I know that poster you got from the teacher supply store ten years ago (before it too went the way of the Blockbuster) has the writing process formatted as a numbered list. However, the writing process is inherently recursive. It’s a generalized process of common steps that authors take while writing. Rather than rigid marching orders, writers move between stages as needed based on the purpose of their writing. Think break dancing instead of a waltz.
Prewriting
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of outlines and graphic organizers. However, this isn’t the only way to get students brainstorming. Simply modeling a think-aloud, letting them share their ideas, sketching, jotting, or even looking through real books for inspiration can all accomplish the prewriting step. It’s best not to belabor it.
Drafting
Most writing won’t go any further than this. Students should be writing far more than we could ever grade, so release yourself from the pressure of putting your eyes on everything students write. I recommend having students write drafts to several different prompts before choosing which one they want to take forward through the rest of the process.
Revising
Add to and change the content. This is a great time to do some really short mini-lessons, identifying a specific move an author made in your mentor text and inviting students to try it out in their writing. Lots of sharing should be happening during this phase, and students will transition between steps 1-4 naturally.
Editing
Pro tip: Have your class stand around the perimeter of the room, facing the wall, with paper and pencil in hand. Tell them to quietly read their paper out loud, fixing errors as they find them.
Stop teaching kids that correctness is the most critical factor in their writing. Grammar and mechanics are just polite cues to help your reader understand your ideas. These cues are important, but only because we have ideas worth sharing and we want other people to understand them. Also, it’s long been proven that the skills on grammar worksheets don’t transfer into student writing, so stop wasting your time. Give authentic grammar practice by having them fix the mistakes in their own writing.
Publishing
Giving students an authentic purpose and audience for writing is a surefire way to increase their motivation and engagement. Sometimes the audience will be you and the purpose will be for a grade, but mix it up as often as possible. Create a class book and put it in the school library. Start a class blog. Find penpals. Adopt a class in a younger grade. Write the principal. Write the mayor. Write the cafeteria ladies.
Instead of trying to force these moves on students in order and according to your timeline, allow students to figure out what works for them. Some students won’t be able to move on from a sentence until it is edited correctly. Some of us are messy and need ideas to spill all over the page before we can organize them. The whole point of writing is to share ideas that matter, and the craft of teaching lies in nurturing each student as they prepare to share their voices with the world.
See the entire series on writing:
These resources are for opinion/argument and informative/explanatory writing, geared towards grades 3-8.
- 5 Types of Writing on the Mississippi State Test
- ChatGPT? Might as Well
- 18 Hook Ideas with Mentor Text
- Writing Introductory Paragraphs
- Writing Body Paragraphs
- Choosing the Best Evidence
- Revising
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One response to “The Writing Process Explained in Memes”
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Hilarious! Love the memes! This is such a crucial point to know – to develop a love for writing, students need to do LOTS of it before they come up with a beautiful final draft.
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