Writing Process

BRAINSTORMING

Our Writing Folder helps give us a lot of ideas in the beginning of the year as we write about ourselves and our experiences. It comes in handy later when we write about things we are experts at. We have many pictures of family, friends, experiences, favorite places and hobbies, topics of interest. We'll have a folder making party in school in September to create this.

Things we LOVE

PLANNING is very important for writers. Its helps us to:

Structure our writing into a 5-page booklet with certain aspects of the writing on each page
Use our time wisely by knowing what we are going to say and not stopping to think about what happens next
Leave room on each page to focus on elaboration

We spend time practicing telling our story and retelling our story to ourselves and a partner. Each time we tell the story we should add more details and improve the story, which will help make the writing part easier.

GOOD WRITERS make a plan and STICK to the plan.

Our Reading and Writing Binder holds all the charts we use for each writing unit. We can refer to it throughout the year at writing time when we are working on different parts of our pieces. It also contains rubrics, ideas, tips and goals.

Revising

The most important writing skill in second grade is ELABORATION or increasing kinds of details and amounts of details on each page. This improves clarity and helps the reader picture what is happening in the story. Adding details is where we work the most. Some students are working on logical order order, removing repetition and varying word choices.

We use a purple pen to do all revising work so we can see what improvements students are actively making. Reading our work to our partners and having them ask questions and tell us what might confuse them or they still want to know helps us know what is needed in our piece.

Writing Mechanics - Editing

We practice the rules of 2nd grade writing skills in our morning meeting time and with our Daily Language editing practice alone and with partners. Since our writing time is focused on trying to get the great ideas down on paper, many children miss punctuation and capitalization the first time through. If that happens, they will go back and use their CUPS editing checklist to make sure their work is clear and easy to read. At the end of each unit we choose a piece to publish that they must do CUPS on alone and with a partner.

It may look messy, but it demonstrates the actual process authors go through as they work toward their finalize best product. We are fortunate to have authors visit us in assemblies every year who are able to show us their own changes and marked-up copies of their work and what it looks like before the beautiful perfect copy that you buy at the bookstore is printed.

Students use revising pens or post-its to add more to their work.

PUBLISHING

After our chosen piece is revised and edited carefully, students will add some of the special features of their favorite published authors. They can create a special cover with with a title, colored illustration, colored pictures inside, dedication and copyright, About the Author and back blurb. They will practice reading it LIKE GOLD and Celebrate their work in that unit in a special way.

Published pieces stay in the classroom for us to read until the end of the year.

Writing Celebrations

At the end of each Writing Unit, we choose a special way to celebrate our new skills and accomplishments. For example, in our Non-fiction/All About writing unit, we will visit a Kindergarten class to "Teach" the kindergartners about our topics of expertise with our finished pieces. We may have small group compliment circles, write opinion pieces to a special audience, or have an author party depending on the unit and how we can realistically use the piece.

Page updated

Report abuse