Writer's Notebook

So today I finished decorating my Writer's Notebook for the school year.  Here it is!

The writer's notebook personalization has a slightly different purpose than other notebook personalization.  For the most part in other notebooks, we personalize simply to give a sense of ownership and to be able to easily identify the notebooks.  For writer's notebooks, the act of personalization is a brainstorming activity of things you can write about.  For example, my writer's notebook includes a picture of my husband, a picture indicating my love to travel, Minnie Mouse (showing my Disney love), teacher stuff, books, Chik-Fil-A, and a pic of me at our cooking class we took at our last anniversary.  I can use this to generate ideas for an endless number of writing assignments.  For example, I could write a travelogue of my trip to China, a how-to piece on how to cook a meal over an open fire, an opinion piece on the recent Chick-Fil-A debacle, a personal narrative on my trip to Disney, etc..  It could go on an on, just from these few symbols of my life.

This is about my fourth or fifth year to have a Writer's Workshop in my class.  For the longest time I couldn't figure out how a comp book worked for Writer's Workshop.  I needed free sheets of paper for the drafts, editing, and revising.  The comp book was way too restrictive.  Finally, someone asked a question in PD last year that made it all make sense.  You use the Writer's Notebook for journaling, recording writing ideas, planning, brainstorming (all pre-writing activities) and for exercises and notes during craft lessons.  This is the place you keep all your writing "stuff."  I use a separate folder with notebook paper for their rough drafts and final drafts of writing pieces.  I think Writer's Workshop and keeping a Writer's Notebook makes an incredible difference in my student's writing.  What are your Writer's Workshop tips and tricks? 

Love,
Mrs. Kelly