The Writing Process

In our classroom, writing is viewed as a process, not just a product. We understand that words do not just appear on the paper in final draft form. We must progress through many stages to achieve our best quality writing. The stages of the writing process are:

1. Rehearsal – Rehearsal is prewriting. At this stage, the students will brainstorm to pick a topic. They may also create a story web to map out ideas, discuss their topic with peers, or conference with the teacher to decide on a main focus for their writing.
2. Drafting – Drafting is when the writers put their ideas and thoughts down on paper. During this stage, ideas and content are the number one goal; we will worry about spelling and grammar later. We focus on flow and letting our ideas come out on the paper.
3. Revision – Revision involves adding, deleting, or moving information to the piece of writing. When students revise, they look at the overall content of their piece of writing. They ask themselves questions like:
“What unnecessary information can be removed?”
“How can I add more supporting details?”
“Does this paragraph need to be put at the beginning of my piece?”
Students will reflect on their own writing and ask each other for suggestions on what to revise. I encourage them to first revise their writing before coming to me for a conference.
4. Editing – Unlike revising, editing focuses on conventions such as spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Editing is done by the students, their peers, and the teacher.
5. Publishing – Our final step is publishing. This stage is all about preparing the writing to be suitable to share with others. A final product is created, whether it be a stapled book, brochure, part of a class book, or a paper displayed on the bulletin board. Once students have published their writing, they have the opportunity to sit in our “author’s chair” and share it with the class.