Unit Plan - The Writing Process

The link below is a unit plan found on Teachers Net. It is the process of writing an essay. There are a total of nine steps and the author of the unit plan says it requires about 90 minutes per step.

http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/1555.html

I think this would be a useful unit plan because each step is very detailed and says specifically what needs to happen at each step before proceeding onto the next. Each step builds on the next and eventually includes editing and peer reviewing. I think there could be an additional few steps that include brainstorming or letting students select their own topic for writing. This sounds as if the teacher only gives them three topics to select from. I would let students choose. I also like that students are given opportunities to discuss the topics and throw some ideas around before they begin the actual writing process. I would add handouts that guide students toward organizing their ideas before they write it out. Another handout I would include would be to writing thesis, topic sentences, etc.