Drafting Checklist - Writing Process Checklist Series

Overview of Writing Process Checklist Series

This series will delve into the three different checklists I use in my classroom to help students stay on track in their writing. There will be a separate area for each of the checklists: Drafting, Revision, and Editing. Links for the next parts of the series are found at the bottom of the page. If you would like to have this freebie to use in your own classroom, click here.

By using these writing checklists, students have an accessible and achievable way to take responsibility for their own learning. The list gives clear cut suggestions in a way that students can cross them off once they have tried that item. It is also something that students can reference again and again.

I have used this with my 9th grade English Language Arts (ELA) students, my freshman composition students (college level), and while tutoring writing as my side hustle. I have also shared them with other colleagues who teach writing for high school students. In each usage, these checklists served as a guidepost for students. They would reflect back on it and I would remind them that the writing process is not linear so they may see some strategies that go against what they have always done. Yet, even though that process is recursive, students are able to see a step by step guide while working through each stage of the Checklists. I encourage my students to start with the Drafting page to get their work situated and then move to Revision. At this point, students may end up going back and forth between the two lists before moving into editing. Once students have enough practice with the sheets, they tend to internalize that learning and use it habitually without the need to consistently reference the checklists provided to them. And that is my goal as a teacher. I want them to become self-sufficient in their writing and feel the confidence to review their own work after they leave my classroom.

Writing Process Drafting Checklist

The Drafting Checklist is best used in order. But note that students may come back to this checklist as they revise since the writing process is fluid.  

Breakdown of Each Item:

• CRAFT - Deconstruct the Prompt
• CRAFT is an acronym that I have used in and out of my classroom for years. It began with RAFT but I made some adjustments to be more clear for my students to deconstruct the entire prompt into different parts. CRAFT stands for: Criteria, Role of the Writer, Audience, Format, and Topic. Ultimately, I have students use this first to clarify their mindset for their writing and then later as a checklist to be sure they have met all of the expectations of the prompt. For more information on what CRAFT is and how it works, click here (Coming Soon).
• Outlining
• There are many types of outlining strategies that students can use. I am a proponent of the simple outline. Have students write what their answer to the prompt is at first glance (just to orient them) and then identify examples and topics that they would like to use to support that answer. I have more information on outlining here (Coming Soon).
• Crappy Draft
• Oh the crappy draft. I always tell my students (high school, college, and tutoring) that the first draft they write is always going to be the worst one, so they might as well make it the best worst draft they can. I encourage them to get all of their ideas out (with the guide of the outline) but not to revise as they go. I tell students that this is the time to get all of the ideas out of their heads and on the paper because it is easier to revise words on the page than have a blank one staring back. Ultimately, the first draft is never the one that the teacher will see. I find that pointing out to students that I can tell when their papers are the first draft, and that my college career was full of these drafts, I know that even one revision later will impact their overall writing extensively.
• Out of Order
• I am a broken record on this one. When writing, I never start with the introduction because I don’t know what I am talking about yet. I clarify my ideas as I am writing. This is true for a lot of students as well. Essentially, the purpose of the introduction is to give context so that the reader/audience can understand the rest of the paper. As such, I like to start with what I know. I have also found that students tend to get stopped at the introduction with writer’s block because they do not know what they want to write yet. So by starting with what they know, the students feel more confident in their overall writing and in their introduction that they write later. 
• Moving the Thesis
• After all of the main body paragraphs have been written, it is time to write the conclusion. Most often, I find my students thesis statements in the conclusion. That is because they finally figured out what they wanted to write about. I tell them, that’s great! Now, move this new thesis to the introduction and write a new conclusion. By working out of order and restructuring, the drafting works within their more natural writing processes.

COMING SOON

For more information on the Revision Checklist or Editing Checklist, click on the links to view the rest of the series.