One initial lesson for writer's notebooks is to Read Ralph Fletcher's opening story in Keeping a Writer's Notebook. It's about digging a ditch and catching all kinds of critters. He compares writer's notebooks to that ditch -- a space we dig in our busy lives to catch stuff. After reading the story, my students and I brainstorm the different kinds of things we could catch in our writer's notebooks. Then I typed the chart in a format that made it easy for students to tape it to the inside cover of their notebooks. Here's what we came up with:
Interactive Writer's Models
Analyze the elements of good writing with these interactive writer's models. Each model includes annotations and tips to help you be a good writer yourself.
Middle School
Grade 6 Grade 8
* Comparison-Contrast Essay
* Descriptive Essay
* How-to Explanation
* Informative Report
* Literary Comparison-Contrast Essay
* Personal Narrative
* Problem-Solution Essay
* Short Story
* Supporting a Position
Grade 7
* Business Letter
* Comparison-Contrast Essay
* Complex Process Essay with Word Processing Features
* Descriptive Essay
* Informative Report
* Literary Comparison-Contrast Essay
* Personal Narrative
* Persuasive Essay
* Problem-Solution Essay
* Short Story
* Supporting an Interpretation
* Business Letter
* Character Analysis
* Comparison-Contrast Essay
* Informative Report
* Instructions for Operating a Tool
* Literary Comparison-Contrast Essay
* Personal Narrative
* Problem-Solution Essay
* Review of a Novel
* Short Story
* Supporting a Position
High School
Grade 9 Grade 11
* Analysis of a Poem
* Analysis of a Short Story
* Autobiographical Narrative
* Comparison of a Play and a Film
* Comparison of Media Coverage
* Description of a Place
* Nonfiction Analysis
* Persuasive Cause-and-Effect Essay
* Persuasive Essay
* Research Paper
* Short Story
Grade 10
* Analysis of a Short Story
* Autobiographical Narrative
* Biographical Narrative
* Comparison of a Play and a Film
* Comparison of Media Genres
* Description of a Person
* Persuasive Essay
* Problem-Solution Analysis
* Research Paper
* Short Story
* Analysis of a Novel
* Editorial
* Historical Research Report
* Reflective Essay
* Short Story
Grade 12
* Analysis of Literature
* Comparison-Contrast of Literature
* Descriptive Essay