Humanities at KVCS

Andrew, Tanner, Mike and Brandon typing their 2nd drafts

There’s nothing better than the sound of keyboards clicking away as your students diligently type their second drafts…if you’re an English teacher that is.

Yep, we’re using the writing process here. We started with a list of ideas. All I asked was, “What do you want to write about and how do you want to write it?” and they took off running. Kids want to write. I think we all do, some of us just don’t know where to start. Well, you have to start with ideas.

Next came brainstorming. I had them just sit down with a piece of paper and something to write with (some found a nice place outside while others stayed inside). Once you have an idea, the thoughts start flowing, but if you don’t write them down, you’ll forget later. I told them not to worry about organization yet, just get everything down on paper.

After brainstorming for a couple of days, we started putting things in order by using graphic organizers and outlines. It was like a puzzle. They had all the pieces from the brainstorm and now they could start putting it all together.

This process took about 2 and a half weeks and then we finally started writing the first drafts. There were no complaints, no whining, no “I’m stuck and don’t know what to write.” Yeah, the writing was rough and full of misspelled words and grammatical mistakes, but that’s exactly what I wanted. That’s why there’s a second draft and a final draft.

Our goal is to publish one writing assignment a month and we’re well on our way.