AnaLeah Marino's ID portfolio

This is a template for the ID portfolio page, where you will document your instructional design work in progress during this semester. This template is used to organize your own portfolio page. DO NOT EDIT the template page itself. See the video guide on how this project works and how to set up your ID portfolio page: Zoom Video If you need to see examples, see Gërt Arnold Portfolio Page; Sarah Stolberg's Portfolio Page.

Navigation links: ETAP 623 Fall 2026 | Link to my mini-course front page

About Me

Hi! My name is AnaLeah Marino, and I am a student at University at Albany. I am working towards my Master's degree in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology. I have my bachelor's degree in Childhood Inclusive Education from SUNY Brockport. I am a first-year english language arts teacher in the fifth grade! I love the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, and enjoy spending time with my friends and family. I love to read and spend time traveling around the world!

My Topic and Purpose

My topic for my mini-course will be the writing process in the classroom and providing instruction and pedagogues to better assist teachers in teaching writing. Writing is a part of ELA curriculum that can be extremely challenging, especially when working whole group. There is not a lot of instruction for teachers to use as a resource and I would love to build a stronger systems that all teachers can turn to. This course will offer insight and research on different approaches to each step of the writing process, and ways teachers can create a stronger writing block.

Scope of Learning Outcomes and Content

For English language arts teachers struggling to find a strong framework for teaching writing curriculum in the classroom, this course will provide strategies aimed to create a productive and on-task writing environment. This course will break down the writing process (pre-write, draft, revise, edit, publish), finding where students and teachers are struggling, and building stronger habits for academic struggle and understanding in the writing process.

In this course, learners will explore the following questions:

What is the writing process?
Where are students getting lost in the writing process?
How can teachers better support students during this process?
What does conferencing and independent work time look like during this process?
What strategies can better support teachers during this process?
What framework can be applied to make this process universal, no matter the genre?

Needs Assessment

The educational problem

This course was created to address the educational problem noted within writers workshop in the classroom. Teachers are tasked with teaching students a writing curriculum, however they are often not taught how to properly teach writing. According to an educational source written to address this current problem, “more empirical research is needed to explore elementary preservice teachers’ preparation for teaching K-6 writing” (DeFauw, 2020 p.4). There is often a lack of proper training and college courses available for teachers to help them in learning to instruct writing. While there is a writing process, there is little teaching on how to implement the writing process in a way that students can understand and begin their writing journey. Throughout this mini-course we will discuss the writing process, and ways teachers can better prepare their students to complete each step. By better preparing our teachers on writing curriculum and pedagogy, it can create more concrete and consistent writing routines where students can flourish in their writing.

In addition to the lack of a writing curriculum, it is also important to note the lack of time in many educators' school days to properly teach writing. Many times, writing is crammed into the reading block, only allowing for 20-30 minutes of writing instruction in a day. Due to this, creating a consistent routine where students are aware of their objectives and learning expectations can create for a smoother writing time in the classroom.

The learners/participants involved

This mini-course was created for any current teachers, or pre-service teaching looking for assistance with writing curriculum. The course will work to break the writing process into smaller steps, discussing the teacher role and students roles for each. It will offer ways teachers can better implement each step across any grade level. Participants in this mini-course will learn strategies to implement writing though better understanding of writing pedagogies.

Analysis of gaps

In terms of know vs. need to know, teachers have to move beyond knowing how to read a teacher manual and instead begin to understand how to educate students on the writing process. Teachers are often given teaching manuals that they can use in the classroom to assist in the teaching strategies they are taught in college and in practice. However, with the lack of writing strategies taught in college and in practice, teachers are only relying on their manuals to teach. This is where we need to address the gap and see change. By teaching our teachers about writing pedagogies and strategies to teach writing, teachers will feel better supported and more confident in their ability to teach writing in the classroom. In terms of what is ideal, teachers would be given strong writing instruction throughout their college years that they can then take into the classroom where they can better educate students on their teaching.

Existing efforts

The lack of proper education on the writing process is not secret, it is a topic that many are discussing in the educational world. For example, the book referenced earlier in this section offers new approaches to writing as the author herself, a third-grade teacher, noted the lack of writing instruction for educators. A teacher who came into the classroom with multiple degrees had a startling realization as she witnessed a student proclaim their hate for writing. She discusses the realization she faced and how it alerted her to her own lack of writing instruction practice (DeFauw, 2020). As more educators are realizing this, we are seeing more research and strategies being discussed to address this gap.

Analysis of the Learner and Context

The participants in this mini-course are current educators in the classroom, or pre-service teachers getting ready to enter the classroom. Teachers who are currently teaching writing, or starting to teach writing will find this course to be helpful as it will better explain the writing process. As an ELA teacher myself, and recent graduate, I have found that there is a lack of writing curriculum in the classroom and a lack of courses teaching educators how to teach our students to write. Participants should have an interest in creating a strong and structured writing process in their own classroom. Prior experience teaching writing is recommended, yet not required to participate in this course. Participants can complete this mini-course at their own pace, however it is recommended they complete it in one setting, as to properly understand the whole process. They will need a notebook and pen/pencil to participate in the writing process.

Performance-Based Objectives

After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to:

Recognize the five steps of the writing process.
Demonstrate their understanding of each step through a lesson plan.
Design a writing lesson toolbox to refer to in their writing curriculum.

Task and Content Analysis

Prerequisites Needed:

Prior experience creating a lesson plan for a class
A basic understanding of the writing process

Unit 1

Writing Process Fundamentals

Learners will be able to:

Identify the 5 steps of the writing process
Determine the difference between knowing the writing process and modeling the writing process for leaners in the classroom
Create a writing toolbox to add to throughout the mini-course.

Unit 2

Prewriting

Learners will be able to:

Identify the purpose of the prewriting phase of the writing process
Determine 2 strategies that can be used to model and teach the prewriting stage.
Design a grade-level appropriate prewriting task for the toolbox.

Unit 3

Drafting

Learners will be able to:

Describe the modeling process in drafting for students.
Provide strategies that can be used to turn student's ideas into writing.
Create a universal mini-lesson on drafting to add to the toolbox.

Unit 4

Revising

Learners will be able to:

Define revising in the writing process.
Identify and implement strategies to be used to support students in the revising phase.
Develop a classroom conferencing strategy to add to the instructional toolbox.

Unit 5

Editing

Learners will be able to:

Explain the importance of editing and how it affects student's writing.
Select appropriate editing techniques for the teacher's specific grade-level.
Design an editing checklist/routine to support students during this writing phase.

Unit 6

Publishing

Learners will be able to:

Describe the importance of student's promoting their work.
Compare strategies to determine a positive publishing activity.
Develop a publishing activity for the writing toolbox.

Final assessment:

By the end of this course, learners will have created a toolbox of strategies that can be used for each step of the writing process. Each unit ends with the learner creating a small part of the overall writing process.

Curriculum Map

References and Resources

DeFauw, D.L. (2020). Engaging Teachers, Students, and Families in K-6 Writing Instruction: Developing Effective Flipped Writing Pedagogies (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi-org.libproxy.albany.edu/10.4324/9780367823931
OpenAI. (2026). Teaching the writing process: Mini-course curriculum map [AI-generated image]. ChatGPT. https://chatgpt.com/