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One Writer’s Process
Dave Demeter wrote about a great experience that taught him something. Here’s how he used the writing process to complete his work.
Prewriting
Select a Topic 🟪 Dave thought of two experiences—moving to his new home and spending the summer with Grandpa. He decided to write about his summer because Dave learned how to build models and he grew close to his grandpa.
Collect Details 🟪 Next, Dave listed details about the experience.
• Basic TV, no computer
• Formula 1 car model
• I glued parts on.
• We painted it blue.
• Grandpa let me take it home.
After listing these details, Dave was ready to write his first draft. (Read it on the next page.)
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Writing a Draft
Dave wrote a first draft about his summer. He focused on sharing ideas and didn’t worry too much about spelling yet.
Beginning I spent last summer at my grandpa’s house. He had just basic TV and no computer. I got bored. I asked him what do you do for fun? He said build models. I said what’s that?
Middle Grandpa showed me his worktable with a model Grand Pree race car he was building. It had for fat rubber tires on a black frame. The driver’s seat was open so you could feel the wind in your hair. I imagined driving that car at Daytona. it would be lowd!
Grandpa showed me how to read the directions and find the pieces. He let me cut a piece from the plastic frame and glue it on. We were building that race car!
Ending I want to be a race car driver I told him. He said models let him pretend he was. We worked all month on that car. Grandpa even let me take it with me when I went home!
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Revising
Dave shared his first draft with a partner. They worked together to improve it, adding parts, cutting others, and reworking it.
Editing & Proofreading
Next, Dave made sure that all his sentences and words made sense. Then he checked for spelling and punctuation errors.
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Publishing
Dave shared his narrative with his classmates. Later he included it in a class book and added pictures to make it even more interesting.
Formula 1 Summer!
Beginning I spent last summer at my ’s house. He had just basic TV and no computer. “What do you do for fun, Grandpa?” I asked.
Middle He answered, “I build models!”
Grandpa showed me his worktable with a model Grand Prix race car he was building. It had four fat rubber tires on a black frame. It looked metal but was made of plastic. The open cockpit meant you could feel the wind in your hair and hear the roar of the engines. I imagined myself behind the wheel at the Daytona Speedway. It would be loud!
Grandpa showed me how to read the directions and find the pieces. He let me cut a piece from the plastic frame and glue it in place. Before you know it, I was building that race car!
Ending “I want to be a race car driver," I told him. He said models let him pretend he was. He even let me take it with me when I went home!
