Guided Writing
During guided writing students learn to plan, construct and revise different kinds of texts for various purposes (e.g., narrative writing, expository/ content writing, poetry, letters). Teachers explicitly model, teach and support various aspects of the writing process. Students can and should make many author decisions during guided writing to promote authentic experiences. During guided writing, students can make decisions related to choosing topics and purposes for writing, choosing materials and formats, considering audience, planning ideas before writing, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing their writing. (Teachers can support decision making by presenting closed choices if needed.)
Goals of guided writing include:
- help students develop strategies for planning, composing and revising texts
- explore various purposes and formats for writing
- model and help students develop their abilities to produce many kinds of texts
Example of a Guided writing routine for younger or older students who are early writers (or beyond)
- Model Some days, the teacher shares an example of a particular kind of writing, including key features and purpose. (E.g., memoir, narrative fiction, expository content report, poetry, thank you note, friendly email message, instant messaging).
- Mini lesson (5 minutes) Teacher provides explicit instruction and practice in an aspect of the writing process related to writing process or tools (e.g., templates, graphic organizers, software)
- During writing (10-30 minutes) Students work on a piece of writing. Individuals may be working on different stages of the writing process during this stage. For example, some students may be revising a draft while others brainstorm ideas for a new piece. During this time the teacher may work with one or a few students to support their decision-making or confer with individuals about their writing.
- Sharing (5 minutes) At the end of the session, one or two writers may read a short excerpt from their draft aloud and ask for help or invite comments. Other students listen and offer comments or suggestions.
