The Writing Process

Communication Arts

Five Stages of the Writing Process

• Prewriting • Drafting • Revising • Editing • Publishing

Communication Arts

Prewriting

Think, Think, Think…

– Who is my audience? • My classmates, teacher, a

community member, a younger student…

• Do they have any knowledge of

my topic?

• Will I need to provide background

knowledge?

– What is my purpose? • Am I writing to provide information,

to persuade, to find out information, or to tell a story?

Communication Arts

Prewriting

Think, Think, Think…

– What do I want to say? • What are the requirements that I

have to have?

• Do I need to research information

to complete my writing?

– How do I want to say it? • Am I writing a letter, creating a

book or PowerPoint, an essay…

– What graphic organizer will I use? • Brainstorm ideas on a piece of

paper, create a web, put the information into a Venn Diagram…

Communication Arts

Prewriting Sample of a Web

Communication Arts

Prewriting Sample of a Venn Diagram

Communication Arts

Prewriting

You may create your own graphic organizer or choose and print one from the websites below.

Education Place Teachnology Write Design Online Teacher Vision Curry School

Communication Arts

Drafting

Write it down…

– Are my thoughts organized? • Do I stick with the same idea

throughout my writing?

• Do I know what order I want to say

things in?

– Which ideas do I want to develop? • On your prewriting identify the

ideas which you must use, might use, and will not use.

• Do not cross anything out. You

may decide at a later time to use it.

• What ideas should I develop

further?

Communication Arts

Drafting

Write it down…

– In what order do I want to say my

ideas?

• On your prewriting, number your

thoughts or ideas. Place them in the order that would make the most logical sense.

• If you are dealing with time, make

sure they are in chronological order.

– Did I skip lines? • This will allow room for yourself and

others to make corrections.

– Did I label everything? • My name is on the page and all

pages have a page numbers.

Communication Arts

Revising

Improve your writing…

– Are my details clear? • Are my words descriptive? • Did I use repetitive words? – Should I add or take out parts? • Do I need to explain more? • Is there something missing that I

should include?

– Is my writing in a sensible order? • Does my writing need to be in time

order?

• Does the information need to be

presented in a way that is easy for others to follow?

Communication Arts

Revising

Improve your writing…

– Have I used the best ideas or

words?

• Am I showing others that I know

what I am writing about?

• Have I used the best examples or

words to describe my ideas or thoughts?

– Is my writing in a sensible order? • Does my writing need to be in time

order?

• Does the information need to be

presented in a way that is easy for others to follow?

Communication Arts

Editing

Correct your work…

– Have I used complete sentences? • All of my thoughts are complete. • There are no run-ons. – Are my language conventions

correct?

• Spelling • Capitalization and punctuation • Grammar – Have I used editing marks to make

corrections?

• Remember to look in your writing

folder if you forgot what to use.

Communication Arts

Editing

Correct your work…

– Have I had at least two people edit

my paper?

• Choose two people in the

classroom, that are on the editing stage. If no one is, you may choose to look over your work again.

– Editing others work… • Make sure to check for the same

items you did when editing your own work.

– Check for complete sentences,

check the language conventions, and use a correction codefor corrections.

Communication Arts

Editing

• Sp Wrong spelling • WO Wrong word order • VF Wrong form of verb • WF Wrong form of word • Pr Wrong preposition • WW Wrong word • C Wrong collocation • A Article error • / Missing word • // Start new paragraph here • ? Meaning or handwriting unclear • !! You should know what’s wrong here Communication Arts

Publishing Get ready to share…

– Did I do my best work? – Did I include a title (if

needed)?

– Is my final copy neat? – Should I illustrate the pages? • You may use the computer to

create this or draw your own.

– Do I need a title page with

illustrations?

– Should I read it out loud? Communication Arts

Publishing Handing it in…

– What order does my work go

in?

• Final Copy • Any Drafts (Please label these

pages with DRAFT at the top).

• Prewriting • Rubric Communication Arts

Keeping a record

Communication Arts

Possible Extensions What can I do after writing?

• Read your work to a classmate. • Write a reflection about what

you will do differently or the same the next time you write.

• Decide if you want to publish

your work online

• Start a new writing piece. Communication Arts