How to Use a Reader’s Notebook in Middle School to Increase Student Comprehension

Read here for simple tips for using readers' notebooks.

This is the seventh in a blog post in a mini-series on starting reading workshop in middle school. This post will look at using a reader’s notebook in middle school.

Using reading’ notebooks in middle school reading workshop is certainly not a new idea. It seems pretty straightforward…until you actually have to set it up and figure out how to make it work for your classroom. What do put in there? How much work should kids do? Do you grade it? Let’s take a look.

Read here for simple tips for using readers’ notebooks.

Why use a Reader’s Notebook in Middle School?

Having a place for kids to keep notes, practice skills, and develop their own thoughts is crucial in a reading workshop. If you teach reading workshop, you will know that the mini-lesson is key. (If you need some tips, click here to read more.) When working through your mini-lesson, you will have times when you ask kids to jot some ideas in their notebooks. A reader’s notebook creates an organized place to house all of the skills/mini-lessons that are being taught. It becomes a reference tool as well as a place to complete related activities. Kids can complete these related activities during independent work time and/or at home.

Digital or Print?

I would have never entertained the idea of using a digital reader’s notebook in my 6th-grade language arts class. Sitting next to a student, having them show me their work, engaging in a conversation about what I see and what I think they need to do next was pure joy. These were some of my best teaching moments.

Then the pandemic struck, and everything was turned upside down. I had to quickly turn years of print ideas into a coherent, digital plan. And after doing both, I saw the ups and downs of each. I love the organization of a digital notebook, but I made myself a slave to grading it when it wasn’t always necessary.

Just keep this in mind: the concept of the notebook is the same, whether it is digital or print. Give kids the skills in a brief, written and organized format so they can refer to them whenever needed. They will need time and space to try out and apply the skills to their current reading. Use the time during independent reading to conference and share. And don’t overdo the grading, whether you use digital or print.

Click here for a “no-prep” digital reader’s notebook!

19 ready-made activities with notes!

Organization of the Reader’s Notebook in Middle School

Having a well-organized notebook is crucial. A table of contents is key. If you are using a print notebook, save the first few pages for your table of contents. You can make it part of the daily ritual to put in any notes and to enter them in the table of contents. This way, as the year goes on, students can easily refer to notes when needed. If you are interested in some FREE printable notes to get you started, click here: Free Reading Notebook Notes and Activities for Middle School

Grab these free reader’s notebook activities!

When opting for a digital notebook, you will need to make the unit ahead of time. I make these using Google Slides™, and I dedicate a slide (or more, if needed) to a table of contents. You can hyperlink the table of contents so that students can go right to the page. Creating your digital notebook requires a lot of work upfront, but it is well worth it when it’s complete because you are all set.

If you are interested in a complete reading unit that is all done for you, click here:

Character Study Complete Unit

Social Issues Complete Reading Unit

Historical Fiction Complete Reading Unit

What and What Not to Include

A good reader’s notebook is simplistic and straightforward. Brief notes of reading skills/concepts (such as character traits, plot, inferencing, etc.) are crucial. Students do NOT need overly wordy or long explanations.

Within the notebook, students should have a place to try out the skill. You can have this all set on a printed copy. I have students tape the notes and the directions on the left, and then try the skill on the right. Keep the activities brief but meaningful. It is not necessary to burden kids with a ton of work. You can see if they are understanding a skill/concept with a quick and hopefully enjoyable activity.

The same holds true for a digital notebook. Be as brief and as straightforward as possible. This should be a quick reference for students. Think of yourself if you search for a recipe. Most of us do NOT want to read the entire blog; we usually just jump to the actual recipe to get what we need. The same holds true for students. If they need to look back on their notes on character traits, they don’t want to sift through a lot of information. As in the printable notebook, the activities in the digital notebook should not be laborious.

Student Work

The reader’s notebook is a place for your students to try out and practice skills. It should not be a place for hypercriticism. Think of it as a summative assessment, where you see what your kids are doing and where they need to go. Students should have some freedom with what they do. Allow them to get artistic if they choose, but remember that some kids like to draw, and some do not. Give them that choice. It is also a good idea to have a few ideas that they can select from while practicing a skill.

Example: If you are teaching a lesson on symbolism, you can have kids draw up an important symbol in their own life and free-write about why it’s important. I once had a student write about a swing on his grandparents’ porch. He wrote about how he felt like he was “swinging between his childhood and being too old” for his weekly sleepovers at his grandparents’ house. It brought me to tears! I had him illustrate it to get him thinking further. As a follow-up, students can do the same for any possible symbols in their novels.

Grading and Checklists for a Reader’s Notebook

So do you grade the notebook? I say yes. It is difficult to motivate middle school-age students if they don’t think that “it counts”. With that said, I would develop a very loose system. With a printable notebook, I like to go around and give kids a score of 1-5 on their assignments as I am conferencing, and then just loosely average it out for a small grade. For that score, my students know that they need to complete the activity on time, follow any and all directions, put in effort, and have minimal “mechanical” errors.

You can do something very similar with a digital notebook. As you are conferencing, you can open the student’s work at the same time you are talking and put in any comments as well as a quick grade. I would avoid burdening yourself with grading all of this at home. What kids write is meant more for a discussion point, not as a formal assignment.

I would not be a stickler for every little bit of mechanics, but I also would not ignore careless errors such as capitalization and punctuation. Whatever it is, decide on a simple rubric or checklist before the unit begins so that students know exactly what is expected of them. Give them examples of high-quality work so they know what you are expecting.

My notebooks usually count in a “lower” category for their overall grade, such as a homework or project grade (as opposed to a test or final piece). This way, students are accountable, but they have the freedom to try without having to worry about every little mistake.

Make Time to Share

In my opinion, the most important time of the reading workshop is when you share. Students need to hear from each other. They get to hear so many different ways of looking at reading and can gain inspiration and insight from their classmates. Plus, it is a great way for kids to get ideas for different books that they want to read.

Sharing can and should be simple and informal. For example, if you are learning about theme, having kids share what they think the theme of their book might be is a very valuable discussion. Kids can also have their notebooks open to an activity. The class can walk around in a “museum walk”; this is a fantastic way for kids to gain so many different perspectives.

The Bottom Line of a Reader’s Notebook in Middle School

Whatever way you go about it, never underestimate the value of readers’ notebooks in middle school. Digital or print, artistic or not, the point is to have needed skills handy and the freedom to try out the skill. Make time to roam around the room during reading workshop and take a quick peek and discuss what you see with your kids. Keep your grading brief. You might not get it all perfect at first, but being perfect is not the point. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below.