| Homework for this class is very predictable and somewhat flexible at
the same time. The daily requirement of either 20 minutes of writing or 20
minutes of reading (whichever is not done in class that day) and recording
the reading in the "reading log" at the back of the writer's notebook each
night hardly ever changes. The final step of having the writer's notebook
and the reading log date-stamped at the beginning of class each day is a
requirement and stays the same as well. The "flexible" portion of the
homework lies in the fact that most of the time, each student is free to
choose their own book for reading and their own topic for writing.
These daily assignments are intended to provide a structure through
which students can develop an appreciation/enjoyment of reading and writing
and become more fluent readers and writers. It is through reading and
writing on a regular basis that this will begin to happen. Last year I
noticed a lot of growth in many of the students who regularly kept up with
these assignments. Both their fluency in and apparent enjoyment of reading
and writing improved significantly. In an end-of-the-year self evaluation,
many students commented on this change as well. With commitment and effort
on the part of each student, I'm sure the 2007 - 2008 school year will bring
the same results!
Just to recap...
Required daily steps for 100% homework completion
1) write in the writer's notebook for 20 minutes*
2) read for 20 minutes and record reading in the reading log at
the back of the writer's notebook*
3) Have the writer's notebook and reading log date-stamped at the
beginning of each class.**
Note:
* Twenty minutes will be given in class for either the reading or
writing. Whichever is not assigned to be done in class should be done that
night for homework.
** Occasionally, a change in our class routine may prevent me from date-
stamping the class' entries on a given day(s). If there are questions as to
which entries weren't completed on time by the student and which ones just
weren't checked that day, please do not hesitate to ask me. I keep track of
that in my grade book on a daily basis.
Happy reading and writing!
:) Mrs. P :)
WEEKLY FINAL DRAFTS
In addition to the daily reading and writing, students must submit a "final
draft" entry (one that has been edited using the C.O.P.S. method) in either
the writer's notebook or reading response journal once a week. The weekly
schedule alternates between the RRJ and WN. The day on which each class
submits the entry stays consistent and goes according to the following
schedule:
Red group (7th): Monday
Yellow group (7th): Tuesday
Green group (7th): Wednesday
Blue group (6th): Thursday
Purple group (6th): Friday
The entries are assessed according to the corresponding rubric and returned
the next day. Due to the fact that I have their notebooks/journals on the
assigned day, students will not have any homework on that day.
During short weeks (when there are one or more scheduled days off), no
notebooks or journals will be collected!
WRITER'S NOTEBOOK PROMPTS
Describe one value from which you won't budge, give examples of times which
not budging from it has been a challenge, and describe how you worked
through those times.
Describe something that you'd like to be better at and explain why/how being
better at it would change you or your life.
Describe something or someone for which or whom you are thankful.
An important lesson/piece of wisdom I've learned in life is...
Something I hope that my words and actions show is...
My favorite type of reading is...
Something I'm really good at is...
If I were to die tomorrow, I hope people would remember me for being...
The funniest thing I can ever remember happening to me is...
One person who is very important to me is...
My favorite subject is...
If I could choose to keep only one my five senses (taste, touch, sight,
sound, and smell), the one I'd choose would be...
Here is a list of words in the English language that I like most for one
reason or another:
The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me is...
The most fascinating place I've ever been is...
A place to which I'd like to travel someday is...
"Funny", in my eyes, is...
Something I'd really like to tell my classmates that would be very hard to
say is...
Something that I wish adults would understand better about me or kids in
general is...
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