April 6 - Tompkins, Chapter 2, Teaching the Reading and Writing Processes

Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing strategies are all incorporated into the writing process as different steps to developing a written piece of literature. Tompkins p. 61 explains the incorporation like this: “students use these writing strategies purposefully as they draft and refine their writing.” Skills that are used include content, word, sentence, grammar, and mechanical. These may be applied in think-alouds and reflected in rubrics provided by the administrator.

The writing process is a fabulous tool for effective teaching of reading and writing because it incorporates Tompkins’s principles 3-8: creating a community of learners (by feedback from teacher and peer), adopting a balanced approach to instruction (by focusing on each step of the writing process), scaffolding students’ reading and writing (each grade level can apply more polished pieces of writing than the others as specific content goals are outlined in each level), organizing for literacy instruction (the steps are so easy to follow!), linking instruction and assessment (rubrics are essential), and partnering teachers with parents (by encouraging them to take part in the writing process and be interested in the final product of the literacy).

Some of the strengths of the process include that it is very intricate, many adaptations can be made to meet the needs of any group of students, and tons of reading and writing aspects are touched upon and mastered. Weaknesses, though, include that it is extremely time-consuming for one project. Students may also get tired or bored of the same content being discussed over and over.