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Introduction to Writer's Journal
When starting a Writer's Journal, I was probably very similar to any child starting a writing journal. It's intimidating looking at all of those empty pages. You have this feeling that you are capable of filling it in with words, but you can't quite figure out what words. There's also this expectation that follows with starting a journal that it needs to be perfect. The words inside need to be meaningful and include deep thoughts. After reading some articles and doing some research on other blogs and Instagram, I'm beginning to realize that it's quite the opposite of perfect. It can be messy, the entries can vary in length, and it can be about the most random things. It's YOUR journal. It's what YOU want it to be. If perfectionist me could get into this habit, I believe anyone can.
Amy Krouse Rosenthal's book, Textbook really introduced journaling to me in a different aspect. Just the cover of the text sparked my thinking. We journal everyday without even realizing it. We are writing everyday about our feelings and the world around us when we are texting. Reading this before beginning my writer's journal made me realize how easy and effortless writing could really be.
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Another concept that I love about this book is that "academic" subjects don't necessarily need to be as academic-y as we would first perceive. The first academic chapter of this "textbook" is geography. You would first think that would mean state capitals, landscapes, and maybe even a stretch into human geography. Rosenthal did not break away from talking about geography, rather she talked about personal stories that reflect geography.
She talked about Chicago, a water park, and even a map. She did not talk about them the way that you expect them to. She talked about how different the United States of America would be if the states with in alphabetical order. She told a story that first started out at a gas station and then ended with the family forcing a new puppy on her. The expectations of academic writing are so strong in schools today. Students hear that they have to write about a country or place and think that they need to talk about their culture, history or other fun facts. Rosenthal breaks this expectation by talking about geography in a personal way. This is exactly why Textbook needs to be a mentor text for writers who are beginning the journey of a writing journal.
Peter J. Lancia referred to mentor texts as "literary borrowing" (Dorfman, 2017). Mentor texts are meant to guide writers on what their writing should look like. These pieces of literature are not supposed to be typical textbooks. They should be more like the book, Textbook. The book should inspire writers to do what they do. This should be a crucial part of writing instruction because it not only inspires writers, but it also guides them.
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When choosing a mentor text, there are three things you need to do:
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Find a book that you love and know others will love too.
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Find examples within the book of lessons that you want to teach. In Textbook the inspired skill should be writing prompts for introducing the writing journal.
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Connect the text with the students and the curriculum.
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"Mentor texts help students find ideas and breathe courage into their writing by helping them take risks and think outside their writing box."
Mentor Texts:
Serendipity
Serendipity:
A happy coincidence. Something you don't look for, but you feel a small sense of joy when it occurs.
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Textbook by Amy Krouse Rosenthal is a serendipity for me. When I first ordered this book off of Amazon, I thought it was simply just a textbook where an author was trying to relate to their young audience. When I opened the book, it was nothing like what I expected. I was looking for a reference book that would guide me through various lessons and steps on how to teach students. Instead, this book is a mentor text. I want to write more like her. I am jealous of her writing and I could see myself following her writing style during my writing journal experience. She is fun, quirky, and a quick writer. She gets the meaning down and writes whatever she feels like. She doesn't let the expectations of geography, mathematics, or history stop her from writing what she wants to write. She doesn't break the rules. She still meets the requirements of talking about geography, but she thinks deeper. When I read this, I feel joy and I see hope for my own writing journal experience, as well as my future students. My hope is that students won't feel constricted when they are given a topic to write. As much as I want students to write whatever they want to all the time, I know standards cause for writing prompts to be required. Rosenthal is teaching us writers that you can still meet the standards by thinking deeper.
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"No wonder they do - curriculum often feels like a one-way conversation to these students. The writer's journal nudges students to become more active learners. It gives them a place to react to their world, to make that all-important personal connection." -Ralph Fletcher (Writer's Notebook: A Place to Dream, Wonder, and Explore)
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We are always discussing how important it is for student's to connect to what they are learning, but we very rarely give everyone the opportunity. When Fletcher said that curriculum is a "one-way conversation," it made me realize how we lack the connection aspect of learning. We need to provide a chance for writers to write multiple times a day, not just to grow on their own writing skills, but to also grow their minds through a dialogue between curriculum and themselves.
Ideas & Inspirations for the Lost Writer
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Writing Strategies from Ralph Fletcher's The Writer's Notebook: School Talk
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Three By Three​: List three word phrases for three minutes. The first word should be the topic and the other words will follow that topic (ex. summer, beach, school). Use these words to create a piece of writing.​​
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Write About Your Name
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Capture What Is Important: Write important things that happen throughout your day. Don't just make a list of your daily routine. We aware of things that happen that may be different than usual.
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Describe Your World: Write deeply about your environment around you.
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Write About Your Drawings
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Write to A Specific Audience
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Bits and Pieces: bring important things to you to write about (tickets, photographs, postcards, letters, lock of hair, etc.)
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Mentor Texts for Writer's Journal
Credit to: Beth Frye
Dorfman, L. R., & Cappelli, R. (2017). Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children's Literature, K-6(2nd ed.). Portland, MD: Stenhouse Publishers.
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Fletcher, R. (2001). The Writer’s Notebook, School Talk, NCTE, 6 (4), 1-6.
Citations
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