GJones

Craft Lessons, by Ralph Fletcher and Joann Portalupi, prescribes fundamental writing practices and conceptual knowledge of a writer's development for practioners of writing.  To effectively implement a writing program that produces proficient writers the pedagogical approach of the practioner must incorporate a writing process.  The authors of Craft Lessons have created such a process to guide students in their approach to writing; Conceive--Craft--Correct, the Triple-C process. 

The first C emphasizes the brainstorming aspect of writing.  Within this stage of the writing process creativity and innovation can be focused via student-teacher conferencing and student-student conferencing.  According to Craft Lessons conferencing is vital to the successful development of a writer.  Conferencing should be incorporated into every stage of the process to ensure correct practices are being utilized by each individual writer.

During the crafting stage of this writing process there is one major theme highlighted, time.  Students should be allotted time to explore the writing process. Educators should plan a portion of the academic day solely for the purpose of writing.  The old adage, "Practice makes Perfect", definitely predicates the belief that the more students write the better they will become at writing. 

Craft Lessons suggest that most students skip the revising, editing, rereading, and self-critiquing aspect of writing and proceed from rough draft to publishing.  Our task as educators is to get our students to incorportate these important attributes in their everyday writing practices.  Craft Lesson's first chapter foreshadows a plan for impementing such a task.