The writing process
You're familiar with the five steps or stages of the writing process: prewriting (brainstorming), drafting (writing), revising, editing (proofreading), and publishing. While it may seem that they are linear--do step one, then step two, etc.--they are not. The writing process is fluid, the different stages happening in fits and starts, one overlapping another.
On this page, you will find ideas to help your students grow in each stage. It is a work-in-progress.
On this page, you will find ideas to help your students grow in each stage. It is a work-in-progress.
Prewriting
For many students the battle starts here because they “don’t know what to write about,” and they are intimidated by the blank piece of paper laying in front of them.
Ways to bring ideas to the surface:
Freewriting
Give students a blank screen or sheet of paper, set a timer for five? ten? minutes, and tell them to write without stopping until the timer dings. They can write about anything they want. If that is too much to ask in the beginning, give them several prompts, simple ideas that ignite the brain and move the fingers. When they can't think of anything else to write, they can write, "I can't think of anything else to write" until a better thought penetrates the fog. The goal is to dump the content of the brain onto the paper and mine for something that is worthy of the writing process. Not every freewrite will become a finished piece, but each one allows the writer freedom to express whatever is stirring around in his head without concern for mechanical correctness. Did you get that? Freewrites are not corrected or critiqued. They are a safe place to experiment with language, with no rules or restraints.
Although freewrites are not typically published, 5 Minute Friday: Kids' Edition is an exception.
Stewing
It's amazing how much of the writing process happens in the head. Instruct your student to think about the idea, wrestle with it, let it marinate. When they are ready to write, the words will spill out a little easier.
Make a list.
Have students make a list of everything they can imagine about their topic. They don't need to evaluate the ideas that emerge. They can simply write them down and figure out what stays, and what goes, later.
Graphic organizers
You can find scads of organizers on the web to help kids figure out what they think before they start writing.
Talking
Sometimes it helps to discuss ideas with another person (or a group of people) to figure out what we think. Talk with your students, or put them in a setting where they can talk with others.
KWL
What do I know? What do I want to know? What have I learned?
To lay a foundation for drafting, it may be helpful to answer the first two questions. If the student researches for more information, the third question can be answered. With all of that groundwork, drafting can begin.
Prayer
This one is appropriate for every stage, for apart from God, what can we really do?
Ways to bring ideas to the surface:
Freewriting
Give students a blank screen or sheet of paper, set a timer for five? ten? minutes, and tell them to write without stopping until the timer dings. They can write about anything they want. If that is too much to ask in the beginning, give them several prompts, simple ideas that ignite the brain and move the fingers. When they can't think of anything else to write, they can write, "I can't think of anything else to write" until a better thought penetrates the fog. The goal is to dump the content of the brain onto the paper and mine for something that is worthy of the writing process. Not every freewrite will become a finished piece, but each one allows the writer freedom to express whatever is stirring around in his head without concern for mechanical correctness. Did you get that? Freewrites are not corrected or critiqued. They are a safe place to experiment with language, with no rules or restraints.
Although freewrites are not typically published, 5 Minute Friday: Kids' Edition is an exception.
Stewing
It's amazing how much of the writing process happens in the head. Instruct your student to think about the idea, wrestle with it, let it marinate. When they are ready to write, the words will spill out a little easier.
Make a list.
Have students make a list of everything they can imagine about their topic. They don't need to evaluate the ideas that emerge. They can simply write them down and figure out what stays, and what goes, later.
Graphic organizers
You can find scads of organizers on the web to help kids figure out what they think before they start writing.
Talking
Sometimes it helps to discuss ideas with another person (or a group of people) to figure out what we think. Talk with your students, or put them in a setting where they can talk with others.
KWL
What do I know? What do I want to know? What have I learned?
To lay a foundation for drafting, it may be helpful to answer the first two questions. If the student researches for more information, the third question can be answered. With all of that groundwork, drafting can begin.
Prayer
This one is appropriate for every stage, for apart from God, what can we really do?
Drafting
Writing a rough draft gets the thoughts from the head to the paper. It's okay if paragraphing is wobbly, organization is unclear, and spelling is atrocious. Revising and editing will take care of all that later.
A writer’s journal
Give your kids a composition book, a place to add impromptu writing pieces. While some of these entries may end up being polished for publication, that is not necessarily the goal. The composition book invites the budding writer to fill its pages. Whether kids dabble in poetry, write their observations from a nature walk, compare two characters in a book, write a list of synonyms, or make up some jokes doesn't matter. What matters is that they are writing, and doing so consistently.
Be well supplied.
Create a literate environment. Lined, unlined, colored, and white paper, pencils, pens, markers, erasers, a dictionary, thesaurus, books--whatever it takes to grab a child's interest for writing, have it available and accessible.
Get comfortable.
It doesn't matter where and when writing happens as long as it's optimal for the writer. Does he like background music or silence? Does she prefer a straight-backed chair, a sofa, or a bed? Is it easier for him to draft with pencil and paper or keyboard and screen? When does she focus best--early morning, afternoon, or evening?
Snippets of time
A draft doesn't need to be written from start to finish in one sitting. Writing a little bit, taking a break to do something else, then writing a bit more may make the process less painful.
A writer’s journal
Give your kids a composition book, a place to add impromptu writing pieces. While some of these entries may end up being polished for publication, that is not necessarily the goal. The composition book invites the budding writer to fill its pages. Whether kids dabble in poetry, write their observations from a nature walk, compare two characters in a book, write a list of synonyms, or make up some jokes doesn't matter. What matters is that they are writing, and doing so consistently.
Be well supplied.
Create a literate environment. Lined, unlined, colored, and white paper, pencils, pens, markers, erasers, a dictionary, thesaurus, books--whatever it takes to grab a child's interest for writing, have it available and accessible.
Get comfortable.
It doesn't matter where and when writing happens as long as it's optimal for the writer. Does he like background music or silence? Does she prefer a straight-backed chair, a sofa, or a bed? Is it easier for him to draft with pencil and paper or keyboard and screen? When does she focus best--early morning, afternoon, or evening?
Snippets of time
A draft doesn't need to be written from start to finish in one sitting. Writing a little bit, taking a break to do something else, then writing a bit more may make the process less painful.
Revising
Revising and editing are sometimes confused. Revising deals with content and includes changing the order of paragraphs, rewording sentences, reworking the introduction, developing the body, scrapping and rewriting the conclusion, omitting unnecessary words, improving diction, varying sentence structure, combining sentences, eliminating redundancies....
It is in revision that a student's writing develops and matures. Don't skip it!
Set it aside.
Let students know that, after writing a piece or part of a piece, they can temporarily leave it. When they pick it up again, they will not be as attached to it. Since attachment is what keeps us from seeing our pieces clearly and making the necessary changes, separation is our friend. How long should the separation last? It depends on the time frame. They can leave it for a few hours, overnight, or several days, coming back to it and revising with fresh brain and eyes. (Watch out for procrastinators, though. The piece can't be left indefinitely. : )
Read it aloud.
When students read the words aloud for their ears to hear, they will likely notice the awkward sentences, the repeated words, the places that don't flow. They can make the changes as they find the problems.
Use Post-It Notes.
Students can assess the progress of their paper as they look at five traits: idea development, organization, voice, word choice, and sentence fluency. You can find templates and an explanation here.
Ask for help.
Let them give their draft to someone else for questions and comments, someone who will be honest but gentle.
Hire a mentor.
Pick me. Pick me. : ) You can find out more here.
It is in revision that a student's writing develops and matures. Don't skip it!
Set it aside.
Let students know that, after writing a piece or part of a piece, they can temporarily leave it. When they pick it up again, they will not be as attached to it. Since attachment is what keeps us from seeing our pieces clearly and making the necessary changes, separation is our friend. How long should the separation last? It depends on the time frame. They can leave it for a few hours, overnight, or several days, coming back to it and revising with fresh brain and eyes. (Watch out for procrastinators, though. The piece can't be left indefinitely. : )
Read it aloud.
When students read the words aloud for their ears to hear, they will likely notice the awkward sentences, the repeated words, the places that don't flow. They can make the changes as they find the problems.
Use Post-It Notes.
Students can assess the progress of their paper as they look at five traits: idea development, organization, voice, word choice, and sentence fluency. You can find templates and an explanation here.
Ask for help.
Let them give their draft to someone else for questions and comments, someone who will be honest but gentle.
Hire a mentor.
Pick me. Pick me. : ) You can find out more here.
Editing
Editing, the last step before publishing, focuses on the nitty-gritty, the spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and overall appearance of the piece. Spending time with it earlier in the process is not advisable because anything that is revised needs to be rechecked.
Backwards reading
When your student knows his piece well, it's hard to back away from it and see the mistakes. Reading from the end--the last sentence, then the second to the last sentence, and so forth--to the beginning of the piece will remove the sentences from the flow of meaning, allowing him to recognize mistakes he might otherwise miss.
Change the font.
If the composition is on the computer, your student can give it a new look which will force her to look at it differently. Have her change the font style or size; then read it again, looking for errors in mechanics.
Ask for help.
Let students ask someone with an eye for detail to review the piece.
Don't rely on spell-check.
In a goofy response to a friend, I typed, "Ewe just knead too no eye halve you're back." Spell-check didn't notice anything was amiss.
Backwards reading
When your student knows his piece well, it's hard to back away from it and see the mistakes. Reading from the end--the last sentence, then the second to the last sentence, and so forth--to the beginning of the piece will remove the sentences from the flow of meaning, allowing him to recognize mistakes he might otherwise miss.
Change the font.
If the composition is on the computer, your student can give it a new look which will force her to look at it differently. Have her change the font style or size; then read it again, looking for errors in mechanics.
Ask for help.
Let students ask someone with an eye for detail to review the piece.
Don't rely on spell-check.
In a goofy response to a friend, I typed, "Ewe just knead too no eye halve you're back." Spell-check didn't notice anything was amiss.
Publishing
Pieces and projects that have gone through the full process need to go public, allowing students to share their work with an audience beyond themselves. When we know others will see our final products, we have a greater desire for excellence. Suddenly, the purpose of revising and editing is clear.
A pool of ideas
A pool of ideas
- Write and send a letter to a pen pal, business, author, athlete, musician, public official, newspaper, etc.
- Display finished work in the home--on the coffee table, end table, bookshelf, bulletin board, refrigerator--somewhere that attracts readers to notice and read.
- Arrange with a local office to display student work in the waiting room.
- Take select pieces along when you visit aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
- Host an authors' party (once? monthly? quarterly?), inviting your children's friends to bring their favorite piece to share. Students can be given stage time, reading aloud their piece to the group, or students can swap pieces, reading and enjoying them all privately. You may want to build in time for feedback, either verbal or written, and snacks. : )
- Submit your students' work to the Student Showcase.
- Enter a writing contest.
- Libraries display art from local schools. See if the librarian will do the same with student writing.
- Announce project themes (e.g. biography, poetry, heroes, personal testimonies) to a group of student writers. Collect submissions for inclusion in a group book.
- Start a blog.
- Begin a public speaking club. Invite students to share speeches they have written.
- Design a photo book online with informational or story text and accompanying photos.