The Reading & Writing Process

The Reading Process

The key features of the reading process are:

1. Pre-reading-this stage consists of activating the interest of the intended reader(s) in the book. This may be accomplished by providing a purpose for the assigned reading or previewing the text with the student(s).

2. Reading- this stage may be exercised in various methods such as shared, guided, independent, buddy and aloud reading.

3. Responding- can be exercised by instructing the students to write in a journal, use grand conversations, flag and tag activities, or several other activities.

4. Exploring-visiting the selected read by means of instructing student(s) to re-read the selection, examine the author's craft, focus on new vocabulary words that are within the selected read, and participating in minilessons.

5. Applying-challenge the student(s) in order to deepen their interpretation and value of the reading experience. Assign projects that will assist them to make the mental correlations with the reading experience and their personal lives that will promote a personal growth such as identifying and addressing a social injustice or cause them to be motivated to further research the author, the theme, or subject matter as it affects their life directly or indirectly.

The Writing Process

The writing process consists of five parts. The five parts are:

1. Pre-writing-this first part is where the minds of ther reader(s) are stimulated on the topic and are captured on paper. Students are encouraged to brainstorm, outline the topic(s), discuss the subject matter and to explore their thoughts and ideas. The purpose of pre-writing is to organize the student's thoughts.

2. Drafting- this is the handwritten draft of the topic(s). There will be three copies at this part of the process. Students are encouraged to handwrite these drafts without editing or revisions.

3. Revision-this part of the writing process is where attention is placed on sentence structure, elaboration, using adjectives, active verbs, etc. Ideally, the draft will be reviewed by a peer and/or the teacher.

4. Editing-this is the stage focused on grammatical rules to include proper noun-verb agreement, correct spelling and punctuation. This should be reviewed an individual other than the student, such as a peer and/or teacher.

5. Publishing-is the final stage where the draft is actually produced with some sort of media. This could be limited to the classroom as part of a teacher's cirriculum via paper and pen or it may be used as a display, presented to the intended recipient (school principal or councilperson) or perhaps published as a blog. :-)


I was introduced to the writing process as early as sixth grade. The introduction was made very simple so that a class of sixth graders could comprehend the ideas; however, the writing process was faithfully taught by every English teacher from sixth grade to my final senior year in high school. I consider myself blessed to have been graced with awesome English teachers that shared the same teaching philosophy despite their various teaching styles.

In nineth grade, my English teacher provided the class with a packet of five differently colored sheets of paper. On each page, he provided an elaborate explanation to each component of the writing process. Also included on each sheet were most commonly made mistakes that hindered the flow of a paper and suggestions to improve our writing styles and skills. He promised us that we would NEVER forget that packet and on his "scout's honor" swore that we would always use what this packet of information. Twenty plus years later, I admitt that I apply these five components to every writing piece I have published. My favoriate part of the process is brainstorming because it allows me to write with "no holds barred." I truly believe it encourages the mind to go up and beyond in terms of imagination and creativity. During a brainstorming session for my senior year term paper, out of the ideas that I recorded, I was able to create a second paper that was required in one of my other classes. This knowledge has carried on in my mind beyond my high school years. I have applied this know-how my educational career, as well as work and church related life. When I was charged to create and publish monthly newsletters to serve as a communication tool within communities. At first, I will honestly confess that I felt unsure of being able to communicate effectively. I relied on that life saving packet of so many years ago and it made the task easier to accomplish.