What is a Writer's Notebook?A writer's notebook is a place to dream, wonder, and explore according to Ralph Fietcher. The article, written by Ralph Fietcher about the writer's notebook, talked about the importance of having one. A writer's notebook is a place where students can learn to live and think like writers. It's important that students understand and know that they are writers, and learn to think like a writer (Fietcher, 2001). With that being said, students need a place to react to situations and events that happens in their environment such as life events, a book, a quote, a song, a poem, or ANYTHING that matters to a student. Students also need a place that provides an opportunity for them to explore and experiment. This can include students exploring their writing styles, strategies, spelling, punctuation, and even words. This is a place where students can freely write in whatever form or style that they want. There shouldn't be any limitations for students when using a writer's notebook because that's where the magic begins. A writer's notebook is an endless imagination and observation of a child's world and future. That's how I understand the importance of a writer's notebook. With that all being said, I, too, have started my own writer's notebook. This is similar to what I usually do, but a bit more extensive. I have two different diaries that I write in occasionally. I write when I want to express something that's on my mind or keeps me thinking and wondering; however, what I really like about this writer's notebook is that it has pushed me to write more often in it, and about different kinds of things instead of just expressing my thoughts and feelings. I really like it that I can write about ANYTHING in this book in ANY format that I want it to be, which is what I LOVE about writing. I am very excited to continue to learn more about different styles and format that I can write in and explore my world more through my writing. I don't often record my observations of my environment, but since I started the writer's notebook, I've been looking forward to it and have been keeping my eyes, ears, nose, and fingers ready for anything that happens around me. Overall, I've really enjoyed my first week with my writer's notebook. Can't wait to write more!! One of my favorite readings for this week was this textbook by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Just like the cover, the pages inside this book is unique and different from any other books I've read before, which is why I REALLY enjoyed it. To me, it was a model of what a writer's notebook is really like. She shows that you can write about ANYTHING that you want to write about. One of the things that she talks about in this book was the word "Serendipity". When I first heard of this word, it made me thought about the movie Serendipity that I had saw a few years back with my girlfriends. Then as I continued to read about this word and her experience with "Serendipity", I started to wonder what "serendipity" events happened in my own life that I wasn't aware of at that moment. I laid in bed THINKING hard about any signs of serendipity in my life, and I was only able to think of two or three signs. One of the first things that came into mind was a time when my boyfriend and I were still friends. I had recently found a nice, calming place that I really enjoyed sitting and doing nothing. It was peaceful, and I really liked the feel of the waves lifting you up and down on the docks. To me, it was very soothing and calming. A perfect place for me to think. I discovered it with my sister-in-law, who is my best friend, and ever since then, it's became my secret place. Then later I met my boyfriend, who was my friend at that time, and we somehow got into a conversation talking about our secret spot. As he was describing his secret spot, I slowly came to realize that it was my secret spot as well. I COULD NOT believe it. There was no way that he and I could have known that because we didn't know each other before, and I had recently moved to the town not knowing the place very well. Therefore, that was a very "coincidence" moment to the both of us. Something like that had NEVER happened to me before, and it was too real to believe it. Now that I look at it, it was definitely a serendipity moment. Another moment that I think I would like to call it serendipity, was during my freshmen year of college as an undergrad. In one of our classes, we had to observe a classroom teacher for two days. Since I didn't have any connections or knew anyone from Hickory or Boone, I decided to go back to my hometown, Mount Airy, to do my teacher observation. Since we had moved away from Mount Airy, there was no one else to stay with but my Puj Laug, my Aunt (Uncle's wife). My memories of my Puj Laug as a child growing up was always her being very scary and mean. I was never too close to her, and when I talked to her, it was always short and simple. Despite that, I always knew that she was the kindest person in the world. She always had the biggest heart. Even my parents said so. During my stay there, my Puj Laug and I never really got to talk until dinner time, when I was back from observation. I remember one night I had came home a little bit later than usual, and saw her sitting at the table waiting for me. She set the table for me to join her, and we prayed and ate. I remember feeling terrible inside because she had waited for me to come home to eat with her. My uncle was working at the time, and only comes home very late at night and leave early in the morning, so my Puj Laug is always eating alone. I think she needed company and really enjoyed having me, or at least I enjoyed being there with her. I remember saying to her that I realized that I never got a chance to sit down and talk to her one-on-one before. Growing up, I was always running away from her and wanting to only play with my cousins. I never got the chance to really talk to her and listen to her. She only smiled and told me that it's okay. We have plenty of time when I get done with school, I can then come back and have time to sit and talk with her. I agreed with her at that time. That night we talked for hours and the next day, I left to go back to school. After that, I felt like our connection was different than before, and I really looked forward to seeing her at Church and other family gatherings. What I didn't realize then was that that moment...that night that I got to talk with her was my very first and my very last moment with her like that. My Puj Laug passed away soon after that. Her death was tragic to me because she was someone who was just getting to know, and someone who showed me what true kindness is all about. She lived her life by doing good deeds to others and served her loved ones with all her heart. She had the biggest heart that I've ever known in my life. I say this was a serendipity moment because I never had the chance to sit down and talk with her until that night. I felt like God had given me that opportunity to do something that I've never done before with a person as kind-hearted as my Aunt. He gave me the chance to truly know her before he took her home, and for that, I will always be grateful for. To me, that was serendipity. Therefore, the word serendipity is a word that I would say describes a moment in your life that is meant to happen for a reason. We don't always see the reason or understand it, but God places it there for a reason. They may be coincidences that occurs in our life, but to me, I don't think anything is for a coincidence. I believe everything happens for a reason, and that is what I think serendipity really is. I believe that this book is a great mentor text for all writers. According to Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli, "mentor texts help students find ideas and breathe courage into their writing by helping them take risks and think outside their "writing box"" (Dorfman & Cappelli, 2017). I feel like it was even hard for me to step outside of my writing box when writing in my notebook, but as I was reading Amy Krouses' textbook, I slowly came to realize that she was modeling what a writer's notebook is all about. It has helped me learn to write and observe my environment in a different perspective, which tells me that this book is a great mentor text that even students can use. Through this, I understand the importance of having a mentor text and what effects it can have on you as a writer. For more stories of serendipity moments and interactions with Amy Krouses' textbook, checkout this website!!!! https://www.textbookamykr.com/ Dorfman, L. R., Cappelli, R., & Hoyt, L. (2017). Mentor texts: teaching writing through childrens literature, k-6. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers. Rosenthal, A. K. (2016). Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Penguin Group USA. Fletcher, R. (2001). The Writer's Notebook. National Council of Teachers of English, 6(4) 2-7.
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AuthorI enjoy to write a lot during my free time. Writing is a stress reliever for me. Archives
May 2021
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