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 One of the best processes I have used to encourage writing development is a guided writing method. If this process is used continually from an early point in a student’s career, they will wean themselves off it by the time they have hit the end of Cycle one secondary, or at least that has been my experience as a teacher!!
The process is simple, and can be used for writing a short story, an opinion piece, or a narrative. The teacher decides what the writing piece will be about. For example, if the teacher has been doing work on media, perhaps s/he will want the student to talk about their favorite television show. The guided process works in three parts.
Part 1:
The teacher creates a set of open-ended (i.e., no “yes or no questions”) for each paragraph of the essay. The student then must just respond to each question with a sentence on the prompt question page. This becomes their first draft.
Part 2:
The teacher would sit with the student and look at their responses, edit their responses, request additional information, and so on. The student then takes the edited first draft and rewrites it on lined paper WITHOUT THE PROMPT QUESTIONS but honoring the paragraph each set has made. They must make all their changes and corrections.
Part 3:
The teacher then sits with the student again, and edits with them this second draft. The student will then make the final changes on another lined paper. This time they will add a title page. This is the final draft.
The teacher would assess each draft as the student goes along. To watch a student, especially one who has never written much before, experience their first successful writing piece – one that has more than 3 sentences!! – is an “ah-huh!!” moment that allows me to be grateful that I’m in this profession.
If this method is used each time a major piece is to be written, my experience is that eventually the student “gets it” – i.e., understands paragraphing, editing, and so on because of individual discussions with the teacher during the editing process. It takes about 3 years of continually using this, but in the end, the process makes it worthwhile for the student.
There are more suggestions in the chapter I have written on the writing process in the Secondary English documents on this website. This particular method has been more successful than most. There is also an example of a guided writing page.
If you try it, let me know how it goes!!!!
Morgan Douglas
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