Discovering the Writing Process Across Stages

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 Going through the stages of the writing process this week was truly fascinating. I now understand more clearly how children develop as writers, from the emergent stage to the fluent stage, and how these stages overlap across grade levels. In the emergent stage, for instance, I picture students in Kindergarten to Grade 2 who are still learning to express ideas through drawings or invented spelling. Some older students may also be at this level if they are still developing confidence in spelling or sentence formation. This helped me realize how important it is to meet each child where they are rather than where we think they “should” be.

During our group discussion, one of my classmates mentioned that even older students sometimes return to earlier stages when learning new genres or languages, and that really made me think. It reminded me that the writing process is not linear but rather flexible, with students moving back and forth as they grow.

The stage that caught my attention most was the developing writer’s stage. I learned something new and very practical, that students should double-line space their writing during the drafting stage. At first, this seemed like a small detail, but understanding its purpose made perfect sense. When students leave extra space between lines, it allows room for editing and revising later. This small technique can make the revision process easier, clearer, and less stressful for both the student and the teacher.

After reading my peers’ reflections on the blog, I noticed that many of us were fascinated by how such simple classroom strategies can make a big difference. I commented on a few posts to share how this strategy could be modeled through shared writing, giving students a clear example of how revising works in real time. These exchanges deepened my understanding of how collaboration can improve teaching practice.

Reflecting on this session, I now see how important it is for teachers to provide students with tools and strategies that make writing feel manageable and purposeful. Simple practices, such as allowing extra space for corrections or encouraging sketches during brainstorming, can build students’ confidence and independence as writers. You can refer to the mini chart of the writing stages that I have attached to the blog to make the information more engaging and easier for you, my readers, to follow.

                                                                                                                                  Gloria Wells









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