The Importance of a Writers Notebook/Journal

When I grew up it seemed like everything I wrote was based off of efferent questions about a text we were assigned to read. I feel like I never had the opportunities to write about my life or experiences. I mean yeah, every once in awhile I had the chance to write about my favorite sport or something on those lines; but everything was so teacher-directed. The topic we wrote about was always handed to us. Not until my senior year of high school, or my first year of college did I really get the chance to write about myself and my life. Writing then became more appreciated and meaningful. I never realized how much I could enjoy writing until these experiences. This brings me to my point on how useful and effective a writer’s notebook or journal could be.

The goal of a writer’s notebook is to help students become independent writers. The purpose of a notebook is to provide a place where students can practice writing using their own thoughts and ideas. Too often today are students veered away from the enjoyment of writing because it is so structured. If students had the opportunities to write what they want and make their writings meaningful to them, they are more likely to enjoy writing. The more they enjoy writing, the more they will do it and then the better they will become at it. A writer’s notebook is also useful for teachers to help teach strategies of writing for things such as daily entries, ideas for a topic, and revision strategies without boring them through explicit instruction. However, it is important for students to find their own ways of keeping a notebook and limiting the number of strategies you teach making it more personal to them.

Teaching writing and comprehension strategies should be more focused on aesthetic questions rather than the efferent ones like I had mentioned in the beginning. Relating the reading and writing assignments to their lives such as personal interests and relevance is important. These kinds of questions require prior knowledge and a higher-order thinking which creates meaning or purpose. If students relate the content and make associations to their lives, they are more likely to remember it. Using a writer’s notebook in the classroom gives students the opportunities to explore writing in their own way and will help students become engaged in their questions, readings, and writings.