Process Writing Project

Process Writing Project

During each semester you will complete multiple major writing assignments, with dates assigned each quarter. Genres to use include Creative, Personal, Professional, and Research Based Argument.

WRITING CENTER REQUIREMENT:

For each PWP that you complete, during the writing process you must submit your paper to the Writing Center. For detailed instructions, please click here.

CREATIVE GENRE CHOICES:

* Creative Fiction (Whitt Requirements) – a story you made up

* Original Poetry (Whitt Requirements) – any form or style.
- Minimum of 20 lines.
* Other Suggestions: Script, Graphic Novel, etc. - Must complete a PWP Proposal Form and have it approved.

PERSONAL GENRE CHOICES:

* Personal Narrative (Whitt Requirements) – nonfiction about you
* Reader Response (Whitt Requirements) - analysis and opinion of a book
- Cite the book on a Works Cited Page

- Requires minimum 2-3 direct quotes.
* Other Suggestions: Journal, Memoir, Friendly Letter, etc. - Must complete a PWP Proposal Form and have it approved.

PROFESSIONAL GENRE CHOICES:

* Business Letter (Whitt Requirements) - a real letter to achieve a real purpose
- You must email/mail this letter.
- Minimum of 350 words.
* Other Suggestions: Letter to the Editor, Book Review, etc. - Must complete a PWP Proposal Form and have it approved.

RESEARCH BASED ARGUMENT GENRE:

* Research-Based Essay (Whitt Requirements)– answer a big question using research as evidence for your position
- 3-4 Sources on a Works Cited Page
- Requires minimum 2-3 direct quotes.
* No alternate options. Each student must complete the research based essay.

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Basic Requirements:

• All papers must be in MLA format. Use the MLA label to help you. The Readers Response and the Research Based Essay both require a correctly formatted works cited page.
• All papers must have the Genre then the title.  Example: Creative Fiction: My Messing Morning
• PWP Length Requirements:  Minimum of 2 Pages - Maximum of 4 Pages. 

Follow the prescribed process, meet all deadlines, and commit to making these pieces exceptional, and you will earn the full point total. Generally, you will choose your own topics. In some cases you get a directed topic, but I will avoid that as much as possible. You can complete these assignments in any order you wish, but you cannot repeat a genre over the course of the year. Each assignment begins with the Writing Project Rubric, and all or part of the rubric will be used to assess the piece at its completion.

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Grading:

I believe that the most important part of this project is the opportunity for continual revision of work; students may earn a grade on a paper, but they are able to revise the paper multiple times to ensure that it meets the standards set. You must turn in all drafts for any teacher revision or grading, otherwise they will be returned without grading.

• An “A” indicates that the paper is accepted, and is of generally publishable quality, and results in a score of 100%.
• An “R” indicates that a paper needs revision. The student should use writer’s workshop time in class, as well as their own time, to revise the paper.  An “R” will result in a score of 75%. Students may resubmit multiple times during the assignment timeline in order to work towards receiving an “A” or accepted.
• If a student does not submit a paper, the student will receive a 0, and late work policies may apply.

The grade is completely within your control; using the rubric and responding to teacher feedback, you should engage in meaningful revision and resubmit the paper (along with all previous drafts) for assessment.  The procedure can be repeated.  Students who demonstrate a commitment to the revision process through meaningful thought and revision will be successful with this process.

Ultimately, this project is designed to emphasize the importance of revision and to you, the student, the opportunity to meaningfully engage in the writing process.  This will be very beneficial as you prepare for 10th grade, where more independent revision will be necessary prior to individual submission of papers.

For these assignments we will utilize a Writer’s Workshop. The Workshop model is designed to promote a successful written product through following a proven writing process.

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Writer’s Workshop:

Brainstorm – Include a brainstorm for ideas based upon the topic of your piece. You can use any brainstorming style that you feel comfortable with. Use your writer’s notebook every day.

Rough/1st Draft - Include a rough draft in which you organize your brainstorm into working document.

Get Help/Conferencing - Asking for assistance is an essential element to the writing process. We will always complete this portion of the process in class; however, if you miss that day, require more work than class time allows or just want to get ahead, you can have your paper edited by a friend, parent, other teacher or fellow student. We will follow a specific pattern in class, and your editors will give you feedback based on our Writing Project Rubric.

Polished/Next Draft - Your polished draft that you submit should be a flawlessly written piece that you/we deem “Publishable”. I am willing to work with you throughout the semester to write an "A" piece, if you are willing to put in the effort.

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Turning in PWPs:

Writer’s Workshop will occur weekly.  For each PWP, I will assign a Peer Review Due Date.  On this date, you must come to class prepared with a Peer Review Draft that your peers can see.  These drafts can be electronic, as long as they are in your Google Drive account or hard copy.

Students will use the Peer Editing Checklist for their Genre during in-class editing with their peers.

Polished Drafts, which will be the first draft I grade, will be turned in on Turnitin.com. They will have to be under an 8% similarity to outside sources to avoid issues with plagiarism.

Once the Polished draft is graded, you will either receive an A (100%) or R (75%) in the gradebook.

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Revisions:
If you earn an 'A', you are done for that paper assignment. If you receive an 'R' I expect you to revise your paper and make the corrections I have given you. To do this, you will print out your original submission. Make corrections on a new copy of your paper. Highlight all changes that have been made on the updated copy, print it out, and staple it on top of your original submission. These will be turned in hard copy. For each additional revision you have to make, you will need to print out a new copy with updated and highlighted changes and staple it to your previous copies. The first copy of your revision must be turned in along with the Process Writing Revision Submission Form.

If you do not have all drafts, or do not highlight your changes, your paper will not be graded and will remain at an 'R' 75%.