In making decisions and taking risks, say the Stricklands, a student is assessing himself, and in turn growing as a writer. Ownership of authentic writing, not skills worksheets, lives in my future classroom. The teacher cannot be the prime owner of the writing. I can't learn to make real writing decisions without practice, and worksheets never taught authentic decision making. Real writing did.
Real writing can occur in stories, poems, letters, etc.
This unrevised writing is a tool for discovery about language and the thoughts behind language. Journals, whether personal or shared dialogue writing, are essential in a whole language classroom. When I write in my Dialogue journal for class, I usually don't start out with something I want to say. I use the journal as a medium for spilling onto paper all of my sponged up ideas, and by doing this I achieve a clearer understanding of what's been written. The author and I create meaning together.