I have my students keep all of their writing drafts and polished pieces in a folder kept in my room. At the end of the year (or semester) I have them take out the first draft of the first piece of writing and the final draft of their favorite piece. Then, I have them journal on their writing development and ask them to share their thoughts with me.
As for whether they are "ready" for the next year, well, they probably never are! Plus a lot of writing progress regresses as students get out of the habit of writing over the summer. Writing well is an ongoing and rather recursive journey; if we give them plenty of opportunities to write--both formally and informally--they will improve.
I have my students keep all of their writing drafts and polished pieces in a folder kept in my room. At the end of the year (or semester) I have them take out the first draft of the first piece of writing and the final draft of their favorite piece. Then, I have them journal on their writing development and ask them to share their thoughts with me.
ReplyDeleteAs for whether they are "ready" for the next year, well, they probably never are! Plus a lot of writing progress regresses as students get out of the habit of writing over the summer. Writing well is an ongoing and rather recursive journey; if we give them plenty of opportunities to write--both formally and informally--they will improve.