After completing the prewriting activities, students are ready to write. Students approach this step in different ways. The one crucial element of the drafting stage is to make model reviews accessible to all students. Here are some other guidelines for helping your students during this stage of the writing process:
1. I give students a folder (a used one) to help them manage all review materials. They keep all pre-writing materials and numerous model reviews in this folder along with all drafts.
2. We spend two 50 minute class periods for drafting. Students get out the model reviews and start drafting. If a student is struggling, I give him a generic outline. I also encourage students to begin writing anywhere in the paper: they do not need to start with an introduction. For most students, the easiest place to begin is the description/evaluation of the songs.
3. I am availble to students during this drafting period. I circulate around the room and informally conference with students as they continue to work.