Writing, Writing Classrooms

Today I asked my younger sister about the writing process. She looked at me and said: “ you grab a writing utensil. You use that writing utensil to make shapes on paper. And hope someone else can read those shapes. And then you proofread.”
While this seems a bit comical to those of us ‘later in the writing game,’ back when we were first learning it certainly didn't ever feel that way. We have gotten to the point where we can comfortably sit down and crank something out- depending on our content. Whether or not it is a good thing could be further questioned, but generally we are able to get something down on paper (or on the computer).

For someone who is learning to write, (or perhaps learning to write well) there are five stages to be considered. Call them what you will, it is the actual process involved that is important. The combined five are found within an activity that is found in schools sometimes titled “writers workshop” that encourages students to take the writing process one step at a time. With practice, I think some of the steps can be consolidated a little bit, but I feel the whole activity necessary for a strong finished product. Below I will go into detail about the general process, and reference the concepts from Sharon Creech’s Love That Dog and Mara Casey and Stephen Hemenway’s Structure and Freedom: Achieving a Balanced Writing Curriculum.
The Five Stages of the Writing Process


1. Pre-Writing The prewriting stage is the brainstorming stage. It is when the students think about their goals for their writing, and the ideas that they want to get down. Ideas can be organized at this stage, and an outline for what they want to write is developed. The purpose of the writing is also identified. In Love That Dog, the pre writing stage is when Jack (the author) is getting his initial thoughts down on paper, and is playing with (and fighting with) his teachers instructions.
2. Drafting. The processes where by students get their thoughts that they have created in the pre-writing stages into the beginnings of their published works. The focus on this stage is getting thoughts down on paper, rather than grammar. In Structure and Freedom, the author goes mentions that the students draft as well as revise, edit and conference with each other on how to improve their work, as one draft is not enough to produce quality work.
3. Revising. Revising can occur when students share their work with others, and then take this feedback into consideration. They may or may not choose to make changes to their work as a result of the feedback they have received, although between the first and last draft there should be several changes. In Structure and Freedom, it is discussed how students talked about their work, and then made changes to their work to improve upon the strengths of their work, as well as strengthen up the weaker areas.
4. Editing. Editing is when students proofread their own work for grammatical mistakes or other mechanical errors. This seems to be a big part of the writing process that is retained in the educational system. We have placed an emphasis on the ‘mechanical errors,’ such that students pay heavy attention to them. This is noted in Structure and freedom, that students recognize that their teachers pay heavy attention to this area, perhaps more than others such as the drafting process.
5. Publishing. Publishing is an important part of the writing process. It can happen in the classroom, the school community, or the community at large. It can be published by itself, sent to a newspaper or community group. In Love That Dog, Jack’s work is shared with the poet that inspired his work, as well as with the rest of the school community by having it put up on the board on coloured paper. By sharing work with others, it encourages students to do work well, and keeps it authentic.


To build off of the idea of the writing process, it is also necessary to think of the atmosphere of an engaging writing classroom. Students need to be in a location that facilitates a comfortable working environment that facilitates reading and writing. There are a variety of ways to do this, but I feel like it is important to highlight a few key examples.
Firstly, having a place to display published student work is important. This must be updated regularly, so that the work doesn’t become just part of the scenery but read by students and visitors to the classroom. In Love That Dog, Jack’s work is put up on the wall for the class and visitors for the class to read and think about.
Another method of creating an effectively engaging classroom is to have examples of well-written work for students to look at and think about. It can be posted on the wall, on the board, or given to students to think about. Miss Stretchberry (Jack’s teacher) gives Jack’s class examples of poetry that fit her lesson.
Lastly, having an opportunity or location for students to conference and peer review each other’s work comfortably can be very helpful for students. This might be a quiet area away from the main hubbub of the room such as a quiet corner with desks or special chairs. This can encourage students to take that extra moment to do a review, but also to feel comfortable and supported while they are doing it.

For myself as a pre-service teacher, I am going to keep a few things in mind when developing and maintaining an effective and balanced writing classroom. I need to make certain that I do not limit my activities to my zone of comfort, but instead weight all areas of writing equally. That is to say, if I have a preference for creative writing, I should not neglect more ‘technical writing’ and vice versa. Furthermore, I need to be cognizant of the needs and interests of my students and tailor my lessons to them. While not every activity is going to speak to all students, trying to find materials that engage as many students (and different students) as possible is something that I am going to strive towards. I want to create a classroom where students are able to try a large variety of things, and hopefully a good majority of them resonate.