The Writer's Notebook

I have a writing class this semester.  Since I am in the Education program, it is focused on how to teach writing.  One of our required books was Ralph Fletcher's, A writer's Notebook.

It's a book geared towards kids to give them ideas on how to keep a notebook full of their thoughts and ideas and observations that will give them topics to write about.  It was engaging and fun and inspiring.  One of our assignments is to keep our own writer's notebook because how can we teach what we do not know??? It has been fun for me.  

We even had a FHE on it which inspired Samantha and Rachel to go get their own notebooks and they have been writing in their notebooks.  They both have struggled with keeping current with their journal writing.  It IS journal writing with a twist and it's fun to see them fired up about recording their thoughts.  The boys have not been inspired but hey... you do what you can and leave it at that.  

There was a gorgeous poem in the book written by a 4th grader that I loved and it inspired me to start furiously scribbling about each of my children.  I wanted to make an "I am the one who" poem about each of them.  I will post them as I complete them although I have a feeling there will always be more I want to add to each of them as it is hard to capture all things about a person you love so much.

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by Chase Whitmire

I am the person who

Frantically plays with leaves, 

Dances with the sun,

Smiles at the moon,

Follows the stars,

Puts my arm around the wind's shoulder,

Tells secrets with the water.

And I think I'm special

to have such adoring things to do.

The imagery first made me think of Rachel, my nature girl-

 but it was Jakes' that I finished first, then Rachel.  I'm still working on the others......