Writing+Workshop+-+Chapter+6

The writing cycle
- Don't focus on the end product all of the time! The process is SO important - it helps the end product shine!

- PRE-WRITING = searching through books, discussing new ideas, jotting lists, thinking, etc. Show the kids how to do these things! It's so important that the kids are fascinated by what they're writing about so that they have the passion to write about it! Noise is OK in a workshop - it's necessary for some kids to be pre-writing.

- Rough drafting = "Best first draft". Spelling, grammar, punctuation aren't of paramount importance! Getting the ideas down are!

- There is a big difference between revising and editing!!! Revising helps us to improve the writing itself - fluency, resequencing, changing points of view, changing beginnings, middles and endings, etc. "Polish a gem" Whereas editing is the correction of face matters - grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.

- Students decide their audience.

- Informal publishing - as they wrote it originally. Display "best first drafts" to show that drafts matter! Even though there are scribbles and errors and sequencing issues - drafts are important!

- REREADING is THE most important tool in the writing process! Students must reread their work many times to polish it into a gem!