Recording Everything

It goes without saying that students need to develop the habit of recording better. I introduce this idea with the picture book called The Looking Book as well as some mindfulness exercises where they just have to pay attention to the goings on around them.

It's important at this stage that students are allowed to try and experiment with how to record their own thoughts and which methods work for various purposes. I have two favorite methods for teaching students to record their thoughts, but there are certainly many more out there. 

Inner Voice by Cris Tovani

The premise of the Inner Voice is to teach students to pay attention to their own thinking as they engage with a text (book, poem, video, experiment, etc.). As they pay attention to their own thoughts, they are encouraged to write them down as they come--no matter what. Even if a student's mind wanders, if they're hungry, and they're checking out their crush, they write down what they're thinking. This trains them to not only get in the habit of recording, but pat attention to their focus, or lack of it. I don't ever pass out a worksheet or stick to the 4 square format, but I use the same ideas from Cris Tovani, and have the students write down in their Thoughtbooks. 

The Dive by Matt Strock

The Dive is a method of helping students either tackle really complicated and complex texts or dive deeper into a text they might read superficially at first. There are simple steps to follow, but the most important aspect is that students are allowed time at each stage. 
  1. Read a short text (1-2 paragraphs at most)
  2. Without looking at text, summarize and write down what you remember (bullet points, sketch, etc.)
  3. Write down your thoughts about what you remember. Don't hold back. Write anything that comes to mind in any form (questions, pictures, connections to personal experiences, etc.). The key here is to take your time, 3-5 minutes is often not enough time after they've had practice. At first, they'll finish after a minute.
  4. Re-read exact same passage and follow the previous steps at least one more time. Are there additional pieces of information remembered? What other connections and thoughts come to mind?​
My favorite text to start this with students is this piece of The Book Thief. This text has loads of symbolism and figurative language and provides a wonderful close read.
Here are just some of what students get in the habit of recording (all of which require specific instruction):
  • Goals, to-dos, checklists, and personal growth
  • Ideas and inventions
  • Thoughts (in all it's forms: sometimes words, sometimes short phrases, sometimes pictures, sometimes 
  • Observations
  • Reflections
  • Research
  • Steps & variables in experiments
  • Questions
  • Favorite song lyrics, poems, stories, and quotes
  • Gratitude Journal
  • Special events
  • Curiosity Journal