Prompts to Recall Early Experiences with Reading and Writing

Reading

The following prompts will help you to brainstorm and recall your early experiences with reading and writing. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list but are written to guide your through the thinking and pre-writing process. Reading How did you learn to read? Who helped you learn to read? What were some of your favorite books, subjects, and stories, and why? What are some of your memorable experiences with reading (good or bad)? What kinds of reading do you do now? How do you approach reading a textbook and/or an academic journal? How has your attitude toward reading changed throughout the years? Writing What do you remember about learning to write? How was writing viewed by your family and friends as you were growing up? What is your current attitude toward writing? What role did your early experiences as a student play in developing your attitude toward writing? Describe a particular experience in school or on the job that influenced your current attitude toward writing? What specific kinds of writing do you enjoy? Which do you dislike? What specific goals do you have as a writer now? Topic ideas: Narrate an early memory about writing or reading that you recall vividly. Then explain why this event is significant to you now. Describe someone who taught you to read or write and explain this person’s significance in your life. Identify a book or other text and explain its significance for you in your reading and writing. Narrate an experience with a writing or reading task that you found (or still find) difficult or challenging. Describe a memento and explain how it represents an important moment in your reading/writing development. Did you first learn to write in a language other than English? If so, how has this affected your writing? Are you left-handed or right-handed? Do you think this trait affected your development as a writer? Have you had any physical conditions (broken hand, poor eyesight, dyslexia) that challenged your ability to write or read?