In her blog, “A writing prompt to start the year,” Henrietta Miller describes a writing prompt that she gave to her students to begin to get to know each of them personally. She gave students time to ask her questions about herself, and then they brainstormed things they thought it would be important for her to know about them. Students then wrote a autobiography for her. I think this is a great way to start the year because it gives the teacher a chance to get to know students right away and even to a deeper level than if they were sharing aloud in class. In addition, as Ms. Miller mentioned, it gives her a feeling of where each of her students are at with their writing skills and what areas they may need improvement in. Even though this get-to-know-you activity may seem to the students like a routine idea, for a teacher, it can be in invaluable experience to get to know students personally and academically. I also thought the idea to make a wordle of their autobiography after that was wise, so the students and teacher can see what words may have been overused. Overall, this is an amazing assignment that will benefit the teacher and the students as they begin a school year!
