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On the first day of school in September, my students are excited and a little unsure about how they will use their notebooks. They want to know if I will tell them what to write, if their writing will be graded, and "does spelling count?" I explain that they are in control of what goes into their notebooks and that only published writing will be graded. Spelling is important, but shouldn't keep them from writing freely and using hard-to-spell words. I explain that they will learn ways to edit their work so that readers will be able to read it with ease, and that when writing "comes out of the notebook" it will need to be carefully polished. They happily decorate their notebook covers and listen as I talk to them about collecting ideas, researching questions, and capturing moments.
I see excitement in some eyes, skepticism in others, and I realize that for notebooks to take hold in my classroom, I've got to be committed to them. I've got to get kids thinking, wondering, observing, and caring deeply about expressing their ideas. And I've got to dedicate the precious time it takes to let them do it.
When kids begin...