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Creating a Culture of Writing Through Thought Books

EnVision Learning Institute Presentation
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“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them.”

--George Orwell
Innovator's Notes Folder
Let's define what is meant by a culture of writing. Essentially, it consists of helping students look at writing as a tool rather than just an assignment to complete. Once students begin to see It's about developing thoughts and ideas, expressing oneself, and communicating, they begin to see writing as a valuable skill to cultivate. Creating a culture of writing is creating self motivated learners who see relevance in how they use writing. 

But how can you help students see writing as a valuable skill? It starts with learning how to use notebooks effectively. In other words, teaching explicitly that writing is first and foremost about thinking. And so, notebooks become a place to record one's thoughts--whatever form or shape that may take. Hence the name  Thoughtbooks instead of notebooks.

All too often in school, students perceive notes in the following manner:
​ Information + Copying = Notes
When it should be like this:
Information + Thoughts = Notes
​Using these Thoughtbooks for necessary practice in academic writing, expression, and idea development becomes the great challenge--but all are necessary to create a writing culture. It was best said by Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher in their latest book 180 Days, that we extend "a call for teachers to find a better balance between writing for tasks and assignments and writing that frees and inspires students." And so, these resources have been developed to do just that: find a balance that will ultimately lead to a better culture of relevant writing in any and all content areas or grade levels. 

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Setting up a Thought Book

From binding your own books to organizing, these resources help you find various options on what to include and where to begin.
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Recording Everything

Learning to observe and wonder, but then record thoroughly is one of the most essential habits to cultivate for any effective Thoughtbook user.
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Analyzing Texts & Data

Following from the ability to observe and record, these resources are designed to help learners scrutinize and look closer to deepen understanding of information. 
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Making it Your Own

Finding the joy in writing, and specifically recording thoughts (through poetry, collages, sketching, etc.), helps deepen appreciation, value, and relevance for all types of writing.
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Generating & Developing Ideas

Generating ideas, especially in writing, is considered the most important college bound skill one can acquire--twice as important as the ability to analyze texts.
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Planning & Organizing

Once information has been gathered, analyzed, and evaluated students must learn to plan and organize that information for use. Turning consumers into producers.
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Expression

Self expression in writing is one of the most powerful tools in creating a writing culture. Here are plenty of ideas to help students become more mindful, see relevance in writing, learn coping mechanisms, and many other skills.
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Synthesizing

Learning to put disparate pieces together into something unique and valuable is an essential skill for all creatives and comes as a result of making connections between previously conceived ideas. See how to foster a culture of creativity.
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Writing Conventions

Learning to craft a piece of writing like a chef cooks a revolutionary meal is developed upon a solid foundation of technique and experimentation carefully balancing the art and science. Like composing beautiful music, students learn to craft beautiful writing.
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Additional Resources

Thoughtbook Assessment

Links coming soon
  • Rubrics
  • Knowing when to Assess
  • Assessment Methods
  • ​Assessment Tips

Digital Thoughtbook Tools​

  • CamScanner (App for scanning pages into PDF/JPG format in organized folders)
  • Paper by 53 (Digital notebook app) 
  • OneNote​ (Digital notebook use through browsers and app)

Articles, Books, & Videos

  • The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition): Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures by Dan Roam
  • 180 Days by Kelly Gallagher & Penny Kittle
  • Energize Research Reading & Writing by Christopher Lehman
  • Visible Learning for Literacy by John Hattie, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey
  • Classroom Habitudes (Revised edition): Teaching Habits and Attitudes for 21st Century Learning by Angela Maiers
  • ​Launch by John Spencer and AJ Juliani
  • "The Life-Changing Habit of Journaling (Why Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, and Many More Great Minds Recommend it)" by Thomas Oppong
  • "Writing as Inquiry, Writing as Thinking" by Carmen Werder
  • "16 Famous Designers Show Us Their Favorite Notebooks" by John Brownlee​
  • "Journaling the Old School Way" by Beth Pandolpho
  • "Riveting Reads and What to Do With Them" by Lisa Johnson
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  • Catalyst Design
    • Consulting
    • Keynote Speeches
    • Workshops
  • About Me
  • Conference Resources
    • What is Assessment Good For?
    • Thoughtbook Resources
    • Creating a Learning Experience Module >
      • Foundation
      • Exercise 3
  • Classroom Resources
    • Teaching Strategy Recipe Cards
    • Mr. Strock's Classroom Website
    • STEM >
      • STEM Class
      • STEM Club
    • Design Thinking & Maker Spaces
    • Genius Hour Ideas
    • Student Portfolios >
      • Student Portfolios Example
  • Blog