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Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials

Our downloadable lesson plans invite students to study primary sources from the Library of Congress’s digital collections to further their exploration of the writing process. Lesson topics in this collection include journaling, drafting, revising, editing, collaboration/corresponding, and publishing.

These lessons may be used individually or together in order to model the writing process. Our lesson plans are teacher-created and align with Common Core State Standards as stated in each lesson. For these lesson plans, the assumption is made that students can define what a primary source is and what an artifact is.

These lesson plans are part of Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials. Funded by a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program, Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials complements classroom writing instruction with activities using primary source materials from the Library of Congress’s digital collections that inspire, motivate, and empower students to write.

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Journaling Teacher Notes
Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials

Journaling: Rosa Parks (Teacher Notes)

Aligned with Common Core standards for grades 6-12, this plan provides an overview of the Journaling lesson.
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Journaling Student Handout
Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials

Journaling: Rosa Parks (Student Handout)

Students will take part in 2 activities to better understand the first step of the writing process, journaling, by examining notes from Rosa Parks' draft of her autobiography.
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Drafting Teacher Notes
Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials

Drafting: Frederick Douglass (Teacher Notes)

Aligned with Common Core standards for grades 6-12, this plan provides an overview of the Drafting lesson.
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Drafting Student Handout
Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials

Drafting: Frederick Douglass (Student Handout)

Students will examine a chapter from Frederick Douglass' autobiography draft to explore the author's drafting process.
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Revision Student Handout
Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials

Revision: Clare Boothe Luce (Teacher Notes)

Aligned with Common Core standards for grades 6-12, this plan provides an overview of the Revision lesson.
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Revision Student Handout
Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials

Revision: Clare Boothe Luce (Student Handout)

Students will explore Clare Boothe Luce's scene description of her play The Women to better understand the revision stage of the writing process.
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Editing Teacher Notes
Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials

Editing: Langston Hughes (Teacher Notes)

Aligned with Common Core standards for grades 6-12, this plan provides an overview of the Editing lesson.
Download
Editing Student Handout
Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials

Editing: Langston Hughes (Student Handout)

Students will explore Langston Hughes' "Ballad of Booker T." to better understand the editing stage of the writing process.
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Collaboration/Correspondence Teacher Notes
Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials

Collaboration / Correspondence: Woody Guthrie (Teacher Notes)

Aligned with Common Core standards for grades 6-12, this plan provides an overview of the Collaboration/Correspondence lesson.
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Collaboration/Correspondence Student Handout
Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials

Collaboration / Correspondence: Woody Guthrie (Student Handout)

Explore a letter from Woody Guthrie to Alan Lomax to better understand how writers collaborate.
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Publishing Teacher Notes
Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials

Publishing: Walt Whitman (Teacher Notes)

Aligned with Common Core standards for grades 6-12, this plan provides an overview of the Publishing lesson.
Download
Publishing Student Handout
Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials

Publishing: Walt Whitman (Student Handout)

Students will explore Walt Whitman's publishing proofs to better understand the relationship between an author, a published work, and the reader.
Download

Content created and featured in partnership with the TPS program does not indicate an endorsement by the Library of Congress.

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