How Often? September 17, 2008

How often do you take up writer’s notebooks?

I am trying to decide this b/c I have 88 students. I want to figure out a system that I can use so that I am not bogged down. It would be simple if I didn’t take up 48 response logs every week with 6th grade. I have thought about the every other week taking up response logs and then writer’s notebooks, but just want to see if there is a better way.

Any thoughts???

Update on Writer’s Notebooks October 18, 2007

This week I have been grading my students’ writer’s notebooks, and I am impressed! Some of my students are really deep thinkers. Who would have thought 6th and 7th graders could be so deep! I am still amazed on how some still do not take them home and write in them. I am going to have to start taking them up more often. I have taken up 7th grade’s twice and 6th grade’s once. My goal for next quarter is to take them up at least 3-4 times.

I take up 4-5 notebooks a day, so I don’t have 80 notebooks to grade on one day. This is easy to manage as well, and I can get the notebooks graded while they are working on an assignment. That way I can get the notebook back before class ends.

Be wary; I did get a scare. One of my students wrote do not read on the tops of a few pages, so of course I was curious. Usually when they write that, they are mad at someone, but not this time. Some scary words caught my eye and so I “read”, and was horrified from what I read. Now I need to talk to the guidance counselor and their parents. I just encourage you to make sure you read what your students write and take the notebooks up periodically!