The Writing Process

Presenters:
 Participants will…
• KNOW
– Five steps of the writing process
– How to use the writing process for
descriptive, narrative, persuasive and
informational composition (content
areas)
– How to use classroom
assessment for learning
to improve writing
 Participants will…
• DO
– Define the components of the writing process
– Participate in prewriting, drafting , revising and
editing strategies
– View applications of the
writing process with Thinkfinity
– Assess writing using rubrics
– Create a writing lesson for the
content area classroom
 Essential Questions
• Why write?
• Why do effective writers use the five-step
writing process?
• How does using the writing process help with
descriptive, narrative, persuasive and
informational writing in all grade levels and
across all disciplines?
• How does assessment drive better student
writing?
A Process…

an
d
 SEEPS STRATEGY

• Statement
• Explanation/Example
• Elaboration
• Personal Tidbit (Specific Detail)
• So…
• “I like to go to school because it is fun.”
 
• “I like to go to school because it is fun when the teacher allows us to do experiments with
frogs.”
 
• “I like to go to school because it is fun when the teacher allows us to do experiments with
frogs. We learned what kind of foods frogs like to eat by offering them flies, worms and
seeds. We observed the frogs during the morning and afternoon to determine when they
were more active. We also compared frogs to other amphibians to see what
characteristics they share.”
 
• “I like to go to school because it is fun when the teacher allows us to do experiments with
frogs instead of just reading about them in books. We learned what kinds of foods frogs
like to eat by offering them flies, worms, and seeds and observed them during different
hours to determine when they were more active.”
 
• “I like to go to school because it is fun when the teacher allows us to do experiments with
frogs instead of just reading about them in books. We learned what kind of foods frogs
like to eat by offering them flies, worms, and seeds and observed them during different
hours to determine when they were more active. Experiments allow us to have the fun of
discovering for ourselves how far and fast these slimy creatures can jump and what
kinds of foods they like to eat.”
 You Try It!
Language Arts teachers each need an
assistant to help with grading. In a typical
teacher’s day, she has so much work.
Think about grading one paper. If I have all
my students write one paper and it takes
me 5 minutes to grade each one, it will
take just over 9 hours to grade those
papers. An assistant will solve this
problem.
 CUPS
• C - Capitalization
• U - Usage
• P - Punctuation
• S - Spelling
How do content area teachers
use the writing process?

• http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/17/g68/noaashipwrecks2.
html
In effective learning environments,
assessment and instruction are
inexorably linked (Spandel &
Stiggins, 1990, p. ix).
 Role
RAFT Audience Format Topic

Role
Audience
constituent governor letter State
taxes

Format parent Board of

Education
complaint No Child Left
Behind

Topic 21st
Century James Madison
Thank-you
note The
American Constitution
 RAFT WRITING FRAMEWORKS

Science Geography

Role: A planet Role: A landform (e.g. canyon)

Audience: Readers of personal Audience: A star
advertisements Format: A journal entry
Format: Personal advertisement Topic: How landforms are
Topic: Description of self created and changed

Physical Education Mathematics

Role: A piece of sports Role: A unit of measurement

equipment Audience: An ant
Audience: An alien from space Format: A poem
Format: Rules of the game Topic: The uses of a specific unit
Topic: Your role in the game of measurement
Taken from: Improving Writing (2000), pg. 74, Susan Davis Lenski,
Jerry L. Johns, Kendall/Hunt Publishing, Dubuque, Iowa.
 RAFT Assignment Assessment and Feedback
Rubric
Assignment Traits
• Accuracy
How correct is your information? Is it fully 5 4 3 2 1
supported by the text and/or history?

• Perspective
Do you stay in role? How effective are you at 5 4 3 2 1
performing your role and convincing audience?

• Focus
Do you stay in assigned format? Do you fully 5 4 3 2 1
satisfy the chosen topic with numerous details
and examples?

• Mechanics
Does your writing contain a minimal of mechanical 5 4 3 2 1
errors? Does your writing contain no errors as your
grammar goals?
Assessment Guide: 5 = Exceptional
4 = Effective
3 = Developing
  2 = Emerging
1 = Not Yet
 Writing Rubrics
• http://school.discoveryeducation.com/
schrockguide/assess.html

• http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

• http://www.rubrics.com/
best_practices_rubric_design.html
 RAFT Assignment

Tell students that they have just left college and have landed their
first job with the National Marine Sanctuary Program. It is their job to
convince others that the shipwreck they evaluated in the Thunder
Bay National Marine Sanctuary should become a national landmark
and national monument due to its historical and cultural significance.
In the persuasive argument, students should not only refer to the
National Park Service criteria, but also to #12 and #18 on the
Frequently Asked Questions webpage to highlight the benefits, both
to the vessel and to the public, of designation. Also, students should
include information about why shipwrecks are historically significant
and what people can learn by preserving them. Students will create
essays to present their ideas. Remind students to keep the criteria in
mind. Also, remind students that they are trying to persuade the
selection committee to select that particular shipwreck.
 Conferencing
• Peer conferences
• Teacher/student conferences
• Parent/student conferences
 Focused Feedback -
PQP
• P - Praise
• Q - Question
• P - Polish
 Writing in Your Content
Area
• Design a process writing lesson for
use in your content area.
• Use the Understanding by Design
lesson template.
• Participants may work in groups of 3
or fewer.
• Share your plan.
Reflection

1. How can you use process writing in your

classroom to help students improve as writers?

2. How can you use assessment to help students

take ownership of writing?

3. How can using process writing increase student

learning in your classroom?