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2.1 Stages of the Writing ProcessT he five stages of the writing process allow you to explore,

investigate, and write about any topic. In the following pagesyou will follow the investigation and writing process of a highschool student, Shella Calamba.

The Five Writing Process StagesWriting is a process with different stages. Professional and student

writers all follow processes made up of combinations of the stagesshown below.

46 Unit 2 The Writing Process

The

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LESSONLESSON

2.12.1

PREWRITING The first stage, called prewriting, is the idea stage. By prob-ing your thoughts, you can discover a topic and a purpose for writingabout it. This is the stage in which information or details are gatheredand the paper is planned. Shella Calamba began investigating her fam-ily’s history by using a prewriting technique called freewriting.

Exploring my family‘s history. Chinese and Spanish ancestors. Great-grandparents half Chinese. Great-grandfather Filipino. Great-grandmother very religious according to my mother. My mother was named after my great-grandmother, Josefa Parcarey. My great-grandfather was the mayor of the town. Both my grandparents were farmers. I could write about my mother‘s genealogy.

The Writing Process

Prewriting Drafting Revising Editing/Proofreading

Publishing/Presenting

During the freewriting stage,Calamba’s ideas are randomand free flowing, but theylead to a writing topic.

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TeachUsing the ModelAsk students to mention specific ways thateach stage of Calamba’s writing is differentfrom the prior stage. (In drafting, Calambaexpressed her ideas in full sentences, addinga paragraph about her mother’s early years,arranged in time order. In revising, Calambaadded details like “every afternoon at pre-cisely five” and “a restaurant owner” toprovide a clearer picture of her family andbackground. She also moved a sentence toadd emphasis and changed certain words toexpress her meaning more exactly.) L2

FreewritingAsk what students notice about Calamba’sfreewriting. (She wrote mainly in words andphrases.) Explain that correct grammar andspelling do not matter in freewriting. Theidea is to capture thoughts on paper. L1

2.1DRAFTING Drafting is writing your ideas down in related sentences andparagraphs. The goal during drafting is to let your writing flow withoutworrying about grammar or mechanics. Notice how Calamba has com-bined related ideas in a paragraph.

The Writing Process

REVISING Revision means reading your draft closely, reminding yourselfof your purpose, and reworking and clarifying your ideas, as Calambadid here.

Journal WritingIn your journal analyze your own writing process. Which of thesefirst three stages do you find easy? What are your stumblingblocks? Do you always move straight forward, or do you some-times return to a previous stage?

My great-grandfather was the mayor of a

Philippine province. My great-grandmother,

Josefa, a religious woman, taught my mother

Latin prayers. They would pray together.

My grandparents raised eight children.

Two aunts were teachers, and one has a

store. My mother is a pharmacist in Chicago.

One uncle is in business, and one is a

nurse in Australia.

every afternoon at precisely five.

became owns

a restaurant owner

used to

It is far from a coincidence that my

mother was named after my great-grandmother,

Josefa. My mother spent her early childhood

years under my great-grandmother’s watchful,

firm eye. Later, she spent her teenage years

in Manila, where she studied in high school

and college.

2.1 Stages of the Writing Process 47

In revising this passage,what details has Calamba added? Whateffect do they have? What other changes didCalamba make?

How does Calamba givestructure to her ideas inthe drafting stage?

FocusLesson OverviewObjective• To employ a recursive process that

includes five stages—prewriting, draft-ing, revising, editing/proofreading, andpublishing/presenting

Skills• identifying writing process stages; moving

among stages

Critical Thinking• identifying main ideas; classifying

Listening and Speaking• discussing

BellringerDaily Language Activity

When students enter the classroom, havethis assignment on the board: Write a fewsentences about something you have inves-tigated lately.

Grammar Link to theBellringerHave students correct any run-on sentencesthey might have written in their Bellringerassignments.

See also Daily Language Practice

Motivating ActivityTo underscore the unit theme, announce thatyou’re conducting an investigation and youwant the students to join you in it. Ask whenstudents have conducted an investigation(such as researching a science project orexploring a new vacation spot). Explain thatthis lesson deals with a kind of investigationthey may not have thought of—writing andthe writing process.

Journal Writing TipRecalling Before students begin thisactivity, you might have them eachexamine a few pieces of their bestearlier writing.Ask them to recallwhere they got their ideas—fromdaydreams, friends, or their ownexperiences, for example—and whatprocess students engaged in to getthe finished pieces of writing. Encour-age them to record discoveries theymake about how they write.

Have students write three ways tocorrect run-on sentences.

See also Two-Minute SkillDrill Transparency 2.1

Two-MinuteSkill Drill

Resource Manager

Planning Resources• Lesson Plans

Transparencies• Bellringer • Daily Language Practice • Fine Art 7–12

• Two-Minute Skill Drill • Writing Process 2–8

Other Print Resources• Composition Enrichment, p. 7• Composition Practice, p. 7• Composition Reteaching, p. 7 • Cooperative Learning Activities

• Listening and Speaking Activitiespp. 6–8

• Thinking and Study Skills, pp. 5, 13,26

• Writing Across the Curriculum• Writing Assessment and Evaluation

Rubrics

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AssessEvaluation RubricsWrite a Personal ResponseUse these criteria when evaluating your stu-dents’ 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 ActivityStudent copy should include these elements:• clear topic• statement of purpose

ReteachingComposition Reteaching, p. 7

EnrichmentComposition Enrichment, p. 7

Use Fine Art Transparencies 7–12for enrichment activities also.

CloseHave students list the five stages of thewriting process and write a one-sentencedefinition of each.

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TeachUsing the ModelExamining editing changes in Calamba’sparagraph, students wonder why Calambadecided to spell out “U.S.” Explain thatnames of countries are usually spelledout when used as nouns. Stress that evensuch small details should be corrected inediting so that the final version makes agood impression when presented to anaudience. L2

Additional Resources

For further stimuli for writing, see FineArt Transparencies, 7–12.Writing Across the CurriculumCooperative Learning Activities

Writing Process Transparencies, 2–8Thinking and Study Skills, pp. 5, 13, 26Listening and Speaking Activities,pp. 6–8Composition Practice, p. 7

2.1 2.1

2.1 Stages of the Writing Process 49

Write a Personal ResponseFollow the five stages of the writing process

as you write a response to a painting in thisbook. What does the subject or mood of thepainting remind you of ?

PURPOSE To use the stages of the writing processAUDIENCE Your classmates

LENGTH 1-2 paragraphs

WRITING RUBRICS To write a personalresponse, you should

• freewrite to explore your associations

• focus on one aspect of your response at atime as you draft

• revise to clarify your ideas

• check spelling, grammar, and punctuationas you edit

Cross-Curricular ActivityMUSIC Use the writing process to draft aparagraph about a song or a music video.Begin by listening to the music or viewing thevideo. Notice the artistic qualities of the per-formers’ presentations. Then identify yourtopic and your purpose for writing about it.Progress through the steps of the writingprocess to create your paragraph.

Listening and SpeakingSPELLING Exchange your personal responsefrom the writing activity with a partner. Worktogether to correct any spelling errors in yourpapers. Keep a list of words that have givenyou difficulty. Use your list as a resource andcheck against it as you proofread your work.

Writing ActivitiesWriting Activities2.12.1The W

riting Process

When you edit, correct run-on sentences.

Imagine that you are in the editing stageof the writing process. Rewrite the run-on sentences below.

1. Writing is a journey that is seldomsmooth often it is an exploration ofyour thoughts and ideas.

2. There are five stages in the writingprocess prewriting is the first.

3. During the freewriting stage ideas arerandom but they can lead to a writingtopic.

4. A good writer moves back and forthamong stages for example whilerevising, a writer may choose to adddetails.

5. Presenting is the final stage you shareyour writing with a reader.

See Lesson 13.10, pages 559-561.

EDITING/PROOFREADING In this stage look closely at each paragraph,each sentence, and each word. Do your sentences flow smoothly? Arethey grammatically correct? Are your spelling and punctuation correct?Notice how Calamba edited the paragraph below.

48 Unit 2 The Writing Process

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PUBLISHING/PRESENTING Sometimes sharing your writing with a readersimply means handing it in to your teacher. At other times you wantyour thoughts and ideas to go far beyond the teacher’s desk. For exam-ple, Calamba might decide to submit her essay to her high school’s proseand poetry magazine.

Move Among the StagesGood writers move back and forth among stages in the writing

process. For example, you might reach the revising stage and notice thatone section needs more explanation. You could return to a prewritingtask, such as freewriting, to explore those ideas in greater detail.

When you write, your mind is in a state of motion. This perpetualmotion is absolutely necessary; after all, you are involved in an investiga-tion to discover your thoughts.

Recursive Writing Process

Prewriting Drafting RevisingEditing/

ProofreadingPublishing/Presenting

My mother came here to the U.S. and

became a pharmacist. All seven of her

sisters and brothers have raised familys of

their own. For this reason, I have many

cousins, Ive never had to live in the

isalated world of the proverbial only child.isolated

United States

families

.

In editing andproofreading thisparagraph, Calambacorrected spelling and punctuation.

Answers1. smooth; often2. process. Prewriting3. random, but 4. stages. For example,5. stage; you share

PrewritingTo help students who find writing difficult, suggest that during prewritingand drafting they pretend they are talking to someone about their topic.Emphasize the exploratory, free-flowing nature of the early writingstages—prewriting and drafting. Tell students that they needn’t worryabout grammar, spelling, or punctuation conventions until a later stage.

Listening and Speaking