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During this stage of writing, students get the opportunity to connect with their audience and share their product (Tomkins, 2012, p. 16).  Noted by Higgens et al. (2006), “Students publish the writing piece in some way, such as making a book or simply typing it on a computer” (p. 312).

References:

Higgins, B., Miller, M., & Wegmann, S. (2006). Teaching to the Test…Not! Balancing Best Practice and Testing Requirements in Writing. The Reading Teacher, 60(4), 310-319. doi:10.1598/rt.60.4.1

Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: balancing process and product. Boston: Pearson.

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During the editing stage of the writing process, teachers can create “Editing Centers,” that are specialized by the different writing conventions (Tomkins, 2012, p. ). As Higgens et al. (2006) states, “Students correct the paper for spelling, punctuation and other writing conventions” (p. 312).

References:

Higgins, B., Miller, M., & Wegmann, S. (2006). Teaching to the Test…Not! Balancing Best Practice and Testing Requirements in Writing. The Reading Teacher, 60(4), 310-319. doi:10.1598/rt.60.4.1

Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: balancing process and product. Boston: Pearson.

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As stated by Tompkins (2012), "The word revision means ‘seeing again,’ and in this stage, writers see their composition again with their classmates and teacher helping them" (p. 9). In addition, Tompkins (2012) goes on to state, “Students add words, substitute sentences, delete paragraphs and move phrases as the make revisions” (p. 11).

References:

Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: balancing process and product. Boston: Pearson.

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This is the stage of the writing process that can really pay off for me as a writer, a teacher and an artist. There is almost nothing more fulfilling than getting the grant for my students, connecting with my peers, or creating something that really resonates with someone. I’ve had my share of rejections or projects that just don’t make a real connection with an audience, but each one of those is a learning experience in itself.

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This is probably my least favorite of all the writing stages, but also the one I need the most! It’s very hard for me to catch errors after the feedback stage. There are little parts of songs that I released years ago that still infuriate me, because they were easily fixed mistakes. I really liked the writing conventions centers idea, and wish there was an adult version. I think I would hang out at the spelling table, but really need to be spending time at the  sentences center.

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This, by far, is the most terrifying and the most rewarding stage of the writing process. Whether I’m working on a grant proposal, a paper, a screenplay or a song -- I send my writing (when I have time) to a group of peers for feedback. It puts me in a vulnerable place, but I try to make it clear that my feelings won’t be hurt, and for them to give me the business. Every time I get feedback, my writing gets clarity and strength.

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It’s been close to a year since I’ve written a script, but my process has always included some kind of drafting. For me, drafting during script writing is almost always exclusively dialogue. Once I get a firm grasp on who the characters are in a scene, and what they want, I find that dumping out dialogue is the best way for me to get my ideas down on the page. In fact, this process seems to be the quickest way for me to get a solid idea of what works and what doesn’t. If the characters don’t start to take on a life of their own and begin to guide me, then I know that re-visiting the prewriting stage would probably be for the best.

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According to Tompkins (2012), "Prewriting is the getting-ready-to-write stage" (p. 8). During this first stage of writing, activities should include settling on a topic, considering the audience or purpose for the writing, and organizing ideas (Tomkins, 2012, p. 6). Also, as Higgens et al. (2006) noted, “new ideas are generated as writers compose, and writers may alter and change the goals they set previously” (p. 312).

References:

Higgins, B., Miller, M., & Wegmann, S. (2006). Teaching to the Test…Not! Balancing Best Practice and Testing Requirements in Writing. The Reading Teacher, 60(4), 310-319. doi:10.1598/rt.60.4.1

Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: balancing process and product. Boston: Pearson.

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The prewriting stage of the writing process is so crucially important to me, especially the idea of considering your audience. I am currently in charge of stocking our Makerspaces with relevant creation tools that elementary students will be able to thrive with. This includes 3D printers and their supplies, lego robotics, and Spheros -- all of them very, very expensive! With no funding in site, I’ve been tasked with securing grant resources, (over the last few years). One thing I have found that is so central to grant writing is that they almost always spell out exactly what they are looking for. If there is an information session, I go to it. If they list their criteria, I use it as an outline. I’ve found it is reasonable and beneficial to have big, adventurous ideas when submitting a proposal, but I try not to lose sight of the audience and their expectations.

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The 5th grade members of the Tech Team collaborated on an anti-bullying video for the annual WCPSS Stand-Up Speak Out contest. They brainstormed, story-boarded and wrote a script. After their first edit, they showed their work to 3 different groups of 5th grade students. The feedback was extremely helpful, and it was especially clear that many students felt the protagonists were being too physical with the bullies. They are excited about re-shooting, or doing a new edit (depending on time). You can see the first version below.

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My son is halfway through the 7th grade, and while he is already years ahead of his peers in math, he tends to freak out or shut down when there is a writing assignment longer than a paragraph. He claims that it stems from some early trauma of bad handwriting punishment from his 3rd grade teacher, but it’s very clear that he gets overwhelmed due to massive disorganization. We have been focusing on the organizational aspect of prewriting, utilizing assignment rubrics, teacher guidance and setting goals. This has been helpful, so that he sees it more like a sculpture that he is slowly revealing by chipping away purposefully at the block of stone -- instead of his own expectation of completing a masterpiece all at once.

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get the EP now at https://gnoer.bandcamp.com/ gnøer

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As Higgens et al. (2006) states, drafting includes when “students write without interruption and without undue attention to correctness or mechanics”(p. 312). This stage can include writing a double-spaced rough draft and crafting engaging opening sentences.  As Tompkins (2012) states, "Students who consider audience as they write will want to grab their readers’ attention by using a variety of techniques, such as asking questions, listing facts, adding dialogue, retelling a brief story and describing a problem" (p. 8).

References:

Higgins, B., Miller, M., & Wegmann, S. (2006). Teaching to the Test…Not! Balancing Best Practice and Testing Requirements in Writing. The Reading Teacher, 60(4), 310-319. doi:10.1598/rt.60.4.1

Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: balancing process and product. Boston: Pearson.

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Publishing and sharing a student creation or product with an intended audience is at the core of Project Based Learning. This year, I teamed up with 4th grade to do an in-depth PBL unit that started with students collecting data on the local animal population and habitat using motion sensitive cameras in the woods behind the school. The students research an animal they found with the cameras, write a collaborative informational google slide deck on the animal, use Tinkercad and our 3D printer to create a wearable animal-themed product, make a commercial promoting their product, and ultimately selling their product to raise money for an animal charity on Science Night. All along the way they are using aspects of the writing process and publishing their findings. This connection to their intended audience (their peers and family as well as the local community) engages the students in such an authentic way. They have the agency to connect with their community and make a real, memorable difference

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I was helping out in the computer lab while a 4th grade class was working on transferring a hand-written short story into Google Docs. The students were still getting used to the little red spelling line and how to utilize its glory. One thing that I think they found very helpful for catching errors was to read the sentence out loud. Does it make sense? What’s missing in your sentence?

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Almost all of the critical thinking that we ask the students of Brentwood to take on is framed by the steps of the Engineering Design Process: Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Improve. I’ve seen teachers use this framework with writing projects, and they tend to tie drafting to the Plan stage. After digging through the readings, I would actually put Ask, Imagine and Plan under the prewriting umbrella, and the Create stage seems to line up with drafting. In the Create stage, students take the information and testing they have gathered and come up with a product. It’s really in the Improve stage do they do their editing and revising -- based on their own self reflection, peer input and input from the community.