Vazques Teaches a Language Arts Class Using a Workshop Model

Vazques teaches a Language Arts class using a workshop model. Her students spend a lot of time working on the writing process. At the beginning of the year, she wants to gauge what her students' individual processes for writing are like. Which of the following would be the most appropriate assessment to gain this information?

A) Asking students to write her a letter explaining how they approach a writing assignment
B) Assigning students an essay and having them explain how the author wrote it
C) Modeling her own writing process and asking her students to write a compare and contrast essay on the differences between her style and theirs
D) Having an informal discussion with her student about how they write