Describe The Writing Process

When hearing the words “writing workshop,” I immediately thought about higher-grade levels such as junior and senior high schools. I pictured teachers setting aside time in class, or even a separate class, for students to work on writing papers, mechanical skills, and the process of writing in general. Yet after reading chapter one in Teaching Writing: Balancing Process and Product, I began to get the sense that the simplicity of the writing process lends itself to be applied in a variety of situations, such as elementary levels.
In the very beginning of the chapter, the writer mentions allowing students to write about what they want makes them more motivated to be successful and to actually gain something from the assignment. It says, “Through …show more content…
Tompkins says “these charts should be developed with the students rather than made in advance by the teacher” (2012, p. 22). This allows for the students to get a handle on what is correct, so that what they move on to the higher grade levels, they will be able to self-correct since that have had a solid foundation in first and second grade. At one point in the chapter Tompkins writes, “Students supply the ideas for writing and teachers model how to tackle common writing problems” (2012, p. 23). I see this as starting to develop critical thinking at an early age, but in a way that is not too much for them to handle. I understand that first grade may seem a little young to have the students contribute ideas, but I believe that first and second graders know a lot more than we think they do. In the classroom, the teacher could structure this type of activity by giving examples of what to put on a certain type of chart and then the students will have a better understanding as to what they could say. There should also be no write or wrong answer in order to not discourage the …show more content…
By allowing them to select the topic that they want to write about and having them work together, teachers are building up the students’ love of school. When children love school, parents can breathe easier knowing that their child is starting their schooling on a positive note. Another reason that by using these writing methods in my classroom will benefit parents is because sometimes children do not tell parents what happened at school or at this age all they see is worksheets and art projects that come home. If students are producing pieces of writing that they are proud of, then the parents are able to see the progress being made in a way that is unique to the