WRITING PROCESS
Writing Process DRAFT
Level
Grade-Specific Alignment
Based on CCSS’s Levels of
Proficiency
Generating Ideas
DRAFT
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
September of Kindergarten
January of Kindergarten
June of Kindergarten
September of 1st Grade
June of 1st Grade
September of 2nd Grade
 A child at this stage can
 The writer at this stage
 A child at this level can
recall a topic or event and
draw pictures to show
that event. With
prompting, a child can
say more about the
topic/event.
independently recall a
topic/event and tell a
little more about it
before drawing and
labeling to show the
event through writing. A
writer at this level uses
both words and pictures.
 The writer is already
starting to come with
ideas to write about and
sees life as a source of
ideas.
.
 A writer at this level
has a small repertoire of
comes to workshop
strategies to generate
with ideas, has
ideas. The writer knows
territories and has a
she can look to charts for
wide repertoire of
visual reminders of
strategies if needed.
learned strategies.
 A writer at this level is
 The writer is starting to
be able to storytell one
event to a partner in a
sequential way in order
to write.
 The writer comes with
ideas to write about and
is starting to develop
topics or territories about
which she feels drawn to
write.
starting to move away
from coming up with an
event to write about to
considering “what do I
really want to write
about?” She may offer
several ideas but stop
and consider which one
she really wants to tell.
.
WRITING PROCESS
DRAFT
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
September of Kindergarten
January of Kindergarten
June of Kindergarten
September of 1st Grade
June of 1st Grade
September of 2nd Grade
Drafting
 A writer at this level may
(Fluency/Volume/Stamina)
start and complete a new
piece in writing in ten
minutes. He is starting to
learn that when he is
done, he begins the
process anew.
 The writer works in
booklets that are perhaps
3 pages each and
produces 1 to 2 pages of
work each day.
 With support, he can
remain engaged in work
for twenty minutes.
 Writers produce at least
 Writers produce at least
 Writers produce at least
Level
Grade-Specific Alignment
Based on CCSS’s Levels of
Proficiency
3 or more pages of
drawing and writing per
day. A writer at this level
has moved from writing
single pages to using
booklets with perhaps
three pages with three or
more lines each. The
child is writing sentences
each day. With
reminders and
redirection, students can
focus on their work for
at least thirty minutes.
three pages per day, with
at least one to three
sentences per page
(between three to six
sentences a day). In a
week they might
produce three to five
booklets. With
reminders and
redirection, they can
remain focused on
writing work for about
thirty to thirty-five
minutes.
four to five pages of
writing per day, with
three or more sentences
per page (between 12-15
sentences a day). They
remain involved in
talking about, drawing,
and writing their books
for forty minutes.
WRITING PROCESS
Level
Grade-Specific Alignment
Based on CCSS’s Levels of
Proficiency
Revision
DRAFT
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
September of Kindergarten
January of Kindergarten
June of Kindergarten
September of 1st Grade
June of 1st Grade
September of 2nd Grade
 With support, writers can
go back and tell new
details about the
event/topic. They can
point to their pictures,
add on to the pictures,
and perhaps label.
 When nudged, writers
reread their work and
revise by adding to
picture, making new
pictures and sentences,
and adding labels.
 When nudged, writers
 A writer at this stage
revise their work by
“stretching” out a
picture, that is, drawing
more pictures to show
parts of the event and
then writing sentences to
stretch out the story. The
writer may also add
more sentences (between
three to six sentences to
the book).
 A writer at this stage is
also starting to learn that
revision can help focus a
piece and may begin to
take off parts.
has a small repertoire of
revision strategies (add
more dialogue, take
away parts, add more
details, stretch out the
most important part, etc.)
She knows to use a chart
for visual reminders of
learned strategies.
 A writer at this stage
knows that there are
predictable places which
are important to revise
(e.g. the beginning, the
climax, etc.)
 The writer begins to
revise with more
purpose, considering
craft and the effect
different craft choices
have on the way a
story sounds to a
reader.
WRITING PROCESS
Level
Grade-Specific Alignment
Based on CCSS’s Levels of
Proficiency
Editing
*Language usage
expectations are based on
Common Core State
Standards
DRAFT
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
September of Kindergarten
January of Kindergarten
June of Kindergarten
September of 1st Grade
June of 1st Grade
September of 2nd Grade
 At this level, the child
may edit by making his
picture(s) more
representational. He
may also add some
letters.
 When nudged, writers
look back at their writing
and add letters to capture
more of the sounds they
hear.
 Writers use high
frequency words and
check that these are
spelled correctly.
 When nudged, writers
 Writers reread their work
reread their work and are
and are able to find a few
able to find a few of
of their mistakes in
their mistakes and make
capitalization, ending
attempts at correcting
punctuation, and
these mistakes.
spelling. They will use
available resources (e.g.
 Students at this level will
word walls) to correct
check to be sure they
some of these mistakes.
have capitalized the first
word in a sentence and
 The Common Core
the pronoun “I”
expects that students at
this level will correctly
 Students at this level can
capitalize dates and
name ending punctuation
names of people, will
and may check that they
use end punctuation in
have included end
sentences and use
punctuation.
commas in dates and to
 A child may start to
separate single words in
check that she has
a series.
capitalized dates and
 Students will begin to
names of people and
edit to make sure they
used commas in dates
have correctly
and to separate single
capitalized proper nouns
words in a series.
and used apostrophes
when writing
contractions and
frequently occurring
possessives.
WRITING PROCESS
Level
Grade-Specific Alignment
Based on CCSS’s Levels of
Proficiency
Generating Ideas
DRAFT
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
June of 2nd Grade
September of 3rd Grade
June of 3rd Grade
September of 4th Grade
June of 4th Grade
September of 5th Grade
June of 5th Grade
September of 6th Grade
 When asked to generate
 A child at this stage
 When asked to generate
 A child at this level
ideas, a child at this level
will already have come
prepared with a list of
ideas in mind that are
focused and show
knowledge of the
conventions of a genre.
 The student can also
independently recall a
repertoire of strategies
learned, choose one and
apply it quickly. She will
take five minutes to
brainstorm a couple of
ideas using a strategy
before choosing one and
starting to write long
about it. Her notebook
will reflect a wide
variety of strategies
used.
comes to workshop with
plans for what pieces she
wants to write.
 If needed, a child at this
level can recall strategies
learned and quickly (no
more than five minutes)
jot and sift through in
her mind what ideas she
has that would make for
significant and powerful
entries. She has a
repertoire of strategies to
generate ideas and
knows she can reference
charts to find strategies.
 More importantly, at this
level she will choose her
ideas and strategies
purposefully, knowing
that the goal is to choose
ideas that will allow her
to write well with
significance and power.
Her notebook will reflect
a growing sense that the
writing done has been
designed from the start
to be significant.
ideas, a child at this
stage comes with ideas,
knows and utilizes a
wide repertoire of
previously learned
strategies, and has a
sense of which strategies
are most effective for her
as a writer.
 At this level a writer is
starting to be able to
generate ideas for
writing from writing.
She reflects on her
writing and writes about
the underlying ideas and
uses this writing as
springboard to do more
around these ideas. Her
notebook shows
evidence of reflection
entries and writing done
from this work.
 A writer at this level also
is starting to generate
ideas through thinking
about the writing of
others. She may say, “I
want to write a short
story about my family
continues to come with
ideas and plans for pieces
and can use a wide
repertoire of strategies
effectively, if necessary.
 In addition to being able
to generate ideas for
writing quickly, the
writer shows a
willingness to grapple
with one idea across
multiple entries. The
writer is willing to write
and rewrite about the
ideas. The writer is
generating abstract
entries that are both
about larger, more
complex ideas as well as
writing entries that show
the idea concretely in
more precise details. The
writer can shift between
writing these types of
entries.
WRITING PROCESS
DRAFT
 This writer is starting to
carry her notebook
around with her to be
able to catch ideas at all
times.
the way James Howe did
in “Everything Will Be
Okay” or “I really loved
how Christine wrote
about the last time she
saw her friend before he
moved. That gave me an
idea.”
 This writer is prepared to
find ideas in life and
carries her notebook. She
can be found jotting
ideas down quickly or
stopping to tell a friend a
new piece she wants to
try in workshop. She
sees true ideas and
potential for writing all
around her.
WRITING PROCESS
Level
Grade-Specific Alignment
Based on CCSS’s Levels of
Proficiency
DRAFT
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
June of 2nd Grade
September of 3rd Grade
June of 3rd Grade
September of 4th Grade
June of 4th Grade
September of 5th Grade
June of 5th Grade
September of 6th Grade
Drafting
 The child at this level
(Fluency/Volume/Stamina)
produces a page or more
of writing each day, the
amount that would fill a
piece of notebook paper.
She writes an entry or
two in class each day,
each a page or more in
length and an additional
entry at home. She can
remain engaged for fifty
minutes.
 The child at this level
 The child at this level
 At this level, the child
writes in a notebook,
producing a page or
more of writing each
day. She writes one or
two entries a day in
class, each a page and a
half in length and an
additional entry at home.
She understands that she
can write fast and
furiously, filling up a
page in ten minutes
before moving on to the
next page. The child can
remained engaged in a
writing project for sixty
minutes.
 The child at this level is
starting to show
initiative in his own
writing life, working
longer on a project
(independent or unitbased) for larger portions
of time than required.
writes fast and furiously
each time he writes,
producing two pages a
day in school, 10 pages a
week or more in total
and the same amount at
home. He can remain
engaged for sixty
minutes.
 The child at this level
shows initiative in his
own writing life,
working longer on a
project (independent or
unit-based) for larger
portions of time than
required.
meets all of the
expectations for Level 7
and can sit and type three
pages in a single sitting.
The child can remain
engaged in a writing
project which can
include talking, planning,
drafting for sixty
minutes.
 Children at this level
continue to show great
initiative in their writing
lives and work on both
independent and unitbased projects for larger
periods of time than
required.
WRITING PROCESS
Level
Grade-Specific Alignment
Based on CCSS’s Levels of
Proficiency
Revision
DRAFT
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
June of 2nd Grade
September of 3rd Grade
June of 3rd Grade
September of 4th Grade
June of 4th Grade
September of 5th Grade
June of 5th Grade
September of 6th Grade
 A child at this level will
write an entirely new
draft of a story. In
previous levels, the child
may have written
changes onto an original
draft and published that
and now she is ready to
make significant large
scale changes and then
write a second draft
outside of the notebook.
She knows a small
repertoire of revision
strategies and that there
are key ways in which
revision can always pay
off (i.e. revising
beginning, ending, key
parts, rethinking
audience, topic, etc.).
Her new draft does not
just feel like a reworked
version of the first but
rather shows significant
large scale change. She
knows to begin working
on a new piece
immediately after
“finishing” one.
 The child at this level
can take one piece
through a sequence of
drafts, each feeling
entirely new and
benefitting from largescale changes. Students
at this level have
multiple revision
strategies. They “write
until the water runs
clear” and know that
more rewriting will lead
to better writing. The
child also understands
that revisions bring out
the significance of the
piece.
 The writer is starting to
not wait until revision to
make a piece stronger
but considers this while
drafting.
 At this level, children
have an internalized
sense that yesterday’s
revision strategies
become today’s drafting
work and they bring all
they know about revision
into the initial drafting of
their stories. Their
revision is large scale
and targeted and they
have multiple strategies
to draw from. Children
at this level begin to look
closely and critically at
mentor texts during this
stage of revision and ask
themselves what the
author did that they can
try.
 At this level, children
revise not only drafts but
also entries, choosing to
find ways to ratchet up
their own work using
strategies they have
learned, mentor texts,
and talks with partners.
Rather than following
strategies to revise key
places, a student at this
level might instead or
also read through a piece
searching for places
where the writing feels
stronger or weaker and
marking and rewriting
those over and over.
 A student at this level
might also start to revise
by experimenting with
craft to bring out
significance. For
example, a writer might
not just rewrite her lead
starting with dialogue,
description, etc. but
rather look more closely
at varying sentence
lengths, word choice,
punctuation moves, etc.
WRITING PROCESS
Level
Grade-Specific Alignment
Based on CCSS’s Levels of
Proficiency
Editing
*Language usage
expectations are based on
Common Core State
Standards
*Students at the end of
fourth grade are expected
to write with “gradeappropriate” words spelled
correctly.
DRAFT
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
June of 2nd Grade
September of 3rd Grade
June of 3rd Grade
September of 4th Grade
June of 4th Grade
September of 5th Grade
June of 5th Grade
September of 6th Grade
 The child at this level
 The child at this level
 The child at this level
edits work for spelling,
punctuation and
language usage.
 She knows to draft
correctly capitalizing
proper nouns, using
apostrophes for
contractions and
possessives and
employing correct end
punctuation. These are
all checked when editing
but the child has most
often already used the
correct forms of these
when writing.
 She will begin to edit for
correct comma usage in
dialogue and addresses
as well as correct
quotation mark usage in
dialogue, and correct
capitalization of titles.
 She will know to use
available resources
(word walls, high
frequency words, etc.) to
edit for and correct
misspelled words.
knows to draft using
correct capitalization,
comma usage (series,
addresses, dialogue) and
quotation marks for
dialogue. These are all
checked when editing
but the child has most
often already used the
correct forms of these
when writing.
 She will begin to check
that she has used
quotation marks in direct
quotes, commas before a
coordinating conjunction
in a compound sentence
and that she has
identified and fixed
sentence fragments
and/or run-ons.
 She uses available
resources to check
spelling but relies on
knowledge of spelling
patterns to spell gradeappropriate words
correctly when drafting.
knows that yesterday’s
does not wait for the
editing work is part of
editing phase of the
today’s drafting and has
process to ensure that
accumulated what has
she is using correct
been in taught in
spelling, punctuation
language usage to write
and grammar. She
with correct
spells correctly when
capitalization, end
writing. .
punctuation, quotation
 This writer has a strong
marks, commas, and in
grasp of the commands
complete sentences.
of language and is
 She will begin to check
starting to see that
for incorrect shifts in
language is the writer’s
verb tense and that she
tool. At this level she is
has used punctuation to
starting to see that
separate items in a series.
editing is also about
She will also begin to
considering the tone and
more closely check her
cadence of a piece and
use of commas. She will
she may start to vary
check that she has
sentence lengths to create
underlined, used
a desired rhythm or to
quotation marks, or
affect meaning for the
italics to indicate titles of
reader.
works.
 At this level, this writer
will spell gradeappropriate words
correctly when drafting,
consulting references as
needed.
 The child at this level
WRITING PROCESS
Level
Grade-Specific Alignment
Based on CCSS’s Levels of
Proficiency
Generating Ideas
DRAFT
Level 9
June of 6th Grade
September of 7th Grade
 A child at this level
comes with ideas, a clear
repertoire of strategies to
draw on and knows
which pay off the most
for him as a writer. He
lives like a writer-coming to the workshop
with ideas in mind,
letting writing lead him
to new work, working on
an unfinished entry from
the day before, reflecting
on writing and
generating more, etc.
 Much of his generating
of entries is around
larger ideas which are
growing more
complicated as he writes.
He is starting to write to
discover larger truths
about himself. He is also
noticing themes which
resonate through many
of his pieces and
realizing who he wants
to convey his ideas to
and in what form.
Level 10
Level 11
June of 7th Grade
June of 8th Grade
th
September of 8 Grade
 When asked to generate
 When asked to generate
ideas, writers will already
ideas, writers have
have ideas and also have a
strategies to lean on and
repertoire of strategies to
they have ideas that they
lean on and they will
are exploring and
know which strategies
considering. When given
work best for them. They
a task they immediately
will also generate writing
can construct an idea
through digging—having
which is well-suited and
larger ideas, writing
powerful but more
entries, listing and blurb
importantly they have
writing to generate more
work they want to do and
and more entries, writing
writing that they want to
several in a day, that work
put out. They see
to capture the truth the
significance in ordinary
writer intends.
moments, want to capture
larger truths about
 The writer is grappling
themselves and the
with writing to express
world, write to discover
complex ideas about
new ideas, and create
himself and about the
change, and reflect often
world and is developing a
on their writing and
critical and activist stance,
themselves as writers to
creating writing for
generate new ideas for
multiple purposes, shifting
writing.
ideas and forms to fit the
purpose.
Level 12
WRITING PROCESS
DRAFT
Level 9
Level 10
Level
Grade-Specific Alignment
Based on CCSS’s Levels of
June of 6th Grade
June of 7th Grade
th
Proficiency
September of 7 Grade
September of 8th Grade
Drafting
 By Level 9, the child’s
 A child can remain
(Fluency/Volume/Stamina)
fluency, volume, and
engaged in a writing
stamina are intertwined
project for over ninety
with his purpose. He can
minutes. At this level the
sit and type three pages
child sits often for large
in a single sitting and can
blocks of time to work on
remain engaged for
a project, letting the
ninety minutes. Children
project determine the time
at this level show great
required, however far over
initiative in their writing
the expectations.
lives and work on both
independent and unitbased projects for larger
periods of time than
required.
Level 11
June of 8th Grade
 The child at this level has
a clear writing life. The
child at this level remains
engaged in writing
projects for however long
is necessary/desired.
With short breaks, he will
sit for long chunks of
time to reach his goals.
His time is well-spent
and he knows what he
wants to accomplish. At
this point the quality of
his work is just as or
more important to him
than the quantity. He can
sit and work for several
hours, producing multiple
typed pages.
Level 12
WRITING PROCESS
Level
Grade-Specific Alignment
Based on CCSS’s Levels of
Proficiency
Revision
DRAFT
Level 9
Level 10
Level 11
June of 6th Grade
September of 7th Grade
 At this level, the child
takes on all of the
revision work done at the
previous level and also
begins to show that
revision for him is not
just about one piece but
growing stronger as a
writer in general. He can
identify places where his
writing is stronger and
weaker in a single piece
but also looks to find
patterns of how to use
the revision work done
today to get stronger as a
writer in general. He
might say “The ending
didn’t feel right to me in
this piece. I have to work
on figuring out how to
end my pieces more
strongly.” He might
choose to talk with a
partner or read a mentor
text to help himself.
June of 7th Grade
September of 8th Grade
 At this level a child
revises based on a piece
and his knowledge of
himself as a writer and
looks eagerly for critique
from others to grow. He
will be open to and will
seek out trusted eyes on a
piece, using what others
tell him about his work to
grow stronger in his own
ability to identify places
where rewriting would
help.
June of 8th Grade
 At this level, the child
has a clear writing
identity which includes
knowing how revision
best fits into the process
for him. He may revise as
he goes or wait until he is
finished but, he revises
deeply and thoroughly,
relying on strategies
learned but also his own
innate sense of when the
writing feels weaker to
him. He has ways of
tackling revising that
show that he understands
his own strengths and
challenges as a writer.
For example, he might
decide to read
professional literature for
writers saying—“I have
trouble with maintaining
conflict so I’m reading
The Plot Thickens.” He
knows his own
predictable patterns and
wants to use revision as a
way to outgrow himself
so that his next initial
draft will be eons above
his last published piece.
Level 12
WRITING PROCESS
Level
Grade-Specific Alignment
Based on CCSS’s Levels of
Proficiency
Editing
*Language usage
expectations are based on
Common Core State
Standards
DRAFT
Level 9
Level 10
Level 11
June of 6th Grade
September of 7th Grade
 The child at this level
has a strong command of
language and uses
correct spelling. He does
June of 7th Grade
September of 8th Grade
 The child at this level has
a strong command of
language and uses correct
spelling. He does not
June of 8th Grade
not wait for the editing
phase of the process to
ensure that he is using
correct spelling,
punctuation and
grammar.
wait for the editing
phase of the process to
ensure that he is using
correct spelling,
punctuation and
grammar.
 He uses correct
 The writer recognizes the
capitalization, end
punctuation, quotation
marks, and writes in
complete sentences. He
maintains correct verb
tense. He uses correct
pronouns, checks and
corrects inappropriate or
vague pronouns, etc.
 The writer is starting to
recognize the value of
being precise and
concise and recognizes
and eliminates wordiness
and redundancy
 This writer has a strong
grasp of the commands
of language and
recognizes that language
is the writer’s tool. At
value of being precise and
concise and recognizes
and eliminates wordiness
and redundancy
 This writer has a strong
grasp of the commands of
language and recognizes
that language is the
writer’s tool. At this level
she sees that editing is
also about considering the
tone and cadence of a
piece. This writer varies
sentence length to affect
meaning and tone. The
writer is starting to play
with using verbs in the
active/passive voice and
conditional/subjunctive
mood to achieve certain
 The writer at this level
has control over language
and makes decisions to
suit his purpose as well
as the conventions of the
type of piece he is
creating. He may choose
to “break” grammar rules
for desired effect and can
easily and readily explain
his choices. He reads and
gathers ideas for how to
play with punctuation,
word choice, grammar,
etc. in order to create a
desired effect.
 He has developed an
editing process which
works for him (write edit
a few pages at a time
quickly/write whole
projects quickly and do
large scale editing later,
etc.). In any case, this
writer’s pieces are
eminently readable with
little to no errors and
with a unique voice that
grows from the choices
the writer has made.
 The writer is beginning
to consult style
Level 12
WRITING PROCESS
DRAFT
this level she recognizes
that editing is also about
considering the tone and
cadence of a piece. This
writer varies sentence
length to affect meaning
and tone and recognizes
and emulates the way
other writers use
language. The writer can
explain why she has
made a language choice
and the effect she
believes she has created
for her reader.
desired effects.
 The writer at this level.
recognizes and emulates
the way other writers use
language. The writer can
explain why he has made
a language choice and the
effect he believes he has
created for his reader.
guidelines such as the
MLA Handbook or
Turabian’s Manual so
that work conforms to
the appropriate
discipline and writing
type.