Written in the first week, kept, and read again at the end.
Write about all four
- The last thing you read that you chose yourself. What was it, and what did you make of it?
- What you can already do as a writer, specifically. “I can build an argument” is more useful than “I am good at essays”.
- What you find hardest — starting, structure, quoting, speaking in discussion, finishing.
- What you want to be able to do by June. In your own words.
A page, handwritten, twenty minutes.
Why
Because in June you will read it beside what you can then do, and write about the difference — see Showing Growth. Most students cannot feel their own progress; this is the evidence that it happened.
Who reads it
Nobody, unless you decide otherwise. I check it exists.
Curriculum connection
C4.1
describe a variety of strategies they used before, during, and after writing; explain which ones they found most helpful; and identify appropriate steps they can take to improve as writers (e.g., explain the benefits of sharing their brainstorming list with a partner; identify the graphic organizers they find most useful for organizing their writing ideas and the characteristics that make them useful; identify the proofreading technique or tip they found most helpful)
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C4.2
identify a variety of skills they have in listening, speaking, reading, viewing, and representing and explain how the skills help them write more effectively (e.g., explain how selecting graphics and designing a layout for a poster strengthened the visualizing skills they need to set the scene for a poem or story)
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