Writer's Notebooks

We will be keeping Writer's Notebooks in 8th Grade this year, which we will refer to as WNB's. These will be used for in-class writing, responses to literature, and vocabulary. Each student should buy a composition book for this purpose. Students are expected to have this notebook ready by the end of the first week, and bring it to class every day. Below you will find a description of WNB's. All students will receive a grading rubric for this ongoing project during the first week of class, and should paste it into their class binders for year-long reference.

• These notebooks are intended to be a place for you to collect and draw inspiration from. They are highly personal, and each outcome will be different than the next. They will be used for pre-writing, in-class writing prompts, and vocabulary. Writer’s Notebooks will be collected regularly. Be creative and show who you are!!!! This rubric should help you gauge your performance and our expectations for your product.

• The top row of the rubric contains questions you should ask yourself before turning in your notebook.

SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE EACH GRADING PERIOD:
Is my notebook unique? Does it reflect my personality? Did I experiment with different writing styles and include a variety of artifacts? Do I have all the required entries? Are all my entries complete? Is my notebook presented clearly and creatively?

WNB's will be graded according to the following aspects, which are based on the Six Traits for writing. Student grading rubrics will break this down in detail.

• Ideas and Organization
• Effort and Presentation
• Style and Application
• Voice and Individuality