Chapter 3

Reading Process

The reading process consist of different procedures. For reading, the first stage is Prereading. Prereading is getting any book/novel by understanding the gist of the story. The person usually finds a reason to read the story using aesthetic or efferent reading purposes. Once the book is chosen, the person prepares to read the story by look at the pages for difficulty or length of book. I usually do the prereading before checking out a book from the library. It helps me not abandon the book. The second stage to reading is READING. Within reading, five ways to read is possible. A student can use shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, buddy reading, and reading aloud to students. In first grade, I recall participating in guided reading. The teacher would us as we took turns reading stories. The third stage is Responding. Responding is a way to focus on what happened in books. Writing in logs or even class conversations may occur. I always enjoyed writing in logs for my teachers. I was able to state what I thought on subjects and later could view my work. The fourth stage is Exploring. Exploring consists of rereading, scrutinizing the work, finding vocab, having the chance to work on minilessons. In fourth grade, I remember my teacher having us reread chapters of different books. The teacher was trying to teach us to reread texts when we did not understand something or missed the point of the plot. I have continued today with rereading. I have reread Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen at least three times. Austen is one of my highly thought of authors. Each time I reread her books, I find certain occurrences I did not notice before. The last stage of reading is APPLYING. Applying is the chocolate icing on the celebration cake. Once a story is finished a student can show what the story was about by using different means of expressions. One expression is to write down the main points of the story. Often projects may arise from stories. In second grade, I did a poster illustration with a summary over a book called, The Magic Finger by Ronald Dale. In fact, I still have the project today.

Writing Process

The writing Process also contains five stages. The first stage is PREWRITING. Prewriting is the way for writers to place a topic down on paper and coming up with ideas. Having an idea who the audience is can help. I like to prewrite by making an outline of my thoughts. The second stage is DRAFTING. Drafting is like a Sloppy Joe that the paper consumes. The focus is to throw ideas out for the paper's catching. The draft does not need to be perfect. Drafting is beneficial when given a difficult topic to accomplish for a turn in assignment. I like to write drafts. It helps clarify my thinking. The third stage is REVISING. Revising is a way to reread the Sloppy Joe draft, have others read your work, revise from others, and talking to the teacher about the work. At times, I will have others view my writing work to enhance my clearness. The fourth stage is EDITING. Taking a break by placing a finished paper/story/poem off for two days will strengthen the editing process. The mind will become lighter towards the material due to the rest. Editing is finding the errors and correcting mistakes. I do find that when I edit papers, I take pleasure in knowing I truly care. I still have a LOOOOOOOOONG way to go before becoming an effective writer! It will take much practice and learning. The last stage is PUBLISHING. Writing that is published is like a sweet song. Music that fills the air gives joy to all listeners. Published writing can sprinkle some magic to all who read or listen to passages read aloud. Students may go about sharing their finished product by reading it to the whole class, having it on display, turning it in for a contest, or simply sharing it to family members.

Personal Writing Experiences

During my senior year of High School, I was fortunate to have a wonderful English teacher. My teacher made English a challenge. He had us read all forms of literature from pros to poetry. We would reflect on our work by writing papers. I went through the five processes in writing for most of my papers. The teacher would also give us a class period to write an essay that was due before leaving his class. He did this time writing to us a few times. At first, I was stressed when knowing I only had the class period to start and finish my paper. The more we did timed essays, the easier they got. I would try to look at the timed essay as a game. I still did an outline, and draft. When the draft was done I looked for mistakes. I did not have time to write another draft so I worked with what I had. In whole, I am grateful for the way my teacher stressed writing.
Furthermore, during my first semester of college, I was challenged by another English teacher. We had to write numerous assignments each week. I felt like I was standing on egg shells from all her assignments. The teacher focused on writing rules, methods, strategies, and types of writing. I had a blast in her class. My High School teacher prepared me so well that I was not afraid of my professors writing assignments. I have learned the secret to writing is rewriting.