Analyzing your Writing Memories

What kinds of writing products did you create as an elementary student?

In elementary school a lot of the writing products we created varied depending on what grade I was in. I remember us doing a lot of writing about ourselves. I remember writing autobiographies and all of it being broken up in stages. We always did weekend wrap ups were we wrote about our weekend. In second grade, I remember our whole class having a page in a book we published about a specific kind of penguin. Although that was more informative writing, I recall my experiences to be more journaling based.

What kinds of writing processes did you use as an elementary student? 

There were many different kinds of writing processes I used in elementary school. We also did a lot of brain storming. We would make webs, lists, maps, and more to get our ideas flowing. We would begin putting all of those thoughts together after that. and then follow up with rough drafts, peer editing, writing conferences, and then our final product. Any bigger project would also go step by step.

What did your teachers teach you about writing when you were in elementary school?

My teachers taught me to try and have fun with writing. They encouraged us all to be expressive and write about things we care about. I remember our teachers stressing grammar and more technical things also. We were encouraged to write a lot, and I feel like I got plenty of practice of writing for a different purpose. They always reminded us that writing was very important and is something we will never get away from.

What teaching methods did your teachers use when you were in elementary school?

My teachers used many methods, but I feel like graphic organizers stick out the most to me. I feel like these are extremely beneficial when it comes to helping students organize their thoughts. My teachers thought talking things our with peers was effective, because we could get new ideas. This helped us believe that everyone’s writing was meaningful. Another method was writing conferences.

What opportunities did you have for choice when writing? Think about this question in terms of what you wrote (topic), why you wrote (purpose), who you wrote for (audience) and how you wrote (process). 

I feel like when it came to journaling we had a lot of choice in our writing. Journaling time was meant for making it whatever you want it to be. If it was a project that was not related to ourselves. Our teacher would tell us what the purpose was and give us different strategies for that kind of writing. We wrote for many different purposes, audiences, and topics. The process changed with each of the topics.

What affective language did you use when writing about your memories? (Affective language is language relating to emotions, feelings, and attitudes.) What does this language suggest about your dominant feelings about learning to write in elementary school?

I feel like the language I use when talking about writing in elementary school is positive. I think I was encouraged by my teaches and given a lot of support. I have always felt prepared when writing so I felt that I had a great learning experience. I do not look back and have negative thoughts come to mind.

What have you learned about how you want to teach writing (or how you do not want to teach writing) from analyzing your writing memories?

I want to be as supportive as I can when I am teaching writing. I want to be sure to give my students many opportunities when it comes to writing for different audiences and purposes. I want them to have a good balance of free-writing about whatever they want, and writing about things we are learning in the classroom. I want them to look back and think they had fun while writing and learning a lot that prepared them for grades ahead. I want to make sure they know writing is a safe space for them to write about things that concern them or about things that make them who they are. When teaching writing I plan to break things down and make it less overwhelming for them. I want to be sure to have many conferences so they know I care about their writing process and can help them with things they may be struggling with. I think that time creates a positive teacher/student relationship.