Balancing Process and Product Katie Johns Spartanburg Writing Project June 8, 2010

“Both process and product are essential components in writing instruction. The writing process is a multi-step process based on how real writers write. This process is the foundation for teaching children to write. The product is the writing children create.” Tompkins, Gail E. Teaching Writing: Balancing Process and Product. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2007.

“Basically there are two main kinds of studies that make sense for a writing workshop: studies that have something to do with the process of writing (and what it means to be a writer living through the process) or studies that have something to do with the products of writing (Study Driven, 83) * Process involves more than prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. * Products are not the only valuable outcome of writing instruction.

What do you hope to achieve by implementing writing workshop into your classroom? Think – Pair – Share

A. a sense of self as writers, as well as personal writing processes that work for them; B. ways of reading the world like writers, collecting ideas with variety, volume, and thoughtfulness; C. a sense of thoughtful, deliberate purpose about their work as writers and a willingness to linger with those purposes; D. their membership in a responsive, literate community; E. ways of reading texts like writers, developing a sense of craft, genre, and form in writing; and F. a sense of audience and an understanding of how to prepare conventional writing to go into the world (Ray 1999; Ray 2000; Ray 2004)

Can you find evidence of student achievement of goals by assessing the final product?

Assess the process as well as the product (Study Driven, 160-161) Working Through the Process evidence the writer used workshop time wisely evidence the writer regularly tried the work of the study attention to minding due dates and turn-in times attention to quality and depth in writing reflections about the process

Assess the process as well as the product (Study Driven, 160-161) Choosing and Growing an Idea for Writing evidence of thoughtful and deliberate topic selection evidence the writer’s notebook was used as a tool to grow thinking evidence the writer engaged in the necessary work (research, gathering, talking, etc.) to support the kind of writing s/he was doing

Assess the process as well as the product (Study Driven, 160-161) Drafting and Revision evidence of thoughtful and decisive planning for drafting evidence the student engaged in strategic revision evidence of revision decisions that resulted in changes in the text evidence the writer used the teaching during the study to raise the level of the writing evidence the writer made decisions during drafting and revision that show an attention to the craft of the writing

Assess the process as well as the product (Study Driven, 160-161) Finishing evidence the writer paid careful and strategic attention to editing and proofreading the piece for errors in spelling and usage evidence the writer paid careful attention to “presentation” and the finished look of the piece

Jigsaw: “Essential Characteristics of a Writing Workshop”