Instructional Approach: Process-writing

Process-writing approaches focus on helping children to brainstorm, draft, revise, edit, and publish compositions. You may have heard of process-writing methods such as writer’s workshop, write to read, and publishing classroom and school newspapers.

At younger levels, children are encouraged to use invented spelling because while they draft compositions the focus is not on proficiency but on the communication of ideas. During the writing process, children select compositions that they want to publish (make public). Such pieces must then conform to standardized syntax, spelling, and other conventions of the English language.

Based on research that indicates that proficient writing fosters proficient reading, process writing approaches are commonly used in conjunction with literature-based approaches.

Baker (2000) provides a description of how a fourth-grade teacher used technology in her classroom to support process-writing approaches.

Web site features that fit well with Process-writing approaches