read this novel today:

1.  Relevant Themes of Courage, Difficult Decisions, and Standing Up for Others

Although this novel is set in the early twentieth century, its themes are spot-on for teenagers in 2015.  Clara, the protagonist, continually pushes herself out of her comfort zone -- even giving up some of her own dreams -- in order to speak out against her co-workers' mistreatment and inequality in the workplace.  These themes spawn excellent discussion questions:  "Which is more important -- the process or the outcome?"  "Who or what has the greatest influence on the decisions you make?"  "Which factors can hold people back from pursuing their dreams?"  The possibilities are endless.

2.  Free Verse

This may initially deter some young readers, but Crowder's free-verse writing style is perfect for teenagers with short attention spans.  Each "chapter" takes only one-three minutes to read, which helps readers find the main point quickly and accurately.  Besides, many teenagers have little to no experience with modern poetry, and Audacity provides an excellent example of this writing style without the seemingly irrelevant subject matter of some older authors.

3.  Stunning Figurative Language

I have never been this blown away by an author's use of crisp, clean imagery.  Both physical and abstract images came to life as I read Crowder's verses, and the many similes and metaphors stopped me in my tracks -- I had to re-read many lines simply because they were too good to read just once!  For students learning figurative language in the classroom, this novel can provide excellent examples of integrated literary devices.

4.  Historical Context

Equality can be difficult to discuss in many classrooms with its heated debates and current events.  Audacity's early twentieth-century setting helps to place distance between its events and students' emotions, while still addressing this sensitive issue.  Clara Lemlich, the novel's protagonist, was a real-life women's-rights activist, and this novel gives students a better picture of her life and mission as they wrestle with the complications of equality today.

5.  Female Protagonist

Clara Lemlich is one of the greatest female role models of the early twentieth century, but her courage and selflessness are worthy of emulation by both male and female teenagers. Let's hear it for powerful women of history!

I loved this book more than I have loved a book in a long time, and I am so excited that books of this quality are still being added to the market.  Have you read the book?  Let me know what you thought in the comments section below!

5 Reasons to Promote Publishing in the ELA Classroom

Many teachers devote a classroom bulletin board to the display of exemplary student work.  I have my own version of this "brag wall" for my students, but instead of posting the papers with the highest grades or most impressive quality, I choose student work that has actually been real-world published -- for money.  Here's why:

1.  I want my students to realize that there is more to life than good grades.  Straight-A students know that they're smart, and most get plenty of praise from their teachers already.  However, many successful adults had terrible grades in high school, and many straight-A students have thrown their lives away.  This year I worked with a student who had learning disabilities that made writing especially difficult for her.  I encouraged her to write about those struggles, and she did.  She sent in her story to an inspirational magazine for teens, and even though her verbs weren't conjugated correctly and her commas popped up where they shouldn't, the magazine editor appreciated her story and published it for payment.  Now other teenagers who have the same struggle will read her article and have hope.  That's the kind of thing I'm proud of -- students actually using what talents they have to make a difference.

2.  I want my students to get paid.  Sure, this may sound superficial.  We should write because we want to write, right?  But I have found that an 80-dollar check makes writing suddenly more relevant to a teenager.  I can hardly believe the astonishment on my students' faces each year when I tell them they have the opportunity to make a couple hundred bucks, just for doing their homework in my class.  They ask me to repeat myself, they ask me to clarify, and they ask me to repeat myself again.  They have the hardest time believing that schoolwork could actually lead to their financial success.  Personally, I feel like high school is the best time to learn this truth.  Besides, high-school kids are often either broke or dependent, and I want to teach them how to use their own talents and resources to provide for themselves.  A few paid articles here and there probably won't make them a living, but it's certainly a noble way to earn some extra income!

3.  I want to improve my school's reputation.  Getting students published is obviously good PR for a teacher, but I genuinely want to improve the reputation of my school's program in order for them to attract a larger number of students and donations, as this will lead to even greater success in the future.  Parents want to enroll their students in a program that pushes them to achieve impressive milestones beyond the normal academic expectations.  A program that pushes its students to submit articles for community or national publication will naturally attract more people!  I believe that each teacher should become a team player for his or her school.  This is my way of contributing to our academic community

If any teachers would like to add their own student-publishing successes, please comment below.  I would love to hear from you!

3 Ways to Make Vocabulary Instruction Fun

"Are we playing vocab games today?"
"Hey, can we do vocab today?"
"We're doing vocab!  Yes!"

I love hearing these comments and questions shouted back and forth as my teen-aged students trickle through my classroom door.  In a texting age in which numbers stand for words and one letter can substitute for an entire sentence ("k?"), vocabulary instruction matters now more than ever.  Years ago, I had wonderful high-school English teachers who made class fun with games and activities that we teenagers couldn't resist.  When I finally had my own classroom and my own English classes, I knew that I would do whatever it took to make the English language -- and especially its vocabulary -- even more fun to learn for today's teenagers.  

Here are some of my teens' favorite vocabulary review games:

1.  Vocabulary Charades

My students and I get a lot of laughs with this fun and hilarious game.  Typically, I split up my class into two teams, and each team takes a turn sending up one contestant.  I give the contestant a vocabulary word from our most recent list, and then I set the timer for 30 seconds.  Believe me, when a class sees their friend jumping around on one foot with a box of tissues on her head, they won't forget the anomaly for quite some time!

2.  Slap the Bucket

For classrooms with a high kinesthic-learner rate, this game is almost necessary!  I take my class to they gym (or outside if the weather is irresistible) and have my kids line up around the half-court lines.  I plop a bucket in the middle of the floor and call out a definition from our most recent vocabulary list.  Whoever can run to the bucket, slap it, and yell out the correct word first wins a point for his team!  This game may not explore the words in their context, but a little healthy repetition goes a long way if it's paired with other quality activities.  Even my most distracted students stay focused when I give them this athletic outlet!

3.  Vocab Pictionary

My visual learners love expressing their vocabulary words with pictures.  I often assign vocabulary cartoons, vocabulary posters, and other fun projects of the like, but Vocab Pictionary carries extra intensity for those with a competitive streak.  Again I split the class into two teams and allow the teams to take turns sending up a contestant.  The team gets 30 seconds to guess the vocab word behind its contestant's picture, and again the results leave a lasting impression.

After implementing these and many other vocabulary activities in my classroom, I was pleased, amazed, and impressed to discover that my students' vocabulary-quiz grades almost always averaged higher than 90% as a class.  I certainly can't take credit for their intelligence and creativity, but I do like to think that someday as they sit in their college dorm room, trying to find that perfect word for their impending term paper, they will remember that kid jumping up and down with the tissue box -- and smile.


Find More of My Vocab Games Here!

Make the dictionary come alive with fun for every learning style!