ABSTRACT
This chapter explains teachers incorporate prompts that feature student thinking, rather than "borrowed thinking". When students are asked to audit their Daybook and identify an Original Thought, many refer to this exercise as a time when they surprised themselves with an opinion of their own, unassigned by a classroom teacher. Emphasize the critical thinking tools students are bringing to bear on the problem, rather than the answer. Expressive writing is especially apt for these explorations. Expressive writing is unique and important to any writer because it is effectively a writer talking to him or herself about what the writer/reader is thinking about. Seeing that producing coherent written thought in a brief amount of time is possible builds confidence in students own fluency. In the "Write to a Penny" exercise, students are directed to reread their writing and find a line that intrigues them.
