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01 One Writer's Process

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001
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Write for College

One Writer's Process Chapter Opener

Start-Up Activity

Ask volunteers to describe the process they went through to come to school today. Some will probably talk about an elaborate ritual involving lengthy time in front of a mirror, a breakfast of some sort, a commute on one or more forms of transit, and other details. Others will talk about rolling out of bed, grabbing a backpack, and walking across the street to the school. Everybody has a different process for getting to school. What's important is that everyone arrives (ready to learn).

Point out that writing is much the same. Everyone follows a different writing process to go from having nothing to having a complete work ready to share. Let students know that this chapter will review one student's writing process while allowing students to experiment with their own.

Think About It

“In the writing process, the more a story cooks, the better.”

—Doris Lessing

State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.4

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.5

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.7

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.6

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.9

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.A

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.B

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.C

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.D

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.3

LAFS Covered in This Chapter

LAFS.1112.W.1.3

LAFS.1112.W.2.4

LAFS.1112.W.2.5

LAFS.1112.W.3.7

LAFS.1112.W.2.6

LAFS.1112.W.3.9

LAFS.1112.L.1.1

LAFS.1112.L.1.2

LAFS.1112.L.2.3

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

110.38.c.9

110.38.c.10.A

110.39.c.9

110.39.c.10.A

110.38.c.9.A

110.38.c.9.C

110.38.c.9.D

110.39.c.9.A

110.39.c.9.C

110.39.c.9.D

110.38.c.11

110.39.c.11

110.38.c.9.E

110.39.c.9.E

110.38.c.5.D

110.38.c.4.H

110.39.c.5.D

110.39.c.4.H

110.38.c.1.C

110.39.c.1.C

110.39.c.39.D

110.38.c.1.A

110.39.c.1.A

110.38.c.8.D

110.38.c.8.F

110.39.c.8.D

110.39.c.8.F

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

Page 002 from Write for College

Prewriting

Use this page to show how one student responded to a writing prompt by taking that first crucial step: selecting a topic to write about. Have your students practice topic selection strategies by responding to the same prompt:

Write an essay relating a personal experience that changed your perspective about where you live.

First have students list ideas they could write about. Then have them select a topic idea, write it in the center of a piece of paper, and circle it. Show them how Gabriel gathered details about his topic by creating a cluster around the idea. Ask your students to do the same.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.W.1.3
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.A, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.2.1.b, LA 12.2.2, LA 12.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing BasicsNarrative Writing
Form:
Personal NarrativeNarrative Essay
Theme:
TravelCulture
English Language Arts:
Prewriting

Page 003 from Write for College

Freewriting for Ideas

Introduce students to the skill of freewriting—writing nonstop for 5 to 10 minutes about a topic, just pouring out words without worrying about correctness. Emphasize quantity over quality. The point of freewriting is to get students to think on paper.

Have a volunteer read each of the three freewriting samples. Then have students review their clusters and spend 5 to 10 minutes freewriting about their ideas. Tell them the one thing they aren't allowed to do is stop writing. They must keep going for at least 5 minutes. If they get stuck, they should write, "I'm not sure what else to say about that. Maybe I should say that . . ." or whatever it takes to keep writing.

Related Minilesson:
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.W.1.3
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.A, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.2.1.b, LA 12.2.2, LA 12.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing BasicsNarrative Writing
Form:
Narrative EssayPersonal Narrative
Theme:
TravelCulture
English Language Arts:
Prewriting

Page 004 from Write for College

Conducting Additional Research

Help students understand that strong writing almost always involves research. Even with a personal narrative, research into people, places, things, and events can bear fruit. If you are writing about a specific location, for example, you can find and study an Internet map to remember the location, see its layout, and refer to nearby streets and landmarks. For many locations, you can use the "street view" to virtually walk there again.

Lead students through the types of details that Gabriel gathered about Denmark. Then challenge students to search online or in the library for information that can enhance their narratives.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.W.1.3
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.A, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.2.1.b, LA 12.2.2, LA 12.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing BasicsNarrative Writing
Form:
Narrative EssayPersonal Narrative
Theme:
TravelCulture
English Language Arts:
Prewriting

Page 005 from Write for College

Establishing a Focus

After gathering plenty of details from memory and research, students are ready to focus their thinking.

Compare an essay (in this case, a narrative) to any container with a handle: a backpack, a tool box, a suitcase, a purse. The purpose of the container is to hold an organized assortment of related things. The purpose of the handle is to let you easily grab onto the container. In the same way, the purpose of an essay is to hold an organized assortment of details, and the purpose of the thesis statement is to let readers easily grab onto the ideas.

Present Gabriel's working thesis. Then show how it becomes the "handle" for the ideas in his quick list. Have your students review their prewriting and then create their own working thesis statements. Have them list key details beneath the thesis, creating a quick list or topic outline.

Afterward, have students do one more freewriting about their ideas, priming the pump for the drafting phase.

Related Minilesson:
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.W.1.3
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.A, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.2.1.b, LA 12.2.2, LA 12.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing BasicsNarrative Writing
Form:
Narrative EssayPersonal Narrative
Theme:
TravelCulture
English Language Arts:
Prewriting

Page 006 from Write for College

Writing

Lead students through Gabriel's first draft and have a volunteer read each paragraph. Use the side notes to point out details. Stress to students that this is Gabriel's first draft, his honest first attempt to tell about the visit of the Danish exchange student. Over the next several pages, students will see Gabriel return again and again to this draft, adding, cutting, reordering, and reworking material to better tell his story.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.W.1.3
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.A, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.2.1.b, LA 12.2.2, LA 12.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing BasicsNarrative Writing
Form:
Narrative EssayPersonal Narrative
Theme:
TravelCulture
English Language Arts:
Writing

Page 007 from Write for College

Writing (Cont.)

Continue your read-through of Gabriel's first draft. Afterward, direct students to the "Link to the Traits" at the bottom of the page.

Help students understand that they don't have to focus on all of the traits at once.

  • Prewriting: When they began prewriting, students focused just on their ideas: a subject, a topic, a thesis, and details. By the end of their prewriting, they began to think about organization, putting their ideas into a quick list or topic outline.
  • Writing: As they draft, students should continue to think about ideas and organization, but they should also add the trait of voice: how they say what they want to say.
  • Revising: When they revise their work, students make big improvements to ideas, organization, and voice. They also consider their word choice and sentence fluency.
  • Editing: When they edit, students focus on word choice (correct usage), sentence fluency (correct sentences), and conventions (correct punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and grammar).

If you are having students create their own essays in this chapter, have them write their first drafts.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.W.1.3
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.A, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.2.1.b, LA 12.2.2, LA 12.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Narrative Writing
Form:
Narrative EssayPersonal Narrative
Theme:
TravelCulture
English Language Arts:
Writing

Page 008 from Write for College

Revising

Go through Gabriel's revisions one by one. Have a student read aloud the material that is deleted, added, moved, or changed. Then lead a class discussion about how each change improves the draft.

Point out that each of Gabriel's changes improves the ideas (adding needed ones and deleting unneeded ones), the organization (reordering material for better flow), and voice (reworking wording for clarity).

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.W.1.3
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.A, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.2.1.b, LA 12.2.2, LA 12.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing BasicsNarrative Writing
Form:
Narrative EssayPersonal Narrative
Theme:
TravelCulture
English Language Arts:
Revising

Page 009 from Write for College

Revising (Cont.)

After reviewing all of Gabriel's changes, point out that he revises in four ways:

  • Adding new material to flesh out ideas
  • Deleting old material that doesn't move the narrative along
  • Reworking parts to make them stronger
  • Reordering material that is not chronological

Tell students that they will be using these same basic moves to improve their own drafts. If they have written first drafts for essays in this chapter, have them take time now to revise their work. Have them focus on the three big traits—ideas, organization, and voice. They can also make changes to word choice and sentence fluency if they wish.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.W.1.3
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.A, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.2.1.b, LA 12.2.2, LA 12.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing BasicsNarrative Writing
Form:
Narrative EssayPersonal Narrative
Theme:
TravelCulture
English Language Arts:
Revising

Page 010 from Write for College

Peer Reviewing

Have a volunteer read one of the peer reviewer's notes in the left column. Have another volunteer read the change that Gabriel made in response, and then explain how the change answers the note. Ask a new pair of volunteers to read the next note and response.

Afterward, lead a class discussion about how peer reviewing helps students gain a new perspective of their writing and figure out ways to improve it.

Related Minilesson:
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.W.1.3
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.A, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.2.1.b, LA 12.2.2, LA 12.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing BasicsNarrative Writing
Form:
Narrative EssayPersonal Narrative
Theme:
TravelCulture
English Language Arts:
Revising

Page 011 from Write for College

Peer Reviewing (Cont.)

Once you finish discussing Gabriel's revisions based on peer review, have your students trade revised drafts with peer partners and provide comments and feedback.

Help peer reviewers understand that you expect the feedback to be constructive, focusing not on what's wrong but on how it can be made right. Help writers understand that peer reviewers are trying to help them improve their writing.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.W.1.3
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.A, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.A
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.2.1.b, LA 12.2.2, LA 12.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing BasicsNarrative Writing
Form:
Narrative EssayPersonal Narrative
Theme:
TravelCulture
English Language Arts:
Revising

Page 012 from Write for College

Editing

Lead students through the changes that Gabriel makes on this page and the next. Ask students to identify each change as punctuation, mechanics (capitalization, numbers, and plurals), spelling, usage (word choice), or grammar (parts of speech).

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.L.1.1
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.1.C, 110.38.c.9.D, 110.39.c.1.C, 110.39.c.39.D
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.2.1.d, LA 12.2.1.h

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing BasicsNarrative Writing
Form:
Narrative EssayPersonal Narrative
Theme:
TravelCulture
English Language Arts:
Editing

Page 013 from Write for College

Editing (Cont.)

After you finish reviewing the editing changes that Gabriel makes, have students turn to the "Proofreader's Guide" in the back of their handbooks (pages 522–605). Point out that this part of the handbook deals with punctuation, mechanics, spelling, usage, and grammar—with rules and examples. Whenever students edit and proofread their work, they should refer to the "Proofreader's Guide." They can also use the index at the end of the book to find specific rules.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.L.1.1
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.1.C, 110.38.c.9.D, 110.39.c.1.C, 110.39.c.39.D
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.2.1.d, LA 12.2.1.h

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing BasicsNarrative Writing
Form:
Narrative EssayPersonal Narrative
Theme:
TravelCulture
English Language Arts:
Editing

Page 014 from Write for College

Writing Process: Quick Guide

Use this page to review the process that students have just followed through this chapter (and their own personal narratives, if they wrote them). Also use this page as a preview of the chapters that follow.

The next chapters break down the traits of effective writing and provide specific strategies for each step in the writing process.

Show your students that the traits and the process break writing into manageable chunks, helping them focus their attention on the right issues at the right time.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.1112.W.2.4
TEKS Standard:
110.38.c.9, 110.39.c.9
NE ELA Standard:
LA 12.2.2

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 11Grade 12
Mode:
Writing Basics
English Language Arts:
PrewritingWritingRevisingEditing