Marilyn Amey
Reader’s Notebook (Gr. 2 – 8)
(Fountas and Pinnell, 2006)
Consider tabs in a notebook (spiral thick version) for:
1. Reading List
2. Books to Read
3. Letters
4. Guided Reading / Book Club
Why use a reader’s notebook as a reflection tool?
 Helps students organize their thinking and collect it in
one place
 Each section of notebook supports the reading process
 Students engage in meaningful opportunities to collect
and organize their thinking about books
*See attached pages for possible templates and/or explanations.
Attachment are placed in book as follows:
 Front Cover - glue in “Guidelines for Reading Workshop”
sheet
 Back Cover – glue in “How to Give a Book Talk” sheet
 Reading List – in the front of divider glue, “Reading
Requirements” and on the back glue, “Genres at a Glance”
 Books to Read - in the front of divider glue, “Reading
Interests” and on the back glue, “Books to Read”
 Letters - in the front of divider glue, “Form for a Friendly
Letter” and on the back glue, “Guidelines for Proofreading
Your Letter”
 Guided Reading / Book Club - in the front of divider glue,
“Preparing for Book Discussion” and on the back glue, “Ways
to Have a Good Discussion”
Guidelines for Reading Workshop
1. Read a book or write your thoughts about your reading.
2. Work silently so that you and your classmates can do your
best thinking.
3. Use a soft voice when conferring with a teacher.
4. Choose books that you think you’ll enjoy and abandon books
that aren’t working for you after you’ve given them a
chance.
5. List the book information when you begin and record the
date when you finish.
6. Always do your best work.
How to Give a Book Talk
1. Purpose
 Get readers excited about a book, author, series or
genre.
2. Prepare
 Make sure you’ve read the book.
 Choose a book other readers will like.
 Think about what is interesting about your book.
 Think about the lead – how you will capture the
readers’ interest.
 Write page numbers and a few notes on a sticky.
3. Present
 Show the book.
 Start with a good lead.
 Tell the author, title, genre.
 Explain why you choose to share the book.
 Tell a little about the book, but don’t give away
secrets.
 Mention other books by the same author or other
books in the series.
4. Remember
 Look at everyone.
 Speak clearly.
 Show your enthusiasm.
 Keep it short!
Reading Requirements
Book Minimum: ______
Requirement
Genre
Traditional Literature
Realistic Fiction
Historical Fiction
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Informational
Biography
Choice
Tally
Genres at a Glance
FICTION
Code
Genre
Definition
TL
Traditional Literature
Stories that are passed down from one group to another
in history. This includes folktales, legends, fables, fairy
tales, tall tales, and myths from different cultures.
F
Fantasy
A story including elements that are impossible such as
talking animals or magical powers. Make-believe is what
this genre is all about.
SF
Science Fiction
A type of fantasy that uses science and technology
(robots, time machines, etc.)
RF
Realistic Fiction
A story using made-up characters that could happen in
real life.
HF
Historical Fiction
M
Mystery
A fictional story that takes place in a particular time
period in the past. Often the setting is real, but the
characters are made up from the author’s imagination.
A suspenseful story about a puzzling even that is not
solved until the end of the story.
R
Romance
A
Action/Adventure
H
Horror
A story that focuses on the love and attraction of two
people and usually has a happy ending.
A story that features physical action and violence, often
around a quest or military-style mission set in exotic or
forbidding locations.
A story that aims to create fear in its readers.
NONFICTION
Code
I
Genre
Informational
B
Biography
AB
Autobiography
Code
Genre
P
Poetry
Definition
Texts that provide facts about a variety of topics (sports,
animals, science, history, careers, travel, geography,
space, weather, etc.)
The story of a real person’s life written by another
person.
The story of a real person’s life that is written by that
person.
OTHER GENRE
Definition
Poetry is verse written to create a response of thought
and feeling from the reader. It often uses rhythm and
rhyme to help convey its meaning.
READING
Title
Author
Genre
Done?
Pages
Completed

Date
LOG
Reading Interests
Topics That
Interest Me
Genre / Types of
Books That
Interest Me
Authors That
Interest Me
Books to Read
Title
Author
Check
When
Completed
Form for a Friendly Letter
Date
Greeting,
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 3
Closing,
Signature
Body
Guidelines for Proofreading Your Letter
1. Reread your letter to be sure it makes sense.
2. Be sure you have included 3 well-developed paragraphs (one may be a
brief summary of what you read).
3. Did you include the date?
4. Check the greeting and closing.
5. Check your spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
Letters
Letters between you and your students are a collection
of thoughts over time as students develop as readers.
They’re like written conversations about books. You can help children better
communicate their thinking in several ways:
1. Model and demonstrate ways of expressing thinking through
minilessons.
2. Talk with students about their letters during conferences giving
specific feedback.
3. You can scaffold student’s thinking thorough ongoing written
exchanges with them.
Letters exchanged in a reader’s notebook have many advantages in helping
students learn to write about their reading:
 Transition easily from talking to conversing about reading in writing
 Writing to an authentic audience for an authentic purpose
 Content is open-ended. Students usually focus on any kind of thinkng
about reading that is meaningful to them.
 Expectation is for them to reflect on their reading
 Organize and present their thinking in continuous text (i.e. as
compared to short-answer questions)
 Format is easily learned
 Receive authentic feedback that can extend their thinking
 Can ask questions and receive a response
 Can follow up or build on thinking
 Weekly opportunities to write about thinking
 Build-in audience (have in mind another reader who is listening and
responding)
 Record of their thinking over time
 Gain vast amounts of practice organizing and presenting their thinking
Teachers can analyse and assess the letters using a rubric and/or through
anecdotal comments of their ability to read within, beyond and about the
text.
Preparing for Book Discussion
Read and think about . . . .
 what you find interesting or surprising
 how the author makes you feel
 what you like/dislike about the writing
 what the author is trying to say and how you feel about it
 what the book makes you think
 your reaction to the characters
 how the book reminds you of your life
 how the book reminds you of other books
 how the book is similar to or different from other books by
this author or other books in this genre
 what you don’t understand, finding confusing, or have
questions about
 what you notice about the illustrations
 what you want to remember about the book
 places where the author gives good descriptions
 why you think the author wrote the book
 what the author is really trying to say
 what you notice about the author’s craft
 how the author used time
 examples of stereotypes or other biases
 what you notice about the author’s language, word choice, or
style
 what you learned
Ways to Have a Good Discussion
1. Be prepared.
2. Sit so everyone can see everyone else.
3. Get started right away.
4. Look at the person who is talking.
5. Listen to understand.
6. Ask questions to understand better.
7. Speak clearly but not too loudly.
8. Wait for the speaker to finish.
9. Use language that invites the opinions of others.
10. Be sure everyone gets a turn.
11. Build on one another’s ideas.
12. Respect one another’s ideas.
13. Stay on the topic.
14. Provide evidence from your experience or from the text to support
your thinking.
Example of a Reader’s Notebook
(Fountas and Pinnell)
READER’S NOTEBOOK
Contents:
A/ Reading Log and Books to Read List
Record the title, author and other information about your reading
selections.
B/ Letters
Letters are written to either a classmate or teacher. The letter
should follow the friendly letter format and include a one
paragraph summary about your selection (without giving too much
away). The other paragraphs should develop 2 (different) formal
responses to the reading (see response ideas, sample paragraph
and rubric). Letters are to be written neatly.
C/ Reading Workshop
Students will explore skills/concepts presented in mini-lessons
and then develop responses to a variety of texts. Reading
workshops will also often include time for sharing (for example,
Book Talks).