Writing as a Process
KAYE PRICE-HAWKINS
CONSULTANT
PRICELESS LITERACY
w w w. p r i c e l e s s l i t e r a c y. h o m e s t e a d . c o m
EFFECTIVE PRACTICES FOR STRENGTHENING
READING THROUGH WRITING
 Have students write about the text they read.
 Respond to a text in writing
 Write summaries of a text
 Write notes about a text
 Answer questions about a text in writing, or create and answer
written questions about a text
 Teach students the writing skills and processes that
go into creating a text.
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Teach the process of writing, text structures for writing ,
paragraph or sentence construction skills
Teach spelling skills
 Increase how much students write.
WRITING TO READ (2010) Carnegie Corp of NY.
WHY INCLUDE READING?
 Read-alouds
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Hearing harder books in order to learn new vocabulary and information
Absorbing grammatical construction (sentences read smoothly provide
examples of complete thoughts)
 Independent reading
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Vocabulary development
Style and grammar
Ideas and idea development
Information
 Discussion
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Extend understanding
Clarify misconceptions
Social interaction and exchange of ideas
Putting thoughts into words
WRITING AS A PROCESS IS RECURSIVE:
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Generating ideas
Choosing an idea
Talking about the idea
Drafting
Revising
Editing
Publishing/celebrating
Include some timed writings
once they have become
confident.
THE READING/WRITING CONNECTION
 Students need to see the connection between reading
and writing.
 Reading is receptive; writing is productive: reciprocal
 Writing skill and reading comprehension predict
academic success.
 Writing is complex:
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Brings right and left brain functions together.
Shapes experience and feeling into something
person can read and understand.
Enhances problem solving and critical thinking
Integrates process, content, and skills
another
CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT
 Classroom is set up as a community of readers and writers
 Predictable writing routine (think, reflect, revise) taught from
first day
 Risk-free work from process to product (celebrate)
 A literate environment
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Student work is prominently displayed
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Writing and reading materials easily accessible
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Anchor charts with word lists that complement the day’s
writing.
WHAT KIND OF WRITING SHOULD WE DO?
 Process to product instruction for a variety of
purposes
 Writing (explore, organize, express ideas) in all
content areas
 Wide range of composing tasks for different
audiences and purposes
 Daily writing
 Partner with home for various writing purposes
TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY
 Teachers as writers to model the writing
process, writing strategies (share aloud)
 Exhibit a positive attitude toward writing
 Gradual release of responsibility:
TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY
TEACH
FOCUS LESSON
TEACH
Modeled Instruction
Shared instruction
I do it–You watch
We do it (together)
Guided Practice
COLLABORATIVE
You do it—I watch/guide
Independent
Practice
INDEPENDENT
You do it alone (reflect)
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY
FOLLOW-UP INSTRUCTION
 Targeted mini-lessons for mastering various skills
and strategies
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Writing knowledge and skills
Conventions (capitalization, usage, punctuation,
spelling)
Sentence structure
 Follow-up instruction is important for all students
as they revise:
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Idea development (a major problem for some students)
Text structure (examples: introductions, body,
conclusions)
CONFERENCING
 Regular student-teacher conferences to:
 Discuss progress
 Establish writing goals
 Talk about completed self-evaluation criteria
 Provide feedback
 Peer conferences to discuss work in progress and
completed papers
 Periodic conferences with families to discuss the
writing program and student progress
REVISION
“We must remind students (with tangible
tools) that the writing process is revision.
Revision isn’t merely the act of making a few
cosmetic changes. Revision is a way of seeing
and then reseeing our words, training our
eyes and ears to recognize what good writing
sounds like, and learning and practicing
strategies that will make a difference in our
writing.”
--Georgia Heard, The Revision Toolbox (2014)
REVISION
 Use a student-friendly method of revising
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Color-coding
Acronyms
Question stems
 Note word choice—avoid:
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Repetition
Generalities
Slang
 Focus on:
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Content
Text organization
Sentence structure
SO WHAT?
2013 – Grade 4 – examples
 Revision is seeing and
then re-seeing our words
and practicing strategies
that make a difference in
our writing.
- Georgia Heard
 STAAR questions
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structured to reflect the
kinds of revision we often
make when writing
sounds like the teacher is
modeling how to revise
Malcolm wants to use a more accurate
word than living in sentence 3. Which
of the following could BEST replace this
word?
Malcolm wants to add another detail to
the fifth paragraph (sentences 18–20).
Which sentence belongs in this paragraph
and could BEST follow sentence 20?
Tyler would like to add the following
detail to the second paragraph (sentences
9–12). Xxxxx xxxx xx xxxx xxxxxx.
Where should Tyler insert this sentence?
Which transition word or phrase could
BEST be added to the beginning of
sentence 23?
STAAR Revision Examples, continued
2013 - Grade 7 – examples:
Nikki needs to establish a more effective
controlling idea in her paper. Which rewrite of
sentence 8 can BEST accomplish this goal?
Nikki would like to add a phrase to the
beginning of sentence 14 to help transition
from the third paragraph (sentences 9–13) to
the fourth paragraph (sentences 14–17).
Which of the following could Nikki add to the
beginning of sentence 14 to achieve this goal?
Justin has used a poor choice of words in
sentence 24. He should change stuff to—
Miles is concerned that there is a
sentence in the third paragraph
(sentences 16–22) that does not add
anything to this paper. Which sentence
should Miles delete from this paragraph?
2013 – EOC I – examples:
Leah would like to provide some strong
evidence to support the ideas she is proposing
in the third paragraph (sentences 10–14).
Read the following quotations and analyze the
information presented in each. Which
quotation would be best to insert after
sentence 13 to add credibility to the ideas in
this paragraph?
Gina did not use an effective transition to help
the reader move from sentence 22 to sentence
23. Which transition word or phrase should
replace In other words?
The meaning of sentence 3 is not clear.
Adam can help clarify what he is trying
to say in this sentence by replacing the
pronoun they with —
EDITING
 Attention to capitalization, usage, punctuation and
spelling should be specifically addressed after the
writer has established his/her ideas.
 Mini-lessons regarding convention problems focus on
areas you have noticed in their papers.
 Small groups experiencing similar problems may be
pulled aside during the day for direct instruction.
 Additional practice may be provided in specific
learning stations.
IS THAT IMPORTANT?
 FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
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What people see first is the outward appearance
(conventions)
A sloppy appearance will deter the reader who will miss the
ideas.
 STAAR QUESTIONS:
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How should sentence x be changed? (spelling (including
homophones), capitalization, punctuation (commas,
apostrophes, period, quotation marks, semi-colons),
adjective/adverb, pronoun, verb tense, or no change)
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What is the correct way to write sentence 13? (meaning
needed to be considered as well as structure)
ASSESSMENT
 Formative assessment
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Use a WIP Rubric or other
standard for grading a work
in progress
Base the assessment on the
application of the day’s minilesson or the completion of
work at a learning station
 STAAR
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Avoid too many benchmarks
Keep instructional time
maximized/focused on the
entire writing process
Judiciously include STAAR:
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 Summative assessment
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Rubric or other predetermined grading scale
may be applied to the final
product
Personal example
Expository (4, 7, 9, and 10)
Personal narrative (4 & 7),
Persuasive (10)
 Writing should have:
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FOCUS
DEVELOPMENT
UNITY
COHERENCE
CORRECTNESS
CREATIVITY (uniquely you)
STAAR Rubric – Score Point 4
Organization/Progression
The organizing structure of the essay is clearly appropriate to the purpose and responsive to the specific demands of the prompt.
The essay is skillfully crafted because the writer uses organizational strategies that are particularly well suited to the expository
task. The writer establishes a clear thesis statement.* All ideas are strongly related to the thesis* and are focused on the topic
specified in the prompt. By sustaining this focus, the writer is able to create an essay that is unified and coherent.
The writer’s progression of ideas is logical and well controlled. Meaningful transitions and strong sentence-to-sentence
connections enhance the flow of the essay by clearly showing the relationships among ideas, making the writer’s train of thought
easy to follow.
Development of Ideas
The development of ideas is effective because the writer uses details and examples that are specific and well chosen, adding
substance to the essay. The essay is thoughtful and engaging. The writer may choose to use his/her unique experiences or view of
the world as a basis for writing or to connect ideas in interesting ways. The writer develops the essay in a manner that
demonstrates a thorough understanding of the expository writing task.
Use of Language/Conventions
The writer’s word choice is purposeful and precise. It reflects a keen awareness of the expository purpose and maintains a tone
appropriate to the task. The word choice strongly contributes to the quality and clarity of the essay. Sentences are purposeful,
varied, and well controlled, enhancing the effectiveness of the essay.
The writer demonstrates a consistent command of sentence boundaries and spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and
usage conventions. Although minor errors may be evident, they do not detract from the fluency of the writing or the clarity of the
essay. The overall strength of the conventions contributes to the effectiveness of the essay.
* 4th grade- central idea; 7th grade- controlling idea
Texas Education Agency Student Assessment Division April 2013
Some of My Favorite Sources:
Jeff Anderson
Georgia Heard
Ralph Fletcher
Gretchen Bernabei
Kelley Gallagher
Harry Noden
Carol Jago
Joyce A. Carroll