It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 07/09/12

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

After doing the meme for a couple of weeks, we realized this would be a fun meme to start up with a kidlit focus - anyone reading and reviewing books in children's literature - it can be picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, you name it in the world of kidlit and it's in! We have loved being a part of this meme and we hope you do too!  We encourage everyone participating to go and visit the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and to comment on as many posts as you can. We love talking books and believe in sharing and discussing what we're reading. We hope you join us!

Last Week's Book Adventures:

Jen Says: I finished Stephen King's On Writing. It was completely brilliant. You can read about some of my favorite quotes from yesterday's Teachers Write post. I read Goddess Girls Artemis the Loyal by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams and Guys Read: The Sports Pages. Both were really fun! I started Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead, too. I'm still listening to Fallen In Love by Lauren Kate...just because I barely find time for audiobooks, but it's good! I did read a few books with my sons from We Give Books, too!

Kellee Says: I had a pretty good week. First, I finished the Captain Underpants series as well as the first book in the Super Diaper Baby series and Ook & Gluk series. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the series so much more than I thought I was going to. I was surprised at how much I found that I could use in the classroom and I will be sharing it next week. Additionally, I read a fantastic fiction graphic novel Cow Boy by Nate Cosby and illustrated by Chris Eliopoulos. 


I also read two nonfiction graphic novels put together by the Discovery Channel- Ten Deadliest Sharks and Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Predators by Joe Brusha. They will definitely be a hit in my classroom. They are extremely very well done. In addition to the nonfiction graphic novels, I read a nonfiction book called Attack on Pearl Harbor for summer school that starts today. 


Finally, I finished 3 novels and 2 picture books. The 2 picture books I read were One Cool Friend by Tony Buzzeo (which I had to read after reading Jen's review) and Ladybug Girl by David Soman.  The 3 novels were for review and I cannot wait to share them with you: Aphrodite the Diva by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams, Guys Read: The Sports Pages compiled by Jon Sciezska, and Chasing Yesterday by Mike Hays. 

Reviewed Last Week:

  

 

Just click on any picture above to go read the review

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

Jen Says: I'm planning on finishing Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead and then settling in for some professional reading. I have Pathways to the Common Core and Ten Things Every Writer Needs to Know to read and a few books on mentoring/coaching. I also borrowed Drama by Raina Telgemeier from Colby so I'm anxious to read that, too! **Correction! I finished Drama and it's perfect. I was impressed again by Rain Telgemeier.**

Kellee Says: I start teaching summer school today so I have a couple of books I have to read. I already read the Pearl Harbor book for this week. I also started Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading today which is the read aloud my teacher partner already started (and I should finish it soon) and I need to read True Teen Stories for the following week. I also am going to read Chase Against Time by Steve Reifman for review. I also hope to get to From What I Remember like I'd planned last week.  OH! And I should finish my audio book, Silverwing, since I'll be driving too and from school. Next to that, I am not sure what I am going to read. 

This Week's Reviews:

   

   Check back throughout the week to hear about these books. 

So, what are you reading this week? 

Please link up below and don't forget to check out other blogs to see what they are reading!

 and

TMT Summer Writing Group - Week Six

Any time I get excited about something, I search for books to learn more about it. When I knew I was going to be focusing on writing this summer, I bought Real Revision by my Teachers Write! amazing author friend, Kate Messner, and 10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know by Jeff Anderson. Before I let myself dig into either of those though, I wanted to read On Writing by Stephen King.

I have only read a few of Stephen King's fiction books - The Shawshank Redemption being my favorite (both the book and the movie are fantastic). I tend to not like creepy-horror-suspense books or watch those movies but I recognize Stephen King as an amazing storyteller regardless. 

Reading On Writing is exactly what I needed to read! It's a perfect book. He starts by talking about his childhood and it's mainly autobiographical but he also weaves in how his experiences led him to his career as an author. Later in the book, he focuses seriously on writing and talks about his process and what makes sense to him. Let me show you how much I loved this book:

I marked a page any time I read something I thought I would want to go back to. The picture says enough - I absolutely loved this book! I recommend that all Teachers Write participants read this! 

Last week, I talked about having a writer's notebook, this week, I'll share some of my favorite parts of Stephen King's on writing that focus on actually just getting started with writing. The first quote actually ties in with the topic of having a writer's notebook from last week. Get your ideas in those notebooks!

"There is no Idea Dump, no Story Central, no Island of the Buried Bestsellers, good story ideas seem to come quite literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky: two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new under the sun. Your job isn't to find these ideas but to recognize them when they show up." p. 37

Here are a few quotes about how important it is to read read read in order to be able to write. This is so important and something we need to recognize when we teach. We need to get kids reading but also get them paying attention to what's around them so they can get writing as well.

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.” p. 145

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

“Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life.” p. 147

He also explains that when we do get down to reading and writing consistently, we can learn about ourselves and what helps us read and write. That's what Teachers Write has been about - about doing the work so we can better help students do the work. 

“You learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, and the most valuable lessons of all are the ones you teach yourself. These lessons almost always occur with the study door closed.” p. 236

These next two quotes changed my approach to writing. I have been dedicated to writing this summer and I read Kate's blog about making time to write and to write everyday. I didn't think a lot about where to write and how to make the most of the time I do set aside for writing. This week I have really eliminated distractions and it has made a huge difference! 

“For any writer, but for the beginning writer in particular, it’s wise to eliminate every possible distraction.” p. 156

“When you write, you want to get rid of the world, do you not? Of course you do. When you’re writing, you’re creating your own worlds.” p. 156

How did I eliminate distractions? Stephen King helped me with this, too. We live in a townhouse so all space is shared space. None of us have a spot all our own. When I read that King wrote in a laundry room, I realized that could be my writing space! A space to close the door and shut out distractions.

“I wrote my first two published novels, Carrie and ‘Salem’s Lot, in the laundry room of a doublewide trailer, pounding away on my wife’s portable Olivetti typewriter and balancing a child’s desk on my thighs; John Cheever reputedly wrote in the basement of his Park Avenue apartment building, near the furnace. The space can be humble (probably should be, as I think I have already suggested), and it really needs only one things: a door which you are willing to shut. The closed door is your way of telling the world and yourself that you mean business; you have made a serious commitment to write and intend to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.” p. 155

It's already week six of Teachers Write...if you haven't joined in yet, now is the time! And if you have, remember to just keep going. Define a goal or a purpose, make the time, and get to it. Here's what Stephen King says to that:

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.

After that, things can only get better.” p. 269

I was inspired by this book but now that I've spent my time reading about writing, it's time to write!

“…the hours we spend talking about writing 

is time we don’t spend actually doing it.” p. 144

My rules for the TMT Summer Writing Group:

1. We respect each other and the types of writing we do.

2. We only criticize each other constructively.

3. We are positive and encourage each other at all times.

4. We recognize and maintain this as a safe environment.

**I reserve every right to put the smackdown

on anyone who messes with our positive energy.**

Today, in the comments section:
Where do you write? How do you eliminate distractions?

How did you do this week? Did you meet your weekly goal(s)?

What was the pit of your week? (The hardest part, the not-fun part?)

What was the peak of your week? (The bet part, the most-fun part?)

What are you looking forward to and planning for the week ahead?

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week of writing!

 

The Circus Ship

Title: The Circus Ship
Author: Chris Van Dusen
Illustrator: Chris Van Dusen 
Publisher: Candlewick Press 
Publication Date: September 2009  
Genre/Format: Semi-Non-Fiction/Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: With stunning artwork and a rhyming text, the illustrator of the Mercy Watson books tells a tale of human-animal connection full of humor and heart.

When a circus ship runs aground off the coast of Maine, the poor animals are left on their own to swim the chilly waters. Staggering onto a nearby island, they soon win over the wary townspeople with their kind, courageous ways. So well do the critters blend in that when the greedy circus owner returns to claim them, villagers of all species conspire to outsmart the bloated blowhard. With buoyant rhymes and brilliantly caricatured illustrations evoking the early nineteenth century, Chris Van Dusen presents a hugely entertaining tale about the bonds of community — and a rare hidden-pictures spread for eagle-eyed readers of all ages. 
What I Think: I was drawn to this book because of the stunning cover. I didn't realize it was the same illustrator who does Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson series, but it makes sense because I love those illustrations as well. I love especially how the water is splashing up as the ship makes its way through the sea.
I was delighted that the story is every bit as wonderful as the cover. I love animals and its great to see a book where the animals in a circus - a circus run by a not-so-nice owner, too - get to escape their fate of circus-dom. The animals get to show how great they are and the villagers recognize this. My favorite page is when the circus owner comes to town after having tracked down the animals but they are no where to be found while, truthfully, they are right in front of his eyes. A great example of how it's important to pay attention to the illustrations as much as the text.
This book is also great for inferring the character traits of the circus owner. Van Dusen makes it pretty clear what we are supposed to think of the circus owner; he is very clearly a villain. A great chance to talk about story elements and plot in general. Love it!
Read Together: Grades 2 - 5 
Read Alone: Grades 3 - 5 
Read With: Heroes of the Surf by Elisa Carbone, Ollie the Purple Elephant by Jarrett Krosoczka, Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen
Snatch of Text:

"Through chilly water, all night long,

the animals swam on,

until they reached an island beach

just before the dawn.

They pulled themselves up on the shore - 

bedraggled, cold, and beat - 

then staggered to the village

on weary, wobbly feet."  

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Making Inferences, Identifying Story Elements 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Compare and Contrast, Poetry, Characterization 
Writing Prompts: Write about what you were able to infer about the circus owner's character (character traits) and compare him to another character or person you know.
Topics Covered: Animals, Circus, Greed, Community, Helping Others, Peace

I *heart* It:

Americus

Title: Americus

Author: M.K. Reed

Illustrator: Jonathan David Hill

Publisher: First Second Books

Publication Date: August, 2011

Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Graphic Novel

GoodReads Summary: Neal Barton just wants to read in peace. Unluckily for him, some local Christian activists are trying to get his favorite fantasy series banned from the Americus public library on grounds of immoral content and heresy. Something has to be done, and it looks like quiet, shy Neal is going to have to do it. With youth services librarian Charlotte Murphy at his back, Neal finds himself leading the charge to defend the mega-bestselling fantasy series that makes his life worth living.  This funny, gripping, and relatable tale of life and local politics in middle America is currently being serialized online at saveapathea.com.

What I Think: Neal is your stereotypical book worm who gets picked on, would rather spend time in the library than anywhere else and has a great imagination. He is transitioning into high school and is struggling. Yet, when his favorite series of young adult fantasy books is attacked and challenged by his best friend's mother, he knows he has to do something to stop her. These books are so special to him, he can't let her take it away from him or any one else. 

A book about censorship- love it!! This book is a love letter to books. It shows how important books (and book choice) are to teens and all readers.  It is a book that needs to be shared with students. Though it doesn't lend itself to being used the way that books we normally share do, it is one that is worth sharing here on Mentor Texts. 

Read Together: Grades 6 to 12

Read Alone: Grades 7 to 12

Read With: Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Snatch of Text: 

Writing Prompts: What is a book that you couldn't live without? What would you do if someone told you you couldn't read it? 

Topics Covered: Censorship, Reading

I *heart* It: 

One Lovely Blog Award

We are honored to be accepting the One Lovely Blog Award 

and are thankful to two blogging friends, Amy and Lynn, for choosing us!

                                Amy from Youthful Yogini         Lynn from Inside This Book

To accept this award, we need to tell seven things about ourselves 

and then share this award with fifteen of our favorite bloggers! 

1. Jen and Kellee met each other because they both have a love of The Baby-Sitter's Club books. 

2. Kellee's parents said they'd buy her any book she asked for (big mistake) and they did. 

3. Jen begged her mom to buy her Archie comics while waiting in line at the grocery story and she did.

4. Kellee has had the same favorite book for 18 years- The Giver by Lois Lowry. 

5. Jen has had the same favorite book for almost 4 months 

(which is just about as long as it has been published) Wonder by RJ Palacio. 

6. Kellee's classroom library has almost 2500 books in it and is always growing. 

7. Jen doesn't know exactly how many books she has but her husband would say they are everywhere!

Here are fifteen blogs we love!

1. Linda Baie's TeacherDance
2. Mindi Rench's Next Best Book
3. Colby Sharp's Sharpread
4. Sarah's Page in Training
5. Maria Selke's Maria's Melange
6. Katherine Sokolowski's Read, Write, Reflect
7. Alyson Beecher's Kid Lit Frenzy
8. Jennifer Fountain's Fountain Reflections
9. Megan's YA? Why Not? 
10. Kathryn Trask's Miss T's Reflections
11. Danielle Smith's There's a Book
12. Debbie Alvarez's The Styling Librarian
13. Lorna Wheaton's Not for Lunch
14. John Schu's Watch. Connect. Read. 
15. Franki and Mary Lee's A Year of Reading

  and 

Maus

Title: Maus I: My Father Bleeds History and Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began

Author and Illustrator: Art Spiegelman

Publisher: Pantheon Books

Publication Date: 1991 & 1993

Genre/Format: Biography/Graphic Novel

GoodReads Summary: Acclaimed as a quiet triumph and a brutally moving work of art, the first volume of Art Spieglman's Maus introduced readers to Vladek Spiegleman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe, and his son, a cartoonist trying to come to terms with his father, his father's terrifying story, and history itself. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), succeeds perfectly in shocking us out of any lingering sense of familiararity with the events described, approaching, as it does, the unspeakable through the diminutive.

This second volume is subtitled And Here My Troubles Began. Genuinely tragic and comic by turns, it attains a complexity of theme and a precision of thought new to comics and rare in any medium.

What I Think: Maus shows the brilliance that can be within a graphic novel. This Pulitzer Prize-winning piece of literature not only is a great example of a graphic novel, but of writing in general. Art Spiegelman's story is multi-dimensional littered with symbolism, irony, and history. 

One thing I found particularly intriguing about Maus is the way that Spiegelman made the setting a character within itself. The background was sometimes drawn more detailed than the characters leaving the characters to be generic looking and the background unique and with its own character. 

I think this book would be a fascinating book to use in the classroom- history and reading/language arts. It would be a phenomenal book to teach simultaneously in the two classrooms. 

Read Together: Grades 8 and up (though parts could be used in all grades, only certain parts are too mature for younger grades) 

Read Alone: Grades 10 and up

Read With: Boy at War by Harry Mazer, Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto by Paul B. Janeczko, Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow, Once by Morris Gleitzman, Terezin: Voices from the Holocaust by Ruth Thomson, Parallel Journeys by Eleanor Ayer and Alfons Heck, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Snatch of Text: 

Mentor Text for: Symbolism, Metaphor, Interview, Flashbacks, Point of a View, Irony

Writing Prompts: Art Spiegelman interviews his father Vladek to get the story for Maus, after interviewing one of your parents, create a biography of your parent as either a comic strip or narrative. 

Topics Covered: Cross-curricular- World War II, Holocaust, Concentration Camps, Nazis, Racism; Values, Morals, Survival, Self-Worth

I *heart* Maus I: 

I *heart* Maus II:

The Boy Who Howled

Title: The Boy Who Howled
Author: Timothy Power 
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books 
Publication Date: October 2010 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Novel 
GoodReads Summary: As far back as Callum can really remember, he's been living in the Wild as the furless mascot of a wolf pack. But when his pack sends him back to live with his own kind--humans--fitting in is quite a challenge. He doesn't remember English very well, so he accidentally says his name is "Clam." He's spent most of his life eating fresh-killed elk, so dining with vegetarians is tricky. And when he tries to impress the Alpha student in the school cafeteria by stealing food, people seem offended!

A mix of wildness and humor, Timothy Power's inventive writing makes him a debut author to watch. And Callum's quest to find his place in a strange world will have readers rooting for him--when they're not howling with laughter.  
What I Think: This book had me thinking of Gordon Korman's Capricorn Anderson from Schooled because, like Cap, Callum finds himself thrown into society after years of growing up in a completely different kind of environment. Through some lucky coincidences he actually is able to easily find his way back to and into civilization but he doesn't go unnoticed. I also couldn't stop thinking about Runt by Marion Dane Bauer because that book really helped me understand wolf packs and how wolf hierarchy works. I think kids who are interested in animals and the environment would enjoy this story about a boy who has grown up with wolves.
     I can't finish this review without saying that vegans represent in this book! One of the characters, Lila, is vegan. It's doesn't play a large role in the book, but I always get excited to see vegan characters in a book. The message of thinking about our planet and doing something to help the environment is actually more prevalent. Lila being vegan just plays a small part in this message. This book would be good to add to titles that talk about kids doing their part for the environment! Go Earth!
Read Together: Grades 4 - 6 
Read Alone: Grades 4 - 7 
Read With: Runt by Marion Dane Bauer, Wolves by Seymour Simon and other non-fiction text about wolves, Marty McGuire by Kate Messner
Snatch of Text:  
     "'Oh, dear,' shouted the older animal in alarm. 'You must have hit your head. Do you know where you are? You are at the train station. This is America.'
     Without really thinking about it, Callum opened his mouth and made words of his own.
     'Talking you me to?' he asked mumbly, not getting the words in the proper order, which was understandable. He was pretty rusty at it.
     'Of course I'm talking to you. Who else would it be?' the strange woman bellowed in reply. For that's what she was, Callum suddenly knew. She wasn't an animals at all, but a woman. And the other animals were people, and he was a person too." p. 30-31
Mentor Text For: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Inferences, Characterization, Making Connections, Personal Narrative
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you did something to impress someone and then realized it was not a good decision.
Topics Covered: Family, Wolves, Friendship, Integration - Science - Environment, Altruism

I *heart* It:

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 07/02/12

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

After doing the meme for a couple of weeks, we realized this would be a fun meme to start up with a kidlit focus - anyone reading and reviewing books in children's literature - it can be picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, you name it in the world of kidlit and it's in! We have loved being a part of this meme and we hope you do too!  We encourage everyone participating to go and visit the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and to comment on as many posts as you can. We love talking books and believe in sharing and discussing what we're reading. We hope you join us!

Last Week's Book Adventures:

Jen Says: I read!!! I actually did a lot of reading compared to what I have been doing lately. It feels so good. <sigh> I finished The Boy Who Howled by Timothy Power. I'm excited to review it tomorrow and share what I thought about it. I finished The True Meaning of Smekday which I reviewed over the weekend. I also made it through all the hundreds of pages of Insurgent which I loved better than the first. I also finished The Penderwicks on Gardam Street on audio. I love this series on audio, it's amazingly well done. Yay for reading! I also started Stephen King's On Writing which is great so far.

Kellee Says: I had a pretty good week. I started out the week with reading a couple of ape books- a nonfiction one called The Chimpanzee Family Book by Jane Goodall and a couple of Anthony Browne Willy books- Willy and Hugh and Willy's Pictures. I also got to 3 novels: 
-Blink and Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones, a suspenseful book about a fake kidnapping and two characters whose paths cross.  It was well done though tough for me because of the point of views. The book starts out written in 2nd person and then switches to 3rd and switches back and forth. Others have not struggled with this, but I did because I couldn't ever figure out the voice. Very unique, though, and worth a try (and I will definitely use it to show my students 2nd person). 
-Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos, the 2012 Newbery winner, which although it wasn't a favorite for the award, once you read the book you can see exactly why it won. I will review Dead End soon. 
-Brother/Sister by Sean Olin, another suspenseful book that deals more with psychotic nature.
Finally, I read the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi, one of the two series that I promised my students I would read this summer, and I adored them! I can see why they are so popular in my classroom. Kibuishi has created a truly high fantasy graphic novel that is accessible, entertaining and adventurous. I was also able to start the Captain Underpants series though I only read the first one. 

Reviewed Last Week:

  

  

Just click on any picture above to go read the review

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

Jen Says: I am going to continue to read Stephen King's On Writing. I also have Fallen In Love by Lauren Kate to listen to on audio. I have been reading through this series and love it. I have an ARC of Personal Effects by E.M. Kokie from Candlewick to read and an ARC of Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead I would like to read this week, too. I just returned three bags full of book to the library last week so I'm due for a trip to check out some picture books, too! (I just don't know which those will be yet!)

Kellee Says: This week is a pretty free reading week.  I am going to finish the Captain Underpants series (so 8 more including the newest which I have on e-galley of!!) and move onto some other fun reading.  I also have some books I got for review that I plan on getting to. Next to that, it'll mostly be a free for all.  I may also have time to get to From What I Remember by Valerie Thomas and Stacy Kramer that Jen loved so much :) We'll see how the week goes. 

This Week's Reviews:

      

     

Check back throughout the week to hear about these books. 

So, what are you reading this week? 

Please link up below and don't forget to check out other blogs to see what they are reading!

 and

TMT Summer Writing Group - Week Five

I know I say this all the time, but I love Teachers Write! I love hearing about the writing side of books. I have learned so much from both Kate Messner and Gae Ploisner's blogs. I have also learned a lot from interacting with everyone who stops by here on Sundays to share their progress.

When I reflect on what I have learned about teaching and encouraging students to read, it is similar to what I'm noticing from your comments here about your writing progress and how to apply it to working with students. I think about what I do as a reader and what most of my reader friends do as readers. I love to read books but I also love to talk about them. Doesn't it make sense that we would want to encourage our students to read and discuss books with each other? I really loathe writing a summary of a book after I read it for a review. Doesn't it make sense that we would not want to ask our students to have to write a summary of a chapter every time they sit down to read?

The same is true as I analyze my experiences as a writer and what I am hearing from everyone who comments here on the blog on Sundays. At first people were scared to share their writing and their experiences with writing. I think we got over that after asking that people be supportive of each other and establishing this as a safe community in which to share and grow. BUT, don't we need to pay attention to this when working with students? First and foremost, when working with students, we need to make sure to develop a sense of community and trust when teaching writing. Set the expectation that, while we will be giving each other feedback and advice about being better writers, the goal is to help each other, not to hurt each other.

A topic that seems to be popping up again and again is writer's notebooks. I love my writer's notebook! A few years ago I had the extreme pleasure of meeting and hearing Ralph Fletcher speak.

If you haven't read any of his books on writing, I definitely recommend them. You can visit Ralph Fletcher's author GoodReads page for a list of his titles. These are a great place to start though:

I also love this blog post by Ruth Ayres from Two Writing Teachers that talks about what a writer's notebook is and isn't. Go check that out and then come back to read about why we need them.

As I read Ralph's books, there were a few quotes I printed out to share with students.

“…I have found that often,

my best brainstorming takes place

when I’m not writing at all

but when I’m just living –

taking a walk, taking a shower,

dreaming while I sleep.

I might be making a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich 

when all of a sudden an idea jumps into my head.

A writer is always alert for ideas

that can feed the writing.”

-Ralph Fletcher, How Writers Work

"I get my ideas

from living my life

wide-eyed and awake. 

I sit on the edge of chairs. 

I pay attention to wherever I am."

-Drew Lamm

“I use my writer’s notebook

to catch ideas for my writing…

I think of my notebook as a net

with holes so tiny

that no idea can slip through.”

-Ralph Fletcher, How Writers Work

“When you come right down to it,

you are the place where your words will grow.

But most writers find it invaluable to have

a regular writing place, a physical space,

where they can water and weed a garden of words.”

-Ralph Fletcher

I found that by having a writer's notebook, I felt compelled to write in it. Maybe it was my competitive side showing through - I wanted my notebook to be filled with ideas! I also wanted to show my students that I write with them and to model how I notice things and writing them down. I use pictures and words to create my writers notebooks and help students do the same. It's fun to have a place to write down ideas that are all yours. We make tabs for different sections to write in. My current writers notebook has these tabs: Quotations, Seed Ideas, Vocabulary, Memories, Favorites

 My favorite place to write is in seed ideas. I find seed ideas all over the place - people all around strike me as future characters, I recognize situations that would be great scenes or plot points. With my writer's notebook, these everyday things become seedlings. Tiny seed ideas I can't write down fast enough in my writer's notebook. They may not be much now, but I find that after I write down one little idea, I find other ideas to go with it and before I know it I have something big to write.

I strongly suggest that if you do not already have a writer's notebook - a notebook devoted solely to ideas - that you go and get one right now. I mean now. Make it your own - decorate it, write your name on the cover, pick one that represents you. And now carry it with you wherever you go and jot down ideas in it. Pay attention to everything around you. You are cool if you are using your writer's notebook. Don't you want to fill it's pages? I know you do. Just remember it's meant to be a place to write ideas - not to draft. Find another place for your drafts and to really expand your ideas.

The brilliant thing is that this easily fits in with Teachers Write! It shouldn't take anything away from what you are doing with Teachers Write! By having a writers notebook, you'll have ideas already in its pages so when it's time for a writing prompt, you have ideas you can choose from. Brilliant, I tell you!

Then think about how your students would benefit from having their own writer's notebooks. If it works for you, couldn't it also work for them? If we already set up a community of readers, wouldn't this foster a community of writers? Everyone has a book to read and everyone has a notebook to write in. I love it!

My rules for the TMT Summer Writing Group:

1. We respect each other and the types of writing we do.

2. We only criticize each other constructively.

3. We are positive and encourage each other at all times.

4. We recognize and maintain this as a safe environment.

**I reserve every right to put the smackdown

on anyone who messes with our positive energy.**

Today, in the comments section:
Do you use a writers notebook? What are your thoughts on writers notebooks?

How did you do this week? Did you meet your weekly goal(s)?

What was the pit of your week? (The hardest part, the not-fun part?)

What was the peak of your week? (The bet part, the most-fun part?)

What are you looking forward to and planning for the week ahead?

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week of writing!