Presentation by Stacie Noisey
Raise the Roof:
Inspiring Great Writing Instruction
March 2, 2011
 Into my notebook goes anything that is interesting
enough to stop me in my tracks--the slump of a pair
of shoulders in a crowd, a newspaper entry, a recipe,
"chewy" words like ragamuffin or Maurice . . . For
me, it all begins with a notebook: it is the well I dip
into for that first clear, cool drink.
 Rita Dove
Enduring Understandings
 The act of modeling sends powerful messages
about a teacher’s beliefs and practices.
 Writing takes many forms.
 Words shape and reflect our values, beliefs, and
thoughts.
Essential Questions
 How does modeling the writing process help
students as writers?
 What compels you to write?
Today’s Targets
Participants will be able to:
 Help students live as writers
 Create a writer’s notebook
 Explore strategies to use with students
 Share ideas and writing with others
Ties to the Common Core
 College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards
for Writing
 Production and Distribution of Writing

5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach.
ALL K-5 strand 5 standards begin with the stem:
 With guidance and support from adults…
My Notebook Habits
 Always have a notebook handy
 Make a habit of writing
 Make it yours
 Don’t be a perfectionist
TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY
“I do it”
Focus Lesson
Guided Instruction
“We do it”
Collaborative
Independent
“You do it
together”
“You do it
alone”
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY
A Structure for Instruction that Works
(c) Fisher & Frey, 2006
The Importance of Modeling
 Writing instruction has to come during the
writing process, not after.
 Show students your process
 Make your thinking visible
 You don’t need to be perfect
 (Kittle, 2008)
9
Getting Started
 Size
 Portability
 Storage
 Personalization
 Refill/replacements
 Organization
Let students take ownership
 Create collage covers
 Decorate
 Choose tabs
 Identify sections
 Writing utensils
Collage Covers
What’s inside?
 Ideas
 Lists
 Daily writing
 Collections
 Reflections
 Notes
 Revision strategies
Daily Writing
Notes on process, genre, and craft
Glue in notes and ideas
What’s not included?
 Entire drafts
 Editing
 Final copies
Let’s write!
 Lists
 Favorite words
 Favorite things
 Best/worst/most exciting/scariest
 Questions- Wonder/ponder
 Collections- Ideas/books/music
 Seeds

http://www.online-stopwatch.com/countdown/
 Turn and talk- What did you include?
Books to Read, Ideas to Write
Daily Writing
 Develop expectations/set goals
 Teachers will:




Provide time to write
Teach strategies and daily mini-lessons
Write daily and share his or her notebook
Teach rules of spelling and grammar to
enhance writing
Buckner, 2005
Daily Writing
 Develop expectations/set goals
 Students will:





Write daily
Find topics
Try strategies from mini-lessons
Respect the notebook
Practice what they know
 Buckner, 2005
Let’s write!
 Choose a topic from your ideas section and write
for 10 minutes.
 http://www.online-stopwatch.com/countdown/
Writing Strategies
 Seven Stories
 Mind Pictures
 Writing from reading
 Expanded Moments
 Overheard Conversations
 Words of Advice
 Memories
Let’s Write!
 Choose a strategy to try
 You have 10 minutes to draft
 http://www.online-stopwatch.com/countdown/
Notes on process, genre, and craft
 Note taking during mini-lessons
 Glue-in entries
 Samples and examples
 Word to the wise: Less is more.
Improving your ideas
 Use the writer’s notebook to hone your craft
 Look for patterns
 Practice revision strategies
 Expand topics
 Write from another point of view
 Find “hidden gems”
 Lift lines
Transformations
 “Digging out the Crystals”
 Look through the writing you have added
to your notebook.
 Choose one revision strategy to try



Find one line to lift
Revise for strong verbs
Highlight a “hidden gem”
Enduring Understandings
 The act of modeling sends powerful messages
about a teacher’s beliefs and practices.
 Writing takes many forms.
 Words shape and reflect our values, beliefs, and
thoughts.
Essential Questions
 How does modeling the writing process help
students as writers?
 What compels you to write?
3-2-1 Summarizer
 3 Ideas you have learned
 2 Strategies you can use in your classroom
 1 Lingering question
Resources
 Allen, J. (2006). Becoming a Literacy Leader. Stenhouse, ME.
 Bomer, K. (2010). Hidden Gems: Naming and Teaching from




the Brilliance in Every Student's Writing. Heinemann, NH.
Buckner, A. (2005). Notebook Know-How: Strategies for the
Writer’s Notebook. Stenhouse, ME.
Fisher,D. & Frey, N. (2007). Scaffolded Writing Instruction:
Teaching with a gradual-release framework. New York:
Scholastic.
Fletcher, R. (1996). Breathing In, Breathing Out. Heinemann,
NH.
Fletcher, R. (1996). A Writer’s Notebook. Harper Trophy, NY.