Write Right

Throughout our mini-lessons it has be interesting to see how the stages of the writing process can be applied to writers of any skill or age. As a future middle grades Language Arts teacher, it is important to see how stages of the writing process can be applied to adolescents. In my academic career, I have found that I too tend to jump from the “brainstorming” stage to the “published” stage. I found this is particularly true in my college writing. I tend to jump right into the “finished product” paper forgoing the detrimental prewriting stages. This causes me to have to make large revisions later on. After relearning about the stages of the writing process, I have now attempted to start my papers at the very beginning – with brainstorming.

I have always found that personal writing was a release. As a child, I would put my "top secret" thoughts in a heart-shaped journal I would hide under my mattress. Even though I no longer have that heart-shaped journal, I still can appreciate journaling. Personal writing helps to organize your thoughts and emotions, and I can see how journaling will be very beneficially in the classroom. Journaling as a warm-up would help students to "check their emotions at the door" and have a productive class period.