Anna's+Initial+Ideas+about+Composition

After our class discussion about the divisions of writing, and reading Ray's division of writing into writing for life vs. composition, there are many thoughts that come to mind. I think the key thoughts that keep running through my mind about composition are how do we inspire a passion for writing in our students like the passions we possess? Ray's description of her writing process definitely resonated with me, as I'm sure it did with each one of us. We each have our own process of writing, and our students need to develop in addition to writing for life. Our students know how to write for life. They can reflect, take notes, sign up for things, and I would venture to say that even their social networking skills would fall into this "writing for life" category. But, do they desire to communicate something in their writing? Are we challenging them? Honestly, it's difficult not to be wary of time constraints and anxious about getting everything done, but in the long run, purposeful writing enriches lives.

Composition:
 * takes time, practice and thought.
 * write for an intended audience
 * write with a purpose
 * communicates something (articulately)
 * requires critical thinking

In the classroom, we need to model and set aside time for composition.