When I visit schools, I ask students to walk me
through the steps of their nonfiction writing process. My goal is to learn the
terminology they use, so I can literally speak their language during my
presentation. For example, do they use “rough draft,” “first draft,” or “sloppy
copy”? Do they say “buddy editing” or “peer critiquing”?

What I’ve discovered has
surprised me. Many groups have a lot of trouble describing their process. And I
can see that their teachers are just as surprised as I am. Sometimes they even
whisper answers to students sitting nearby. Clearly, they’re frustrated.

Why is this happening?

Here are two things I’ve noticed,
again and again, as I patiently provide a string of clues to help students list
the various steps.

1.    Within
the same school, each grade level often uses different terminology. That can
certainly lead to confusion.

2.    In some
schools, the process itself isn’t consistent from one grade level to the next.
For example, students in grades 3 and 5 do peer editing, but students in grade
4 don’t. That can also lead to confusion.

Researching, writing, and
revising nonfiction can be a daunting task. But knowing that it’s a process
composed of distinct steps with specific names can make it more manageable. By naming
and practicing those same steps over and over, students will become more
confident writers.

That’s why I recommend adopting schoolwide or even district-wide terms for each step in the process.
Younger students may skip some steps, but once a step is introduced, it
shouldn’t be omitted at later grade levels. This kind of continuity will help
students take ownership of the process and prepare them to work more
independently in middle school.

Creating a Nonfiction Writing
Process Infographic
To reinforce these steps, invite students to create an infographic
that they can add to their writer’s notebook for
quick reference. 

Here’s a (simplified) sample
based on my own nonfiction writing process. Most of these steps are appropriate for student writers. One
step schools often don’t include is what I call “Let It Chill Out,” but I highly recommend it.

After sharing my nonfiction writing process with students, work with your
class to identify and describe the steps of their process. How is their process
similar to mine? How is it different? Be sure to record your class’s ideas on
chart paper.

Divide the class into small groups and invite the teams to work together
to create a numbered list of the steps in their writing process. As the groups complete
this task, put out crayons, markers, and/or colored pencils, and give each
child a plain white piece of paper. 

When students are satisfied with their list of steps, encourage them to
use words and pictures to create an infographic that summarizes their
nonfiction writing process and solidifies the steps in their minds. Suggest
that they spend some time planning and sketching their infographic in pencil
before creating a final version with crayons, markers, or colored pencils.

When the groups have completed
this task, invite team members to share their infographic with the rest of the
class. Then encourage students to tape or staple the infographic into their
writer’s notebook, so they can easily access it in the future.