Steno Pads for Writer’s Workshop

Today was a bit more monumental than I thought it would have been.

I gave my kids a Steno Pad during Writer’s Workshop.

I know…big things are happening.

Why are we using these pads? I’m sure that’s a question that you are just dying to know…right?

I talk all the time during Writer’s Workshop about how I keep a notepad by my bed (if you count a few crumpled up post-it notes as a notepad, of course). I know you do the same thing that I do and talk a big game during writer’s workshop. We all have to dramatize a bit to make them all think that we are in the middle of writing our very first novel. We do this to make writing seem like it is a very exciting and glamorous activity. Writing is something that is either going to be their friend or enemy for the rest of their school days. It is something that I always loved through school, but I saw so many of my friends struggle with it. When they are little, it’s important to make writing seem fabulous 🙂

Steno pads is one way to make that happen.

They all think they are little reporters walking around and writing down every idea they have. I call it their “Writing Book” (fancy…I know) where they write down ideas they might have for stories they want to write later. I am letting them take them back and forth from school and home so they find things to write about outside of schoolas well. Back to that idea of living “writerly lives”.

The steno pads aren’t for story writing, they are for getting those little minds to think about stories they want to write. It’s where they keep their ideas. This group also loves to make lists about everything. Since there is a line down the middle, it can be used to make seperate lists on either side of the lines to make it last a bit longer.

Before we started writing, I gave each kiddo their Steno Pad and cover for it. 

They glued their covers to the front and were ready to rock it out.

I told them they could take their notepads home to write in tonight. You would have thought that I told them that the tooth fairy would be visiting them for the rest of the year. They were all so excited…which is the reason I love teaching Kindergarten. Steno pads send them in to a frenzy of excitement.

I can’t wait to see what they come in with tomorrow…hoping we will have some good stories to start on!