Crash Course to the Writing Process

We have completed our drafts for the final SetBC Synergy Project. We spent almost 20 minutes everyday for almost 2 weeks planning and writing our stories. I decided to go slow with my class, we wrote in chunks. First we planned our stories. Then we started writing our beginning. The students had a chance to introduce their characters and setting, and maybe hint at the problem. I told my class that after they wrote the beginning, to look at what they planned for their problem. They should ask themselves if they need to change their problem or add to it. A few of my students started their beginning with their problem and had to go back.

For the middle, I explained that the middle tells us the problem and takes us through the steps our characters make to get to a solution. I told them that the characters have to have a plan to get to the solution. I used many metaphors so that this idea would click in their little minds. This was probably the easiest and the most challenging part for my students. I think they understood what was supposed to happen but not how to add more detail. They could introduce the problem and then they wanted to solve the problem in the next sentence. I tried to stress that the middle was where the action happens and it would be a boring story if the problem was solved so quickly.

The End. Those two little words are the bane of a primary teachers existence. Many of my students wanted to give a brief sentence and then... The End! I explained that the ending had to tell us the happy ending. What did they do after the problem was solved.

For each day that we completed a section of our drafts, I had the early finishers meet at the carpet to share their stories with a classmate. This was a chance to share, read it out loud, and hear if their writing "sounds right". I always encourage my students to read their sentences out loud to determine if it makes sense and sounds like how you would say it.

This was all just our draft stages. Once students had completed their drafts with the graphic organizer they were asked to copy the story in lined paper, double-spaced, and written neatly. I told them that we could not make fixes on the other page without making a giant mess. Since my students were just learning to edit, I enlisted the help from our trusty big buddies to edit our stories.