Last week I asked my kids to present their writing processes. I asked them to imagine they were going to write an essay, and then instead of writing the actual essay, they provided a detailed list of how they approach writing tasks (their process). I discussed this in last week’s “Why My?” post (http://www.letschangeeducation.com/why-my-project-180-day-97/).

As expected, most were formulaic and functional. And, as expected, most were geared towards academic writing–necessary, but not enough in regards to approaching a variety of writing situations–now and later. As such, the approach I take focuses on three simple questions for my writers to ask.

Have I established focus and purpose in my writing?

Have I organized my writing?

Have I developed my writing?

These aren’t sophisticated steps into the writing realm. They aren’t intended to be. They are intended to be general entry points into any writing situation, from tweeting to researching. They are intended to be “carry-with-them” questions long after they leave me and encounter writing situations in and out of school on their own.

One such writing situation for my now-sophomores will be their then-seniors college applications, for which they will encounter personal writing situations. And though they won’t all go to college, a great many of them will apply. So, with that in mind, we are going to use the Common App prompts for kids’ personal writing this quarter. But we are going to approach it differently.

The kids are going to decide when they are done. I will require them to engage with me in at least one stage of the feedback/response process for each of the three questions from above (focus/purpose, organization, development). But from there they will decide how far they want to take it. So, then, I think the “sell” matters. I am going to sell it as “here is a real writing situation,” and “here we have a chance to collaborate on creating a kick-ass essay,” and “here you will decide when we are done.”

Remember, in my class, a 1 = Done. That is the numerical indicator that we put in the learning record to indicate that the learning experience has reached a satisfactory level. Here, I am going to let the kids decide. I will engage with them in the feedback/response process as long as they want, but I am giving them the agency to decide how far out they want to take the work. Really, then, it becomes more about their commitment to learning than about the number in the record.

There’s much I plan to do with this. I will use it as an opportunity to further develop their skills as writers in the areas of focus/purpose, organization, and development, giving them tips and tricks to add to their repertoires. I will also ask them to revisit their “process lists” they created to see if anything has changed from this experience.

In the end, I just want them to grow as writers. And though they may well end up with “kick-ass” writing, my real hope is that feel like kick-ass writers. That is the anchor I want for them. That is the value I want them to find in and take from this experience.

Happy Tuesday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.