Daily Writing in the Classroom
There were so many different styles of notebook entry writing that Randy Bomer discusses in the book, Building Adolescent Literacy in Today's English Classrooms. A couple of them I had heard of and even written in some of those particular formats myself. There were others though, that I hadn't really given much thought to in my previous writing experiences. One of the types of writing that I liked was the fir one listed. The first type of notebook entry called, Accepting What Comes, really stood out to me because in a way, it reminded me a lot of the journal writing that we have been doing in class during the semester. Although, typically we have something read to us or we have a discussion about something that gives us a jumping off point, but from that point on, we are just writing and it feels so free and natural. We aren't concerned with anything other than getting words down on paper. I think that the best way to teach this is to allow students that time in class to write in independent journals. At first, the teacher could start off by reading a book or some other text, or even having a class discussion and allowing them to choose a jumping off point and write from there. Once students are comfortable with just picking something and writing about it, the teacher can allow her students to just routinely write in their journals about whatever comes to their mind. I do believe that when working with middle and high school students, emphasizing to them that you will not read their journals unless given permission to do so is an important factor in potentially getting great writing out of them.
The second type of notebook entry that I really liked was a combination of Writing Only With Your Eyes and Writing Only With Your Ears. Throughout my education, writing has been something that I really enjoyed doing. When I learned about sensory imagery, I was even more inspired to write to the best of my ability. I absolutely loved using senses to add details into my writing and I loved reading books with that style of writing. I chose these entry types because it made me wonder what a lot of my own past writing assignments would have been like, if I went back and wrote them using these particular styles. When talking about a lot of the styles of writing, Bomer uses examples of personal experiences. Our students, write about what they know or their own day to day experiences and so I think that these types of writing would be a great twist on those typical "best day of my life" and "when I learned something new" entries. In teaching this particular writing style, I would actually have students look back at an entry about a life experience (similar to the ones mentioned above) and rewrite it either with only using their eyes or only using their ears. I would allow the students to choose between the two strategies. If students did not previously write about a life experience, I would allow them the opportunity to think about one and then write about it using one of the two writing styles.
In the section, Intentional Strategies Versus Assignments, Bomer discusses how the students should be in charge and feel free to express his or herself in a way that speaks best to them. The purpose of their daily notebook is not to allow the teacher another way to assign grades and critique their students' writing, but instead, to allow the students another way to express themselves and to have a space in which they feel comfortable to do so. The practice of daily notebook writing in your classroom should not be just another assignment for teachers to grade. Instead, it should be something that benefits your students and allows them to grow not just in their writing, but also personally, mentally, and academically.
The second type of notebook entry that I really liked was a combination of Writing Only With Your Eyes and Writing Only With Your Ears. Throughout my education, writing has been something that I really enjoyed doing. When I learned about sensory imagery, I was even more inspired to write to the best of my ability. I absolutely loved using senses to add details into my writing and I loved reading books with that style of writing. I chose these entry types because it made me wonder what a lot of my own past writing assignments would have been like, if I went back and wrote them using these particular styles. When talking about a lot of the styles of writing, Bomer uses examples of personal experiences. Our students, write about what they know or their own day to day experiences and so I think that these types of writing would be a great twist on those typical "best day of my life" and "when I learned something new" entries. In teaching this particular writing style, I would actually have students look back at an entry about a life experience (similar to the ones mentioned above) and rewrite it either with only using their eyes or only using their ears. I would allow the students to choose between the two strategies. If students did not previously write about a life experience, I would allow them the opportunity to think about one and then write about it using one of the two writing styles.
In the section, Intentional Strategies Versus Assignments, Bomer discusses how the students should be in charge and feel free to express his or herself in a way that speaks best to them. The purpose of their daily notebook is not to allow the teacher another way to assign grades and critique their students' writing, but instead, to allow the students another way to express themselves and to have a space in which they feel comfortable to do so. The practice of daily notebook writing in your classroom should not be just another assignment for teachers to grade. Instead, it should be something that benefits your students and allows them to grow not just in their writing, but also personally, mentally, and academically.
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