How to Use Layering as a Writing Tool
Layering is a writing tool that empowers students with freedom to develop and express their ideas in a way that is sensible and easy to read. Layering is just one of many simple writing ideas that will make the writing process easier for both students and teachers to get through.
Instructions
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Begin by teaching structure. If you are working on essays, for example, remind students of how to use essay structure; if they are working on a story, make sure they know how to include a beginning, middle, and end. Instead of needing to backtrack later on in the layering process, take a little time to take care of this simple step early.
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Help students to break down their work into sections. Students have a tendency to always try writing their prose in a chronological format. Therefore, students must be taught to layer their work in a way that allows for greater expressiveness. Instead of writing an opening paragraph of an essay, for example, a student may be more easily able to get started with the conclusion. If his work is already separated into discrete parts, the student will be able to give his attention to this closing section, or any other part, when he is ready to instead of once he is nearing the completion of his writing process.
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Give students freedom to write down their ideas in a "rough draft" format. Consider this the "saftey net feature" of the layering strategy. Many students are intimidated by the writing process, and they need a chance to relax before making their best effort. Other students, on the other hand, feel like anything they put down on the page is written in stone, and are apprehensive about making revisions. Both types of students can benefit from writing a rough draft of their work. Students should be reminded that effective composition is a step-by-step process that requires patience and planning.
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Isolate areas needing improvement, and develop them. This is where the real magic of layering happens. Often instead of logically elaborating on a topic, a student will suddenly develop a case of writer's block. Rather than to naturally express her ideas, the student will try stringing a number of vaguely-related sentences together. For example, instead of carrying forth a train of thought about what she thinks about violence on television, a student often will simply say something brief such as "The most violent programs I have seen on television are Program A, Program B and Program C. . ." Afterward, she may perhaps list a series of relevant scenes from the same three programs. When using layering as a writing tool, however, the student is guided to reflect on her own ideas, and to elaborate on them with descriptive language. Instead of observing her own writing from afar as a bystander, the student is encouraged to get close to her topic and develop it with language that appeals to the senses. For example, she may revise her writing to say "Last night, I saw a movie that was so gory that it made my skin crawl. . ."
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Reassemble all parts into a whole after revisions. See if it all makes sense once all of its parts are finally patched together. Double-check to make sure that nothing is missing, and that every part has been layered.
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Make sure that students supply transitions between parts and/or rewrite. This step will probably take some time, but it may also be very easy for certain advanced students. Rewriting may often involve overhauling paragraphs completely, rather than to simply make simple punctuation or spelling changes. The whole purpose of layering is to train students to think in a new way about the writing process instead of just handing in a series of sentences and paragraphs that are not thoughtfully placed together. Teach students that taking their time to elaborate their ideas is much more fun than to try to turn in lower-quality, undeveloped work.
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Tips & Warnings
Help students to keep their writing conversational. Frequently, students are intimidated by the writing process because they feel that they must write with a voice which is fancier than they will ever use in their daily lives. Teach them to relax and learn that a simple writing assignment doesn't need to be more difficult than necessary, and with layering it can even be enjoyable.
Be sure not to let layering become nothing but an excuse to ramble. While elaboration in writing is welcome in the layering process, make sure to keep the writing sharp and to the point.
