Writing

The Writing Process

The writing process is a series of five stages that describe what students think about and do as they write; the stages are prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Numbering the stages doesn’t mean that the writing process is a linear series of neatly packaged categories; rather, research has shown that the process involves recurring cycles, and numbering is simply an aid to identifying writing activities. In the classroom, the stages merge and recur as students write.

Students spend 30 to 45 minutes or longer working independently on writing projects. Just as students in reading workshop choose books and read at their own pace, in writing workshop, they work at their own pace on writing projects they’ve chosen themselves. Most students move at their own pace through all five stages of the writing process, but young children often use an abbreviated process consisting of prewriting, drafting, and publishing.

PreWriting

Students choose topics and set their own purposes for writing. Then they gather and organize ideas, often drawing pictures, making graphic organizers, or talking out their ideas with classmates.

Drafting

Students work independently to write their rough drafts.

Students label their drafts by writing rough draft in ink at the top or by using a ROUGH DRAFT stamp. This label indicates to the writer, other students, parents, and teachers that the composition is a draft in which the emphasis is on content, not mechanics.

Revising & Editing

Students participate in revising groups to share their rough drafts and get feedback to help them revise their writing.

Students work with classmates to proofread and correct mechanical errors in their writing, and they also meet with the teacher for a final editing.

Publishing

Students prepare a final “published” copy of their writing, and sit in the author’s chair to read it to classmates.

Fluent Writers

Fluent writers spell words automatically and write quickly so that they can focus on developing their ideas. Their writing seems to flow effortlessly, and it’s distinctive. Fluent writing sounds like talking—it has “voice.”

Fluent writing involves several key components that work together to make a student an effective writer. Automaticity allows writers to spell high-frequency words and apply spelling strategies without pausing, so they can focus on ideas rather than individual words. Speed ensures that students can write quickly enough to keep up with their thoughts, typically aiming for around 10 words per minute by third grade, while maintaining legibility. Writer’s voice gives writing its unique personality and emotional tone, shaped by word choice and sentence structure. Together, these elements help students produce clear, expressive, and fluent writing.

Teachers assess writing fluency as they observe students writing and examine their compositions. They consider these questions:

Do students spell most words automatically, or do they stop to figure out how to spell many words?
Do students write quickly enough to complete the assignment, or do they write slowly or try to avoid writing?
Is students’ writing legible? Do students write easily, or do they write laboriously, complaining that their hands hurt?

Scaffold Learning

Many students struggle with writing. Some students have difficulty developing and organizing ideas, some struggle with word choice and writing complete sentences and effective transitions, and others have problems with spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar skills.

Other students struggle with the writing process and using writing strategies effectively; they may be unsure about what writers do as they develop and refine their compositions or the thinking that goes on during writing. There are some students, too, who complain that their hands and arms hurt when they write, some who show little interest and do the bare minimum, and others who are so frustrated with writing that they refuse to write at all.

To build their confidence and become more successful, struggling students need to learn more about writing and have more opportunities to practice writing.

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