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4. Writing Process

Teach students to use the writing process for a variety of purposes.

The writing process requires students to think carefully about their purpose, to understand what the audience needs to know, and to plan what to say and how to say it. Teachers can help students become effective writers by teaching strategies for working through the various stages of the process, gradually releasing responsibility to the student. Because writing has so many purposes—conveying information, making an argument, sharing an experience, or providing entertainment—students also need to learn that there is flexibility in the process. Teachers can help students succeed in school, as well as in their professional and social lives, by teaching the different purposes for writing and how to apply the most appropriate process.