First+Draft


 * =Elements of Teacher's Role in the First Draft=

-**Create a positive climate** Encourage an atmosphere for free, open-minded thinking.


 * -Model being a writer** Provide good writing examples for students through literature, writing about writing, or your own writing to share with students. Show students how exciting and rewarding writing can be.


 * -Believe students can write** Help students understand that, "If I can say it, I can write it" (65) and that writing is easier if you "Pretend you are telling this information to someone standing beside you" (65).


 * - Encourage "invented spelling"** According to Chapman and King, the goal of the first draft is to construct all the ideas gathered in the prewriting stage into some sort of written form. The authors raise the concern of writer's block at the beginning of this process and encourage teachers to allow what they call "invented spelling," so students can more easily **focus on the content and organization of their ideas rather than proper mechanics and grammatical woes**. While Chapman and King see this writer's block as a major hindrance to the writing process, scholar Donald Murray would argue that writer's block is as much a part of the writing process as any of the steps Chapman and King are primarily concerned with themselves. Murray may even incorporate writer's block into what he considers prewriting. Chapman and King also do a good job of rejecting the much maligned ideas of formalism as discussed by Richard Fulkerson, when it comes to getting ideas on paper.

Chapman and King suggest many ways to spur along student writing while composing the first draft. Their main concern is with the writing as a whole and how to make it focused and intriguing. These strategies should be applied to keep the writing exciting and interesting for readers. Strategies include:
 * **Create Interest**

-Surprise with an unusual format or genre -Tell it from a unique point of view -Compare or contrast with a familiar event, person, or object -Stir the readers' curiosity -Pose a question -Use fascinating facts -Use personification -Stimulate the readers' senses