How Explicitly Teaching the Writing Process Empowers Young Writers
“I’m not good at writing. I don’t know where to start. I don’t know how to make my writing better.”
Every K–5 teacher of writing has heard these remarks. To our young students, authors seem to possess magical abilities, effortlessly producing writing of all sorts, from captivating stories to compelling essays. As educators, it’s our responsibility to demystify the act of writing and share some empowering truths:
There is a clear process to writing.
The writing process is accessible to all of us, and it helps us create pieces of writing that successfully inform, persuade, and delight our readers.
The more deeply we engage in the writing process, the greater the rewards.
The Power of the Writing Process
Writing in the Age of AI
The recent explosion of AI language learning models has strengthened the notion, even among some adults, that the act of writing involves magic. You put in a prompt and (ta-da!) you get writing.
The reality is, even with access to helpful AI tools, great writing doesn’t appear out of thin air. As writers we must have:
- strong critical thinking skills
- background knowledge about our chosen topic and the skills to research it further
- knowledge of writing genres and author’s craft
- the skills to structure and organize ideas effectively
- understanding of grammar and conventions
- methods for finding and fixing the parts of our writing that aren’t working
- confidence in our own voice as a writer
- trusted readers who give us feedback
The Reality of Writing Assistance from AI
In my early drafts of this blog, I did benefit from AI tools to help generate ideas and suggest ways to organize the content. While revising, I used AI to assist me in recognizing words I overuse.
These AI tools were useful. Nonetheless we must acknowledge the limitations of AI in helping writers—especially student writers—navigate the writing process, produce strong work, and see themselves as writers.
The Limitations of AI Writing Tools
The use of AI tools did not enable me to fast-forward my way through the writing process. Nor did it magically drop a complete and polished piece of writing into my lap.
In fact I rejected quite a few of the AI-generated suggestions, instead trusting my knowledge of the topic and my discernment as a writer, as well as insightful feedback from colleagues.
I also said “no thanks” to AI suggestions that would have erased my own unique voice as a writer.
Why the Writing Process Remains Vital
Perhaps most importantly, I leaned into the writing process in order to refine my ideas—something the AI tool couldn’t do for me.
In other words, I used the act of writing itself (and rewriting and revising) to help me interrogate my own thinking and deeply examine the ideas I wanted to share.
I used the act of writing itself (and rewriting and revising) to help me interrogate my own thinking and deeply examine the ideas I wanted to share.
In short, this piece was not created with a wave of an AI wand. I went through the entire writing process, repeating several steps two or even three times. This published blog is better for having gone through the process.
The Joy of the Writing Process
If my journey through the writing process sounds onerous, well, it wasn’t.
As a former educator who knows the writing process well, I enjoyed every step along the way—including the messy parts and the moments of writer’s block.
That knowledge of and joyful trust in the writing process is something that we should strive to develop in all of our young writers.
So, how do we achieve that?
Writing Instruction Should Be Process-Focused, Not Product-Focused
It can be tempting to focus on writing as a product—the final pieces that our students publish. But we know that successful writing instruction is actually process-focused (NCTE, 2022). As the saying goes, it’s about the journey, not the destination.
That’s why it is so important to explicitly teach the writing process, step by step, and center that process in our instruction.
Unpacking the Writing Process
Prewriting
The journey begins with prewriting. Writers brainstorm ideas, ask themselves questions, consider what they already know about their topic, do research, and organize their thoughts. They might sketch an outline or use a planning tool.
Writers are also examining their initial ideas in the context of the genre, their intended audience, and the purpose they want to fulfill via their writing. Younger writers may want to rush through prewriting and just start drafting, but as educators, it’s our job to show them the value of spending time in this stage.
Younger writers may want to rush through prewriting and just start drafting.
During prewriting, students may also have the opportunity to work in pairs or small groups as they brainstorm and share ideas with peers. The value of nurturing a strong classroom writing community is obvious; this collaborative work will be most fruitful when all writers feel supported and valued.
Drafting
The first draft is akin to laying a foundation. It’s rough, imperfect, disjointed, and probably doesn’t resemble the final product, but it’s a necessary step on the road to literary creation.
When teaching K–5 writers, it’s important to emphasize that messiness is a completely normal part of drafting.
When teaching K–5 writers, it’s important to emphasize that messiness is a completely normal part of drafting. Students should concentrate on writing as freely as possible and getting their ideas on paper. If writers focus too much on editing themselves as they draft, it can often slow them down.
Revising
Writers refine their work through revision. They polish sentences, improve word choice, and add color and interest to their writing. Other revisions go deeper as writers review and evaluate the ideas in their writing.
When supporting young writers, invite them to reflect on questions such as: “Did I actually accomplish what I envisioned in the prewriting stage? Are there places in my writing where I might want to rethink my original ideas or structures?”
Young writers may initially approach revision with a deficit mindset: “Here are all the things that are wrong with my draft and now I have to fix them.” However, we can help them reframe revision as one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of the writing process.
Revision is often the time when writers suddenly get new insights, discover more engaging ways to present ideas, and tease out a key point that clinches their argument.
Revision is often the time when writers suddenly get new insights, discover more engaging ways to present ideas, and tease out a key point that clinches their argument.
Feedback from peers and the teacher also plays a vital part during revision. So much depends on how feedback is given and received. Students need regular practice to learn how to ask for, give, and receive helpful feedback through peer and teacher conferring.
So much depends on how feedback is given and received.
As in the prewriting stage, having a safe, supportive writing community is a prerequisite for students to consistently give and receive helpful feedback.
Editing and Proofreading
Editing and proofreading are necessary skills for every writer to develop. Ideally our instruction integrates spelling, grammar, and conventions directly into the writing process and emphasizes the interconnectedness of reading, spelling, and writing. Young writers also benefit from applying this instruction directly to their own writing.
At the same time, we as educators need to be mindful of our blind spots around what “good writing” is, especially during this stage of the process. Every writer brings their own distinct cultural richness and linguistic assets to their work.
Publishing
Publishing is the final stage, when writers launch their finished work into the world. This is a joyful part of the process, as writers savor their accomplishments and recognize themselves as authors.
Publishing is also a valuable opportunity for learning. Young writers gain so much when they see their writing being read and experienced by actual readers.
Publishing is also a valuable opportunity for learning. Young writers gain so much when they see their writing being read and experienced by actual readers.
Writers can find out how well their published writing accomplished its purpose. What moment of the story got the biggest laugh? What part of the argument won readers’ hearts and minds?
And by interacting with readers—hearing their reactions and answering their questions—writers can reflect authentically on the writing process they went through.
K–5 writers often share their published work with the classroom community via an Author’s Chair. You might also post student writing where it can be read and enjoyed by a wider audience.
In my own classroom, I encouraged my students to share their work in a variety of ways such as giving poetry readings and creating books. One student, without prompting, even recorded a movie of his short screenplay with friends over a weekend!
The Writing Process Is Not Linear
As we engage in the writing process with our students, we also want them to learn that the process is flexible and highly adaptable. According to Flower and Hayes, writing is a recursive process; it can (and should!) repeat and circle back around itself (Flower & Hayes, 1981).
In other words, skilled writers do not necessarily move through the writing process in a linear way. They feel empowered to revisit different parts of the process as needed.
In other words, skilled writers do not necessarily move through the writing process in a linear way. They feel empowered to revisit different parts of the process as needed.
Sometimes writers circle back to drafting to get a fresh start, sometimes reworking just a small piece—an opening or closing, perhaps—to make a stronger statement. Other times they are fine-tuning word choice or revising a tricky passage multiple times.
Explicitly Teaching the Writing Process: Practical Examples
Modeling the Writing Process in the Classroom
How can we explicitly teach the writing process in the classroom? One practical way to do so is through modeling the process ourselves. This has the added benefit of further strengthening the classroom writing community.
“Getting hands-on with writing alongside my students, I joined our class as a fellow writer.”
Marine Freibrun
As my colleague Marine Freibrun explained in her recent blog, “I modeled the writing process to my students, sharing my own ups and downs to make it clear that we were all in it together. Getting hands-on with writing alongside my students, I joined our class as a fellow writer.”
Creative Teaching with Play-Doh: A Hands-On Approach
Taking an example from my own time as a middle school teacher, I always began the school year by using Play-Doh to teach the writing process.
Using a script shared in the Ideas Plus Book 15 (NCTE, 1997) as my initial guidance, I walked 150 of my brand-new sixth graders through the process of creating a pencil holder using the Play-Doh I’d provided to them. And they got to watch me as I created my own alongside them.
Through this act of tearing down and starting over, students learned that in prewriting, we have an infinite number of ideas to choose from, limited only by our imagination.
Every year there would be a collective gasp when I told them to mash up their first idea. “Why, Ms. Evans? This one works just fine!” students would say. Through this act of tearing down and starting over, students learned that in prewriting, we have an infinite number of ideas to choose from, limited only by our imagination.
Later steps showed the students how the writer, like a sculptor, goes through a creative and refining process to produce a final piece.
This hands-on activity served both as an opportunity for our classroom to get to know each other and start becoming a true writing community, as well as a very concrete reminder for them as to what the writing process looked like.
From Play-Doh to Pen and Paper: Transitioning Tools in Teaching
When we moved on from Play-Doh to pen and paper, my students felt safe, embracing the inherent messiness of the writing process with newfound confidence.
They were no longer afraid to take risks, acknowledging imperfections as part of the journey, and eagerly diving into revisions to refine and enhance their drafts.
Continuous Modeling Throughout the School Year
For the remainder of the school year, I continued to model writing frequently, showing everything from my brainstorming a creative story to identifying important research for a persuasive article, from how I’d draft a message to my best friend to how I’d craft a letter to the district superintendent.
My students saw how the writing process played a role in drafting any piece, no matter the context.
Conclusion
Writing well doesn’t require magic, AI tools, or rare talent. As educators, it’s our job to demystify the act of writing for our young writers.
Let’s empower students with the knowledge that at its heart, writing is a process … and if any magic exists, it lives within the process itself.
Let’s empower students with the knowledge that at its heart, writing is a process … and if any magic exists, it lives within the process itself.
Every writer can access the writing process and, with time and practice, take full ownership of it and reap its rewards.
References
Flower, L. & Hayes J.R. (1981). A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing. College Composition and Communication, 32 (4), 365–387. https://www.jstor.org/stable/356600.
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). (1997). IDEAS Plus: A Collection of Practical Teaching Ideas, Book Fifteen.
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). (2022). Position Statement on Writing Instruction in School. Accessed from https://ncte.org/statement/statement-on-writing-instruction-in-school/.
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