Writing Notebook

READ 440
Jenny Beasley

This writing notebook is aligned with the following SOL standard:

7.6 The student will read, comprehend, and analyze a variety of nonfiction texts.
a) Draw on background knowledge and knowledge of text structure to understand selections.
b) Make inferences and draw conclusions based on explicit and implied information using
evidence from text as support.
c) Analyze the authors qualifications, viewpoint, and impact.
e) Analyze details for relevance and accuracy.
f) Differentiate between fact and opinion.
g) Identify the main idea.
h) Summarize the text identifying supporting details.

Sections Used:
Letter to
Possible Sentences
Blog Post
Nonfiction Texts:
I am Very Real http://commonlit.org/texts/i-am-very-real
Pet Rocks http://commonlit.org/texts/pet-rocks
Are Streaming Services Killing Music? https://newsela.com/articles/music-streaming/id/5988/

Rationale

I chose these texts because they are interesting and will get students
engaged with wanting to read them and think critically about them. I chose
the standard of reading and comprehending nonfiction texts to take away the
stigma that nonfictional texts are boring and difficult to work with. My hope is
that using these nonfictional texts with fun and engaging writing
assignments will encourage students to read more nonfiction texts. After
reading these texts, students will know how to read, analyze, and
comprehend nonfiction texts. Students will know how to look for fact vs.
opinion and apply their background knowledge of a subject to their current
understanding of a text. Students will be able to take the main idea from a
text and apply that to new writing about a topic. Students will also be able to
consider how the authors viewpoint affects their writing and interpret
information accordingly.
Writing for thinking will contribute to students learning by allowing
them to take the time to really digest and comprehend what theyve read
without the pressure or fear or being quizzed on the information or writing an
essay about it. Rather, students can reflect on what theyve read and enjoy a
low-stakes writing assignment. The three writing pedagogies I chose for this
notebook favor student thinking because students must take the time to
really stop and think before they write. The first writing assignment is in the
form of a letter to the superintendent of a school system that burned books
that they felt were inappropriate for students. Students must think about the
role of power, censorship, and freedom in their lives and in their learning
when doing this assignment. Students are asked to take a stand on whether
they feel teachers/parents/school board members have the right to limit
what they are allowed to read. Students will think about not only their right
to read, but also the importance of having access to books and the ability to
read. The second writing pedagogy is possible sentences. This is a before
reading activity in which students are given words from the article they will
be reading and are asked to create possible sentences out of the words
provided. This is a good way to get students interested before they even see
the article they will be reading and think about the relation the words might
have or not have to each other. It encourages students to think outside of
the box and pay careful attention to the text to see if the possible sentences
they developed were right or not. The last writing assignment is a blog post.
Students will think about something they can write a lot about in an informal
way and sort of word-vomit their ideas out and express their thoughts in a
low-pressure assignment.
Some challenges with these standards might be getting students to
make inferences and draw conclusions about the texts based on what

theyve read. One challenge I see with my practicum students is getting

them to take things one step further and push their thinking past the
obvious. Hopefully students will be able to see the value in reading and
understanding these nonfiction texts to inspire their writing and make them
better readers. I chose these notebook sections because I felt they best
matched the texts in a way that would be fun for them to think about things
that interest them and they can write about without researching or getting
bored. The letter assignment fits the I am Very Real article because it
allows students to see the perspective of the author whose books were
banned to see an example before writing their own letter. The possible
sentences fit the article about streaming music because students may have
an idea of what will be talked about, but will also have a lot of questions
about the possibilities for how the words will be used. Lastly, I chose the blog
post about fads to go along with the Pet Rocks text because it allows
students to read about something and then pick something interesting to
them and share their own thoughts about it. Writing a blog post about fads is
something middle school students can relate to because they are at an age
where things are constantly changing and things are cool and going out of
style at a rapid changing pace.

Name: _____________________________ Date:_______________________ Class:________

Letter to the School Board

Directions:

You will be reading a letter written from author, Kurt Vonnegut, to

the director of a school board after the school burned every copy of his novel,
Slaughterhouse-Five, for offensive language. After reading the letter, you will write
your own letter to the school board stating your opinion on whether school boards
have the right to censor the textbooks that teachers use in the classroom and
students read.

Some Questions to consider in your letter

How do we determine at what grade level texts are appropriate?
How does exposure to vulgar or offensive language in texts affect students?
Do teachers have the right to choose texts for their own students?
What are the benefits of reading risky texts?
What makes texts appropriate/inappropriate for students?

Grading Rubric
Points Received

Total Possible Points

Writing is in the form of a

letter from the student to
the school board. (At least
one page, double-spaced, 12
pt font, Times New Roman)

/5

At least four questions from

this worksheet are answered
in writing.

/4

It is clear student read letter

from Kurt Vonnegut and
used this to inform opinion
on censorship. (You may
show this by reflecting on
some things he said, recall
his reaction and attitude

/8

about the burning of his

novel, etc.)
Discuss the role of teachers
and parents in censoring the
books students can read.
Consider- do they have a say
in determining what
students can read?
Final Grade

/3

/20

Letter to the School Board Exemplar

April 5, 2016

Dear Superintendent,

I recently read the letter written by Kurt Vonnegut in which he responded to the burning
of his fiction novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. I agree with Mr. Vonnegut that it was not right to burn
his book because there are valuable lessons to be learned from books that talk about real life and
experiences other than our own. As a student, I am exposed to vulgar language and inappropriate
behavior every day and this exposure does not directly influence my actions or encourage me to
act recklessly. Rather, as Mr. Vonnegut suggested, reading books that do not sugar-coat what the
real world is like helps prepare me to be an informed citizen capable of thinking and making
decisions on my own.
After careful consideration, I feel that teachers should be given the authority to choose
books that they think are appropriate for their classes. They have studied and trained in their
profession for years in order to be able to teach students. How can we allow them to teach us
grammar rules and writing skills but deny them the right to say what books can be in their own
classroom? Teachers have students best interest at heart and should be given the liberty to make
decisions for what they want their students to learn or read without censorship. Furthermore, the

school board, teachers, and parents cannot keep students from reading what they want to. We
have the right to explore books that again, as Mr. Vonnegut noted, reflect real life and expose us
to different experiences. Books are the window into other realms of the world that we may not
get to go through in our own lives. However, having the freedom to read about people from
different backgrounds and about a variety of topics helps us become well-rounded, informed, and
open-minded human beings. I urge you to reconsider before attempting to censor more books as
it is our right and responsibility to keep reading.

Sincerely,

Miss Beasley

Name:___________________________ Date:_____________________ Class:______

Possible sentences
Directions:

Before we read the article, you will use words from the word bank
below to make predictions about what the text is going to be about. You must write
at least five sentences using as many of the words as possible. We will re-visit these
sentences after reading the article to see if your predictions were correct.

1989
performance

1.3 million
spotify

Pandora
downloads

cheapen
$64 million

70 cents

tapes

stream
youtube
richer
sharp
CDs

Write your sentences below:

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____

Points Received

Total Possible Points

Five sentences

/5

Used at least 5 words

/5

Final Grade

/10

Exemplar

Name: Miss Beasley

Date:

April 9, 2016

Class: 2

Possible sentences
Directions:

Before we read the article, you will use words from the word bank
below to make predictions about what the text is going to be about. You must write
at least five sentences using as many of the words as possible. We will re-visit these
sentences after reading the article to see if your predictions were correct.

1989
performance

1.3 million
spotify

Pandora
downloads

cheapen
$64 million

70 cents

tapes

stream
youtube
richer
sharp
CDs

Write your sentences below:

1. In 1989, the inventors of Pandora were figuring out how to stream music.
2. When I was growing up, tapes and CDs were more popular than spotify.
3. Music producers use sharp technology to make the quality of the music richer
for listeners and thus generate more downloads.
4. 1.3 million people would attend a live performance from John Mayer if it only
cost 70 cents for a ticket.
5. Free music cheapens the artists work.

Points Received

Total Possible Points

Five sentences

/5

Used at least 5 words

/5

Final Grade

/10

Name: __________________________ Date: ________________________ Class: _________

Directions: You will read Pet Rocks and then reflect on some fads that
you have watched happen or even participated in yourself. Pick one recent
fad and write about it in blog post format in which you answer the following
questions:
What was the fad?
How long did it last?
What kind of people participated in it?
Did you get into the fad? Why/why not?
Why do you think people follow trends and fads? (Do some deep
thinking for this one!)
Please note: Fad is defined as: a temporary fashion, notion, manner of
conduct, etc., especially one followed enthusiastically by a group. If you are
having trouble thinking of fads, feel free to discuss with peers, browse online,
or come speak with me for ideas. This assignment is designed to get you
thinking and reflecting on things going on in your life and your world around
you, so pick something you can say a lot about. Blog posts are informal and
are a fun way to get ideas out. Happy blogging!
Grading Rubric
Points Received

Total Possible Points

Identified fad and how long

it lasted.

/2

Identified who participated

in fad.

/2

Reflected on personal
experiences with fad.

/4

Reflected on why people

follow trends and fads.

/6

Written in blog post format.

/1

Final Grade

Miss Beasleys Blog Post Exemplar

/15

GIFs. If you are reading this post and thats the first time you have
seen the word GIF, then you might be living under a rock, lacking
interpersonal skills, or busy doing something productive with your life.
Regardless of which category you fall in, this blog post will drop some
knowledge about the fad of today which is sending and receiving GIFs. In our
21st century world consumed by technology, GIFs have become a common
form of expression for teenagers and young adults. With the use of GIFs,
there is no use or need for writing real words, making phone calls, or
communicating face-to-face. A simple well-chosen GIF does all the talking for
you and makes you look really cool. Someone wants to know what your
weekend plans are? Easy. Go to your GIF keyboard and search sleeping and
BOOM! You have instant access to a variety of images of people, animals,
and objects falling asleep, snoring, and drooling. Its up to you to pick the
one that best fits your style and press send. Want to ask someone out for
lunch? Go to your GIF keyboard and search food and BOOM! Suddenly
youve spent five minutes scrolling through images of people stuffing their
faces with burgers, pizzas, fries, cartoons with stomachs rumbling, cars
driving to chipotle, you get the idea. This fad has been going on for about a
year now and is still going strong.
Personally, I am an avid GIF user and do not plan to stop anytime soon.
I got into this fad after a roommate introduced it to me. I was and still am in
love with the idea of sending a funny picture or 2 second video to
communicate for me. It keeps what could be potentially boring or mundane
conversations lively and entertaining. I believe people get into fads for
several reasons but a few could be to be a part of something bigger than
themselves and to have a sense of belonging. Fads stir up conversations
among groups of friends, peers, co-workers, etc. and everyone wants to feel
as if they know whats going on and can contribute to the conversation. Fads
come and go, so it is easy for people to get excited about and pay attention
to without a huge commitment because before you know it, the next big
thing will be here. Fads keep us in touch with the world around us and remind
us we are all human with some sort of common interests.

Annotated Bibliography
I Am Very Real. (1973). Retrieved April 11, 2016, from http://commonlit.org/texts/i-am-very-real
This is a letter from Kurt Vonnegut to the superintendent who burned his novel,
SlaughterHouse-Five, after a teacher in his school district taught it to high school students. In
the letter, Vonnegut defends himself as a decent person who writes good books about the real
world and encourages the superintendent to take the time to actually read his book. In a satirical
tone, Vonnegut notes that he is a father and has also worked in several universities and
colleges and has been trusted around youth and his work is not reflective of a monster but
rather a normal, real human being just writing about real things.
Pet Rocks. (2016). Retrieved April 11, 2016, from http://commonlit.org/texts/pet-rocks
This article is about the pet rocks fad that took over America in the 1970s. It discusses Gary
Dahls invention of the pet rock as a joke, that ironically took off and became very popular. The
article notes the rocks came in boxes with holes for breathing and the rocks were resting on
hay. People paid the equivalent of $17 for these easy to take care of pet rocks in todays money.
Are streaming services killing music? (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2016, from
https://newsela.com/articles/music-streaming/id/5988/
This text is about Taylor Swifts decision to pull her music off spotify and make listeners pay for
her music. Swifts argument is that artists should not underestimate themselves or undervalue
their art. This article also raised the issue of the struggle for new artists who just want to get
their music out and be heard and cannot afford to take their music off streaming. It notes the
pros and cons of allowing free music download as well as defends Swifts decision to make
money for her music.
Teaching With Blogs - ReadWriteThink. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2016, from
http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teaching-with-blogs30108.html
This website talks about how blogs can be used as a positive instructional strategy for teachers
and encourages students to be literate students in the 21st century. The website noted blogs
are good for students because they can write about a huge variety of genres and topics.
Additionally, this website noted the importance of students writing for an audience other than a
professional setting such as a teacher. Blogs allow students to read, write, and comment on
other students ideas and writings while using technology.

Beers, K. & Probst, R. (2015). Notice and Note:Nonfiction. Heinemann

This book explains the strategy of Possible Sentences and how it can be used to engage
students before reading the assigned text. Possible Sentences gets students thinking and
questioning what the text will be about and how the words will fit in with each other. This book
goes over how to use this effectively to gain students interest.
5 Engaging Uses for Letters in Your Classroom. (2016). Retrieved April 11, 2016, from
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/uses-for-letters-in-classroom-brett-vogelsinger
This website discusses how to use a variety of letters in the classroom and their uses. One of
the examples is a complaint letter. It explains how these letters are useful for students in
relevant context for learning to write a sharply focused argument.