The Writing Process

1.
Steps: 1. See yourself as an idea collector and user 2. Be interested in the world and observe and ask questions about, people, places, other living things, manufactured things, happenings and activities. 3. Note down ideas and observations in an idea notebook. 4. Wait for some time before choosing an idea to work with. Teachers note: Tell students that they will collect ideas to write about Encourage and ensure an idea notebook for every student. Set aside a few minutes fro students to note down things. Ask questions to facilitate student ideas.

Getting ideas

2. Planning a piece
Steps: 1. Pick the idea you want to write about 2. Specify the intended audience 3. Decode the purpose of the work to describe object to give information about subject to teach a reader a skill to convey an opinion about the subject to change the readers behaviour to entertain the reader. 4. Express the idea in a sentence or a working title 5. Choose the format- it can be a letter, a poem, an auto biography 6. Brainstorm topics or events or events you want to cover 7. Determine the length of you words, lines or pages 8. Select the narrative point of view-The narrative is usually in the 1st or the 3rd person. The 2nd person is used mostly in instructions and ads that aim to involve the reader in action. 9. Choose the tone- humorous, tragic, witty. Should the words sound angry, friendly, loud, soft, and sarcastic?

3. Researching
Steps: 1. List questions that need to be answered 2. Choose the method or methods youll use for answering your questions a. Tapping an information package eg: book, newspaper or magazine article, movie, map, diagram b. Interviewing knowledgeable people in the relevant field c. Using your own experiments 3. Find the specific resources youll use 4. Take notes 5. Double check the information to ensure it is correct.

4. Organizing
Steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Review the material you want to cover Identify the key topics you want to cover Choose the topic or event you want to start with Consider the topic you want to end with Write an outline to create a graphic organizer While editing use your outline or diagram to diagnose organsiational problems

5. Drafting
Steps: 1. Create a suitable work place with good lighting, appropriate noise level and stationary 2. Think about your subject and review your notes Make interesting techniques Personification Dramatization Compare Use an unexpected format Use an unusual narrator Make it relevant to the readers interest Mystify Be emotional Find the news. 3. Think of a catchy lead-definition, quotation, question or riddle, startling fact, character etc. 4. Write freely. Leave place for a better word later.

5. When ideas unrelated to topic come in mind jot them down on a rough paper to avoid losing valuable ideas. 6. From time to time stop and read what you have just written.

6. Editing
Steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. Leave the written piece a while to look at it with a fresh eye. Consider your approach. Is it just towards the grammar and punctuation or style? Gather materials needed; dictionary, thesaurus, grammar book, reference books. An editor who can make helpful comments and suggestions must review your written draft.

7. Publishing
Steps 1. Make a neat copy of the corrected and edited piece 2. Evaluate the work critically and get someone else to look at it. Think of ways it can be improved in the future.

Teaching the Seven Basic Writing Skills

Teaching step 1. Introduce the skill. Dont assume that students know what you mean when you ask them to research a topic or edit a draft. Instead, use the following activities- not necessarily in this order to clarify the concept. A. Define the skill clearly. Use both literal and figurative definitions about the skill.

B. Support your definition by reading aloud or posting quotations by experienced writers. C. Provide a recipe that breaks the tasks into manageable parts.

D. Display examples. Invite students to help you collect models of appropriate writing and also get colleagues to share their material. E. Teaching Step 2. Demonstrate the skill. Nothing clarifies an activity like seeing it done

Give students realistic skills practice. For example have students research by reading up on a certain topic in the library and interviewing available people about it. Make these practices frequent, short, non-threatening, and whenever possible entertaining. Through overuse the skill will become habitual. Guide students through real applications of skills. Students need help when first using their skills to turn out quality products. A. Try whenever possible to have a real purpose behind the assignment-for example students will have more interest in edited a letter that will be posted than a homework letter. B. Invest class time. For example if you want students to value researching, then have them do some research in class time.

Teaching step 3.

C. Emphasize quality not quantity. Carefully editing a single paragraph does more skill building than carelessly writing ten pages.