Teaching the Writing Process in Secondary School
In “Process Writing and the Secondary School Reality” by Barbara Carney, she explains she effectively made students participate in the writing process through a series of events that were creative, yet also followed the formal English curriculum of composition. She felt this was achieved through student ownership of their writing. This created a relaxed atmosphere because students can pick their own topic and have peer groups to discuss their papers. Multiple drafts were a key element in the writing process. According to Carney, writing is a hierarchy process with High Order Concerns and Low Order Concerns. The HOCs are the focus, organization, tone, and development of the paper. The LOCs are sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling. She felt LOCs were more effective if saved for the last draft.
How can we fit the writing process approach into our large and regimented classrooms?
Carney’s writing process involves prewriting, three drafts, editing, and a final draft. Prewriting involved giving a couple of general prompts for the students where they can choose the topic they want to write. This creates ownership because they can choose what they want to focus on. Students have to turn in a formal thesis which gets feedback, but will not be graded until the final draft. Then, once their thesis is returned, they begin the first draft. It is important to give credit for drafts as well as the final product to place value on the assignment. The second draft always involved peer groups. Once the second draft is done, students get together in conferences to share their writings. If a student is unmotivated and does not have a paper, they will be asked to write quietly while conferences are going on. The third draft must be turned in to the teacher for feedback not corrections. If there are errors, it is best to circle or underline them so the teacher is not just viewed as an error-corrector. There is the editing draft which is different form the final draft to focus on the LOC’s at the end. This is most helpful if read out loud with peer group conferences. The final draft will be the reflection of all these stages. Students feel pride they achieved their goal and be proud of their works.
