LESSON
2.1
2.1
Focus
T
The Writing Process
How does Calamba give
structure to her ideas in
the drafting stage?
mother was named after my great-grandmother,
Josefa. My mother spent her early childhood
Using the Model
The Writing Process
• To employ a recursive process that
includes five stages—prewriting, drafting, revising, editing/proofreading, and
publishing/presenting
Teach
It is far from a coincidence that my
he five stages of the writing process allow you to explore,
investigate, and write about any topic. In the following pages
you will follow the investigation and writing process of a high
school student, Shella Calamba.
Lesson Overview
Objective
Stages of the
Writing Process
2.1
DRAFTING Drafting is writing your ideas down in related sentences and
paragraphs. The goal during drafting is to let your writing flow without
worrying about grammar or mechanics. Notice how Calamba has combined related ideas in a paragraph.
years under my great-grandmother’s watchful,
firm eye. Later, she spent her teenage years
The Five Writing Process Stages
in Manila, where she studied in high school
Writing is a process with different stages. Professional and student
writers all follow processes made up of combinations of the stages
shown below.
Skills
• identifying writing process stages; moving
among stages
Critical Thinking
REVISING Revision means reading your draft closely, reminding yourself
of your purpose, and reworking and clarifying your ideas, as Calamba
did here.
The Writing Process
• identifying main ideas; classifying
Listening and Speaking
Prewriting
• discussing
Drafting
Revising
and college.
Editing/
Proofreading
Publishing/
Presenting
Freewriting
Ask what students notice about Calamba’s
freewriting. (She wrote mainly in words and
phrases.) Explain that correct grammar and
spelling do not matter in freewriting. The
idea is to capture thoughts on paper. L1
My great-grandfather was the mayor of a
Philippine province. My great-grandmother,
Josefa, a religious woman, taught my mother
used to every afternoon at precisely five.
Latin prayers. They would pray together.
Bellringer
Daily Language Activity
The first stage, called prewriting, is the idea stage. By probing your thoughts, you can discover a topic and a purpose for writing
about it. This is the stage in which information or details are gathered
and the paper is planned. Shella Calamba began investigating her family’s history by using a prewriting technique called freewriting.
PREWRITING
When students enter the classroom, have
this assignment on the board: Write a few
sentences about something you have investigated lately.
Grammar Link to the
Bellringer
See also
Exploring my family‘s history. Chinese and Spanish ancestors.
Great-grandparents half Chinese. Great-grandfather Filipino. Greatgrandmother very religious according to my mother. My mother was
named after my great-grandmother, Josefa Parcarey. My greatgrandfather was the mayor of the town. Both my grandparents were
farmers. I could write about my mother‘s genealogy.
Daily Language Practice
Motivating Activity
To underscore the unit theme, announce that
you’re conducting an investigation and you
want the students to join you in it. Ask when
students have conducted an investigation
(such as researching a science project or
exploring a new vacation spot). Explain that
this lesson deals with a kind of investigation
they may not have thought of—writing and
the writing process.
During the freewriting stage,
Calamba’s ideas are random
and free flowing, but they
lead to a writing topic.
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Unit 2 The Writing Process
store. My mother is a pharmacist in Chicago.
a restaurant owner
One uncle is in business, and one is a
Planning Resources
• Lesson Plans
• Two-Minute Skill Drill
• Writing Process 2–8
Transparencies
• Bellringer
• Daily Language Practice
• Fine Art 7–12
Other Print Resources
•
•
•
•
Composition Enrichment, p. 7
Composition Practice, p. 7
Composition Reteaching, p. 7
Cooperative Learning Activities
Two-Minute
Skill Drill
In revising this passage,
what details has
Calamba added? What
effect do they have?
What other changes did
Calamba make?
Have students write three ways to
correct run-on sentences.
See also Two-Minute Skill
Drill Transparency 2.1
Journal Writing
Journal Writing Tip
In your journal analyze your own writing process. Which of these
first three stages do you find easy? What are your stumbling
blocks? Do you always move straight forward, or do you sometimes return to a previous stage?
2.1 Stages of the Writing Process
Resource Manager
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My grandparents raised eight children.
became
owns
Two aunts were teachers, and one has a
nurse in Australia.
Have students correct any run-on sentences
they might have written in their Bellringer
assignments.
Ask students to mention specific ways that
each stage of Calamba’s writing is different
from the prior stage. (In drafting, Calamba
expressed her ideas in full sentences, adding
a paragraph about her mother’s early years,
arranged in time order. In revising, Calamba
added details like “every afternoon at precisely five” and “a restaurant owner” to
provide a clearer picture of her family and
background. She also moved a sentence to
add emphasis and changed certain words to
express her meaning more exactly.) L2
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Recalling Before students begin this
activity, you might have them each
examine a few pieces of their best
earlier writing. Ask them to recall
where they got their ideas—from
daydreams, friends, or their own
experiences, for example—and what
process students engaged in to get
the finished pieces of writing. Encourage them to record discoveries they
make about how they write.
• Listening and Speaking Activities
pp. 6–8
• Thinking and Study Skills, pp. 5, 13,
26
• Writing Across the Curriculum
• Writing Assessment and Evaluation
Rubrics
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2.1
Teach
Assess
Write a Personal Response
United States
My mother came here to the U.S. and
Using the Model
The Writing Process
In editing and
proofreading this
paragraph, Calamba
corrected spelling
and punctuation.
became a pharmacist. All seven of her
families
sisters and brothers have raised familys of
their own. For this reason, I have many
.
cousins, Ive never had to live in the
isolated
isalated world of the proverbial only child.
Sometimes sharing your writing with a reader
simply means handing it in to your teacher. At other times you want
your thoughts and ideas to go far beyond the teacher’s desk. For example, Calamba might decide to submit her essay to her high school’s prose
and poetry magazine.
Additional Resources
PUBLISHING/PRESENTING
For further stimuli for writing, see Fine
Art Transparencies, 7–12.
Writing Across the Curriculum
Cooperative Learning Activities
Move Among the Stages
Writing Process Transparencies, 2–8
Thinking and Study Skills, pp. 5, 13, 26
Listening and Speaking Activities,
pp. 6–8
Composition Practice, p. 7
Recursive Writing Process
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Drafting
Revising
PURPOSE To use the stages of the writing process
AUDIENCE Your classmates
LENGTH 1-2 paragraphs
WRITING RUBRICS To write a personal
response, you should
•
•
•
•
freewrite to explore your associations
focus on one aspect of your response at a
time as you draft
revise to clarify your ideas
check spelling, grammar, and punctuation
as you edit
Cross-Curricular Activity
Good writers move back and forth among stages in the writing
process. For example, you might reach the revising stage and notice that
one section needs more explanation. You could return to a prewriting
task, such as freewriting, to explore those ideas in greater detail.
When you write, your mind is in a state of motion. This perpetual
motion is absolutely necessary; after all, you are involved in an investigation to discover your thoughts.
Prewriting
Follow the five stages of the writing process
as you write a response to a painting in this
book. What does the subject or mood of the
painting remind you of ?
Editing/
Proofreading
Use the writing process to draft a
paragraph about a song or a music video.
Begin by listening to the music or viewing the
video. Notice the artistic qualities of the performers’ presentations. Then identify your
topic and your purpose for writing about it.
Progress through the steps of the writing
process to create your paragraph.
MUSIC
Evaluation Rubrics
The Writing Process
Examining editing changes in Calamba’s
paragraph, students wonder why Calamba
decided to spell out “U.S.” Explain that
names of countries are usually spelled
out when used as nouns. Stress that even
such small details should be corrected in
editing so that the final version makes a
good impression when presented to an
audience. L2
2.1
2.1 Writing Activities
EDITING/PROOFREADING In this stage look closely at each paragraph,
each sentence, and each word. Do your sentences flow smoothly? Are
they grammatically correct? Are your spelling and punctuation correct?
Notice how Calamba edited the paragraph below.
When you edit, correct run-on
sentences.
Imagine that you are in the editing stage
of the writing process. Rewrite the runon sentences below.
1. Writing is a journey that is seldom
smooth often it is an exploration of
your thoughts and ideas.
2. There are five stages in the writing
process prewriting is the first.
3. During the freewriting stage ideas are
random but they can lead to a writing
topic.
4. A good writer moves back and forth
among stages for example while
revising, a writer may choose to add
details.
5. Presenting is the final stage you share
your writing with a reader.
Write a Personal Response
Use these criteria when evaluating your students’ writing. Students should
• freewrite to explore associations
• focus on a single subject
• revise to clarify
• check grammar, spelling, and punctuation
See also Writing Assessment &
Evaluation Rubrics.
Cross-Curricular Activity
Student copy should include these elements:
• clear topic
• statement of purpose
Reteaching
Composition Reteaching, p. 7
See Lesson 13.10, pages 559-561.
Enrichment
Composition Enrichment, p. 7
Listening and Speaking
Use Fine Art Transparencies 7–12
for enrichment activities also.
SPELLING Exchange your personal response
from the writing activity with a partner. Work
together to correct any spelling errors in your
papers. Keep a list of words that have given
you difficulty. Use your list as a resource and
check against it as you proofread your work.
Close
Have students list the five stages of the
writing process and write a one-sentence
definition of each.
Publishing/
Presenting
Unit 2 The Writing Process
2.1 Stages of the Writing Process
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Listening and Speaking
Prewriting
To help students who find writing difficult, suggest that during prewriting
and drafting they pretend they are talking to someone about their topic.
Emphasize the exploratory, free-flowing nature of the early writing
stages—prewriting and drafting. Tell students that they needn’t worry
about grammar, spelling, or punctuation conventions until a later stage.
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Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
smooth; often
process. Prewriting
random, but
stages. For example,
stage; you share
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