Reflective Writing A self portrait of me as a writer and learner

Guiding Question What is reflection and what is the purpose of the reflective entry in the Kentucky Writing Portfolio? What is reflection and what is the purpose of the reflective entry in the Kentucky Writing Portfolio?

Definitions Reflection is carefully considering and seriously thinking about past events to try to make sense of those past events. Reflection is carefully considering and seriously thinking about past events to try to make sense of those past events. Literacy is the ability to use language to communicate with others through reading, writing, speaking, listening, observing or a combination of these skills. Literacy is the ability to use language to communicate with others through reading, writing, speaking, listening, observing or a combination of these skills.

Purpose of the Reflective Entry for the Kentucky Writing Portfolio The purpose of the reflective entry is: To reflect on your growth as writers by considering the influence of literacy experiences. To reflect on your growth as writers by considering the influence of literacy experiences. To achieve this purpose, you MUST analyze and evaluate your writing growth. To achieve this purpose, you MUST analyze and evaluate your writing growth.

Reflecting on yourself as a writer Read the following excerpts from Speaking of Poets: Interviews with Poets Who Write for Children and Young Adults by Jeffrey S. Copeland Read the following excerpts from Speaking of Poets: Interviews with Poets Who Write for Children and Young Adults by Jeffrey S. Copeland Notice how each author discusses Notice how each author discusses –how they write –what they know about themselves as writers –what they do as writers

Arnold Adoff: “I am very much a believer in rewriting; writing is rather a small part of what I do. The heat, the excitement, and the joy of scribbling is the writing, and that is only the very beginning of the process. I can do as many as seventy-five drafts of a single poem. Typical for me is nineteen or twenty drafts.” Arnold Adoff: “I am very much a believer in rewriting; writing is rather a small part of what I do. The heat, the excitement, and the joy of scribbling is the writing, and that is only the very beginning of the process. I can do as many as seventy-five drafts of a single poem. Typical for me is nineteen or twenty drafts.” Eloise Greenfield: “Family has always been very important to me personally. When I write, it always finds its way into my work…Wherever people are willing to care about each other, support each other, and there is give and take, we have a family. I do like to write about that a lot because it does exist. That is very important to me.” Eloise Greenfield: “Family has always been very important to me personally. When I write, it always finds its way into my work…Wherever people are willing to care about each other, support each other, and there is give and take, we have a family. I do like to write about that a lot because it does exist. That is very important to me.” Karla Kuskin: “I always start writing poetry longhand with a pen, and I generally use a striped pad of paper. But, I jot down things on anything; on the back of a envelope, on scrap paper. I scribble verses or a rhyme or an image that goes through my head that I don’t want to let go. I’ve got a zillion tiny pieces of paper all over the place that I’m afraid to throw out. They may come to nothing, but I have to keep them just to same.” Karla Kuskin: “I always start writing poetry longhand with a pen, and I generally use a striped pad of paper. But, I jot down things on anything; on the back of a envelope, on scrap paper. I scribble verses or a rhyme or an image that goes through my head that I don’t want to let go. I’ve got a zillion tiny pieces of paper all over the place that I’m afraid to throw out. They may come to nothing, but I have to keep them just to same.”

Guiding Question What are my literacy experiences and how have they influenced my writing development? What are my literacy experiences and how have they influenced my writing development?

Activity Consider your own literacy experiences. Consider your own literacy experiences. We would like you to take about ten minutes to complete a quick write to consider your own literacy experiences and writing development.

Activity Use your writing folder to compare your earlier writing with present writings Use your writing folder to compare your earlier writing with present writings Identify three ways that you have improved as a writer Identify three ways that you have improved as a writer