An important step of any writer’s process is the sharing phase. When children write they are revealing part of themselves, and this shows the reader a little bit about who they are. This gives a glimpse into what is important to them and how they learn. When children read the work of their peers they learn the values of their friends and make connections on an intimate level.
Sharing reveals the writer behind the writing.
Not only does sharing teach valuable technical skills, it also motivates something more important –personal initiative, confidence and the desire to write more. As Lucy Calkins, a children’s literacy expert explains, “Audiences provide another important function, for even when children say nothing at all in response to each other’s pieces, their mere presence as an audience during writing dislodged writers from their one-tracked adding on.”
