What a First Draft Reveals: Seeing the Writer Behind the Words

 

Learning about the writing process has really shifted how I see student writing. I’ve come to understand that writing isn’t a one-time event but a journey that unfolds over time, shaped by the nature of the task, the writer’s thinking skills, and even social factors. Every draft a child produces is a window into how they are making meaning, not just a list of mistakes. As Donald Graves once said, “Children want to write. They want to write the first day they attend school. The problem is not that they don’t want to write but that we often stop them.” This reminds me that my role is to encourage, not stifle, those early attempts.

When I look at Jonathan’s first draft, I see a child who is eager to express himself and share personal experiences. His writing shows rich ideas—he describes Kayla crying when he leaves, or leaping over the gate just to be close to the family. These details reveal creativity, imagination, and a desire to connect emotionally with his reader. At the same time, his spelling errors (like lowniwhaile for lonely while and flore for floor) and long, unpunctuated sentences show that he is still working on mechanics.

From my perspective, Jonathan is in the transitional stage of writing development. He has moved past short, simple sentences and is experimenting with longer pieces filled with detail and meaning. Yet, he still needs support with conventions like spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure before he reaches fluency. This one draft pulls together everything I’ve been learning about education theory. It’s a living example of Vygotsky's social learning; the writing is shaped by his relationship with Kayla. It shows the cognitive process of writing, pulling together memory, observation, and emotion into something meaningful.

Reflecting on this, I realize that when we assess writing, we shouldn’t only point out errors but also celebrate what the child is doing well; the creativity, voice, and effort they bring to the page. Jonathan’s draft shows that he has important stories to tell, and with encouragement, he will continue to grow in both confidence and skill as a writer. As a teacher, it is my role to nurture both the expressive and mechanical sides of writing, so students can grow into confident, skilled writers. therefore, my job as a teacher isn't to first correct "lowniwhale." It's to say, "I love the image of you and Kayla in the living room. Tell me more about that." The mechanics can be gently guided later. First, we must honor the thinker and the storyteller. By providing a safe space for this kind of authentic, staged writing, I can help students like Jonathan see that their voice matters, and that writing is the key to sharing it with the world.

Writing in Action: A Journey, Not a Straight Line

Not all writing follows a neat, linear path. An activity was done using a student's writing sample, which revealed how dynamic and unpredictable the writing process can be. Using Rog’s Stages of Writing Development (2007), I noticed that most likely the student was at the developing stage.

The writer showcased impressive skills, such as the use of high-frequency words, structured sentences, and correct use of capitalization and punctuation. All these skills demonstrated a clear sense of purpose and audience. However, the reliance on invented spelling for unfamiliar words highlighted areas needing support. This activity enlightened me that writing is not always a straight path through prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. It is fluid, with students moving back and forth as they rethink and refine their ideas.

To support students' writing, strategies such as daily writing opportunities, brainstorming, vocabulary building, and peer review are valuable. Tools like graphic organizers help further strengthen organization. Most importantly, creating a classroom culture of feedback and collaboration can boost students' confidence and help them to become more capable writers. These experiences reminded me that behind every piece of writing lies both progress and potential, and with the right support, students can flourish as confident writers.

I gained insight into the developmental progression of writing through observation. It reminded me that every scribble, letter string, or inventive spelling represents meaningful growth. Students do not leap from drawing pictures to producing polished sentences. Students pass through stages where their marks, symbols, and attempts at letters all reflect their growing understanding of language. By recognizing and supporting students at each stage, I can better guide them forward. This perspective helps me appreciate that even the smallest attempts deserve encouragement and recognition.

The Beauty of Messy Writing: Learning Through Collaboration

 Today’s class reminded me that writing is not a neat, one-time process but rather a messy journey filled with drafts, changes, and constant rethinking. I’ve realized that writing is anything but simple or straightforward. At times, it can feel frustrating when the words don’t come out the way we want, or when our ideas seem unclear. I used to think that students’ writing had to be perfect on the first try, but now I understand that the struggle is part of learning. Writing takes time, revision, and patience and that’s okay. The messiness of the process actually shows growth, creativity, and deeper thinking.

One idea that really stood out to me was letting students proofread each other’s work. I never thought about doing this before, but it makes so much sense. Just as adults share drafts with colleagues to get feedback, students can benefit from reading and commenting on each other’s writing. I can imagine how this would give my students new perspectives, help them catch mistakes they might not notice on their own, and encourage them to try different ways of expressing their ideas. I feel excited about implementing this because it seems like it would also build confidence. Students could see that no one’s work is perfect at first, and that writing is something that improves with effort and collaboration.

Writing as a social process really resonated with me too. I’ve often thought of writing as something solitary, done quietly at a desk, but now I see how powerful it can be when students talk about their ideas, share their work, and give feedback to one another. These conversations help students learn from each other, discover new words and ways to explain ideas, and think critically about both their own writing and the writing of others. I feel inspired to create more opportunities for discussion and collaboration in my classroom, so students can experience writing as a living, social activity rather than just a solo task.

On returning to the classroom, I can see myself embracing the messy side of writing more openly. I want to model my own writing process, including the drafts and revisions, to show students that making changes is part of learning. I also want to set up regular peer review sessions where students can read each other’s work and provide thoughtful feedback. By encouraging collaboration, conversation, and multiple drafts, I hope to help students feel more comfortable with imperfection, take risks in their writing, and enjoy the process of expressing themselves. Writing doesn’t have to be perfect the first time, it can be a journey, and I want my students to experience and embrace that journey.

The Map and the Journey: My Reflection on Writing Theories and Development

 

Lately, I’ve been rethinking everything I thought I knew about teaching writing. At first, my focus was on the visible stages of children’s writing development the scribbles that actually carry meaning, the bold invented spellings, and the moment when a child suddenly “cracks the code” of letters and sounds. I used to see these stages as the whole journey. But recently from listening to discussions in class, I’ve started exploring the theories that describe the actual writing process, and it has completely shifted my perspective.

It feels like the difference between looking at a map and actually walking alongside a child on the path.

The Linear Mode: the one with neat stages like Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, Editing, and Publishing was the model that first made sense to me. It’s structured, predictable, and honestly, kind of comforting. But when I placed it next to the developmental stages of writing, I realized its limits. A young child in the emergent stage, who’s proudly writing something like “I LIK MI DG”, isn’t separating drafting from revising they’re pouring every ounce of energy into just getting those letters onto the page. To force them into a rigid step-by-step process at that moment would squash the experimentation that helps them grow.

That’s why the Cognitive Process Model from Flower and Hayes struck such a chord with me. Unlike the neat, linear steps, it feels more like a description of what’s actually happening in a child’s mind. Writing isn’t a straight road, it’s a messy, overlapping, recursive process. When I watch a child pause mid-sentence to figure out how to spell “because” I can see them juggling everything at once: thinking about what comes next, sounding out the word, and checking if it looks right. That messy struggle isn’t failure; it’s the real work of writing.

So, what does this mean for me as a teacher?

I don’t see the Linear Model as something I need to enforce anymore. Instead, I see it as a goal. For fluent writers, it’s a useful roadmap. For beginners, I might just take one part of it like talking through a story before writing it down.

The Cognitive Process Model gave me a new lens of empathy. When a child looks stuck, I now ask myself: Are they struggling with ideas (Planning)? With spelling (Translating)? With checking their work (Reviewing)? Knowing this helps me give the right kind of support instead of just saying, “Keep trying.”

More than anything, I’m reminded that writing is not just one skill it’s a symphony of thinking, remembering, moving, and creating. Each child is on their own path, and my job is to honor where they are while giving them the tools to take their next step.

For me, the developmental stages show me the child in action, while the theories give me the language to understand what’s happening underneath. My goal is to stand at the intersection of both to know the map, but still walk the journey with the child, side by side.

Fellow teachers, how do you balance process models with the reality of where your students are developmentally? I’d love to hear your strategies in the comments.

Writing as Expression and Growth 🖋📚📚

Have you ever stop to contemplate how writing is more than just words on paper? Initially, I thought writing was simply putting sentences together, but now I know it is a window into the mind, a way of showing the growth of thought, imagination, and understanding. Writing connects our ideas, experiences, and emotions, allowing us to make sense of the world and share our perspectives with others.

Within a class discussion, I became more aware that writing is not only a skill; it is both cognitive and social, which connects thinking processes in the mind with the relationships and communities shaped by culture and interaction. The topic reminded me of Rog’s stages of writing development and Vygotsky’s theory of social learning, both of which highlighted that writing grows through stages supported by interaction.

It pulled together memory, reasoning, problem-solving, and creativity into something meaningful. But reflecting on these ideas, I realized how important authentic writing experiences are. Storytelling, drawing, and other creative forms of expression allow students to explore ideas deeply and communicate them in symbolic ways.

No matter their age, students can explore further to bring their thoughts to life. This process showed me that literacy should not be taught solely as a mechanical skill. Students must also develop the ability to think critically, make connections, and express their ideas clearly. Therefore, students need to be exposed to authentic stages of writing, such as scribbling, drawing, and storytelling, so they can learn to see writing as a powerful tool for expression and connection.

As a teacher in training, I embrace this lesson. My role is not only to teach students how to write but also to help them see the world differently. When students are given the freedom to explore fully, they do not only just learn to write; they learn to see. This, in essence, will encourage students to have an even broader perspective in regard to their overall academic development.

Growing Writers: How Development Shapes Learning

As a teacher in training, I am always learning new things about how children grow and how they learn. Recently, I had the chance to explore the stages of writing development alongside the general developmental stages, and this opened my eyes in many ways. At first, I thought they were two separate areas, one about writing and the other about overall growth but now I see how closely they connect.

Both types of stages move step by step, and each stage builds on the one before it. Theorists like Piaget and Vygotsky explain how children’s thinking and learning skills develop over time, while Marie Clay and Ferreiro and Teberosky show how this same growth can be seen in children’s writing, starting from scribbles and moving toward full sentences. When I understood this connection, I realized that writing development cannot stand on its own. Children need the foundation of thinking skills before they can become confident writers.

This understanding is very important for me as a teacher. If a student is struggling with writing, it might not only be a problem with spelling or handwriting. It could also mean they are still growing in their overall development. Knowing this helps me see the bigger picture. It reminds me to be patient, to give the right support at the right time, and to match my lessons with where students are in their learning journey.

For me, this discovery makes teaching feel more meaningful. It shows me that my role is not just to teach writing skills, but to guide my students as they grow in all areas. By keeping both writing stages and developmental stages in mind, I can create lessons that are more effective, supportive, and connected to the real needs of my students. This is something I will carry with me as I continue my journey to becoming a qualified teacher.