Composing is thinking; thinking is composing. One of the best ways to figure what we know is to write about it. Even in the 21st century, with so many new modalities for publication and so many new ways of representing our ideas, humans engage in a process to create meaning.
When humans confront new ideas through new experiences, we engage in a cognitive process in order to make those new experiences meaningful. While all composers do not engage in the same steps in the same sequence, essence within the composition process emerges when composer/ writers work from an experience to a final product through a process of conceptualization, reflection, and renewal. As teachers, we can assist our students --- our co-learners --- to engage in a process workshop through which ideas become meaning.
The outline of the writers’ workshop looks like this:
1. Mini-Lesson (5-10 min.): model how to think of an idea, punctuation, or anything that will help students on their writing; teachers often shares own writing of similar project(s) to that of the students
2. Status of the Class (2-3 min.): students report in on their current step in their writing; teacher records note of progress
3. Writing (20-40 min.) & Conferencing: individual ideas about topics; motivation and innovation; revision and editing; hear works in progress; peer editing
4. Sharing (10 min.)
1. Mini-Lesson (5-10 min.): model how to think of an idea, punctuation, or anything that will help students on their writing; teachers often shares own writing of similar project(s) to that of the students
2. Status of the Class (2-3 min.): students report in on their current step in their writing; teacher records note of progress
3. Writing (20-40 min.) & Conferencing: individual ideas about topics; motivation and innovation; revision and editing; hear works in progress; peer editing
4. Sharing (10 min.)
Teacher's Role in the Writing Process
Prewriting: Provide background experiences so students will have the prerequisite knowledge to write about the topic; allow students to participate in decisions about topic, function, audience, and form; define the writing project clearly; specify how the writing will eventually be assessed; information about writing genre; provides opportunities for students to participate in idea gathering and organizing activities; write a class collaboration with students.
Drafting: Provides support, encouragement, and feedback; emphasize ideas first, then wording; teach students how to draft; encourage students to cycle back to prewriting to gather more ideas or ahead to revise when needed.
Revising: Organize writing groups; teach how to function in writing groups; participates in a writing group as any listener and reactor would; provides feedback about the content of the writing and makes suggestions for revision; insists that students make revisions; encourages students to cycle back to prewriting or drafting when necessary.
Editing: Teach students how to edit with partners; prepare editing checklists for students; assists students in locating and correcting mechanical errors; diagnoses students errors and provides appropriate instruction; corrects remaining errors that students cannot correct; shares.
Publishing: Arranges for genuine audiences for student writing; does not serve only as a judge when receiving student writing; creates celebration session for students’ writing release.
Students’ Roles in the Writing Process
Prewriting: Writes on topics based on own experiences; engages in reversal activities before writing (teacher/ student = co-learner); identify the audience; identify the purpose of the writing activity; choose appropriate genre and modality for their compositions based on audience and purpose.
Drafting: Writes a rough draft; focuses on ideas and voice.
Revising: Shares writing in writing groups; expresses thoughts about areas of confusion; participates constructively in discussions about classmates’ writing; makes changes to reflect the reactions and comments of both teacher and peers. More information about sharing/ revising with adults is available at http://www.cs.wustl.edu/~schmidt/writersworkshop.html
Editing: Proofreads own compositions; helps to proofread peers’ compositions; identifies and corrects own mechanical errors. Tools to assist in editing are available at http://www.teenlit.com/workshop/default.htm
Sharing: publishes own writing in a form appropriate to genre and modality; shares finished writing with an appropriate audience; reviews celebration session response; reflects on final composition as beginning point for next composition.
Foundational theorists of the Writing Process:
Donald Murray, Read to Write
Nanci Atwell, In the Middle
Donald Graves, Lucy Calkins
National Writing Project, where teachers can participate in a Summer Institute and become Fellows
http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource_topic/teaching_writing?gclid=CNqftMPNgZkCFSHyDAodIDmwmg
Resources
Morris, J. “How to start a writers’ workshop.” Teachers.net. Nov. 1, 1998. http://teachers.net/lessonplans/posts/681.html
National Writing Project. www.NWP.org
Schmit, D. “How to hold a writers’ workshop.” September, 2006. http://www.cs.wustl.edu/~schmidt/writersworkshop.html
TeenLit.com. “Writers Workshop.” http://www.teenlit.com/workshop/default.htm
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