Organizing the writing process

In chapter seven of Regie Routman's Writing Essentials she states "Our students will learn to "do" all the necessary skills and a whole lot more if we shift our focus to meaningful teaching of writing and then teach the necessary skills to support that writing." One particulary clear example is that of the jigsaw; sans picture on the box. Routman states that teaching children the pieces of writing, without the whole becoming clear, that is what we are doing.

In giving them the whole, then teaching the parts and coming back to the whole, Routman believes that writing will become easier and more meaningful.

I watched this work in fifth grade this quarter, in the poetry unit. The kids were given eight examples of poetry, walked through one each day and practiced. Every other day they spent on a piece of poetry; learning more about the skill. The kids did great and came up with a number of creative and inventive poems running the gamut from penguins to cheesecake.

The majority of the students worked hard and thought creatively. One or two were frozen with the enormity of writing a poem; and they needed more time to dive into the project. This is their usual mode; they are slower to embrace new things and do not want to appear foolish. One kept his paper covered while typing, covered it while it came out of the printer and turned it in folded in half and stapled.

Focusing on the parts, as opposed to the whole, may not carry over to writing successfully, according to Routman. Comparing the original essential writing goals to the new writing goals on page 144 I could see the difference. It seemed that the new writing goals were thoughtful and interesting; focusing on the whole of being a writer as well as sharing that work, as opposed to skills that were a mystery to the students. Well done.