1. Writing Prompt
Please write a paragraph in response to the following prompt: Write a paragraph describing your absolute best or worst experience with writing. Be sure to include your reactions to the experience and reflect on why the experience was memorable.

2. 5 Steps to Better Writing
The Writing Process
5 Steps to Better Writing

3. The 5 Steps of the Writing Process
Pre-Writing: Ideas, organization
Drafting: Writing it down for the first time
Revision: Making it sound “just right”
Editing: Checking the conventions
Publishing: Creating the final copy

4. An Investment of Time Following all five steps take time
Time = A Quality End Result
Teachers should plan on facilitating students in class throughout all steps of the writing process
Check in on students’ progress throughout the assignment

5. Pre Writing Helps get your ideas flowing
Put it in writing so you don’t forget
Organize your ideas
Makes your paper easier to write
Sets a purpose for your paper before you even start writing

6. Why Pre-Write?
Students have a chance to play around with the topic before they put pencil to paper
Student engagement increases—they can consider different topics and/or perspectives of the topics, and find one that they like
Differentiation: use organizers that fit the needs of the students

7. Drafting Compose your ideas into sentences and paragraphs
Don’t expect it to be perfect
Expect to make changes!
It should be messy
Shows the thought process that you went through as you wrote
Write on ONE SIDE of the paper
Double space to leave room for revision

8. Why Draft? Helps students work out the kinks in the piece of writing
Can be used as a formative assessment to evaluate the student’s understanding of your material
Helps assess if students are on track for meeting the lesson objectives
Identifies areas where student may need additional support (possible differentiation point)

9. Revision
This step should be done constantly throughout the drafting process
Focus on the traits of organization, word choice, sentence fluency, and voice when you’re revising
Read the piece of writing out loud to “hear” any mistakes or awkward passages

10. Why Revise?
Students make changes based on the assessments made during the drafting stage
Students evaluate their writing and thought process to determine what is working and what isn’t
Opportunity for students to collaborate with peers during revision stage

11. Editing
Editing focuses on conventions like capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and spelling
Have a partner help edit

12. Why Edit? Makes writing audience-friendly and publication-ready
Focusing on conventions is a main responsibility of writing teachers, however, give students time to complete this step

13. Publishing Create a final copy of your writing
Make your paper look like you are proud of your work
If you can’t type your final copy, write it neatly in ink
No crumples, rips, or “spiral fuzz” to make your final copy look sloppy
Make sure to check the rubric or checklist from your teacher before you hand in your final copy

14. Why Publish? Students can show off pride in the work they’ve done
Opportunity to reach an audience
Publishing writing can influence readers
This is where students meet teacher’s expectations for an assignment

15. When to Use the Writing Process
Use these steps EVERY TIME you write anything
Even if it is a short piece of writing, you should still think (pre-write), draft, revise and edit (check it over) and publish (make it look the way the teacher expects)
This is not just for writing class—it’s for every class
Use it now, in high school, and beyond