Write to be Right?

We teachers may not realize it but for students, their school writing is typically scrutinized. Summative writing tasks are more high-stakes, focused on learning to write. So students tend to write to be right.

Yet creating product is only one purpose for writing. Students also need time to write to explore, to think, to test and try ideas. Writing to learn is valuable too because it helps students activate their own thinking, generate their own ideas, and reflect on their own learning. Not only does it provide much-needed time to practice writing without heavy scrutiny, the generated content can be used for other writing purposes and for small and whole group discussions. So where might low-stakes writing fit into your lessons, and how might it improve student engagement toward writing?