Yu've brainstormed; you've clustered ideas through mapping; you've assigned first drafts. Now comes the most bewildering part: how do you respond to the pieces of writing students produce? You know, based on prewriting discussions, that students often have compelling things to say. But much of it gets lost when translated from the spoken to the written voice, and the resulting piece of writing can be confusing and error-laden.

Even the most experienced writing teachers can become frustrated and a bit overwhelmed when responding to students' writing. And ABE and ESOL teachers have challenges over and above high school or college composition instructors with more "traditional" students.

Here are a few suggestions for responding to students' writing. They are established from my own experience in composition studies, in teaching writing to a variety of adult student populations, in reading, going to workshops, and observing my talented peers. Please check out some of the resources listed on page 26 for more ideas.

1.Put the pen down.
Give each paper a first read through without holding anything in your hand. This gives you a chance to read the entire piece without marking up every error you see and prevents you from making comments prematurely.

2. You can't respond to everything at once. Make choices and set priorities.
I sometimes use the metaphor of wearing different pairs of glasses when reading students' writing. I put on one pair for reading content, another pair while looking for mechanical errors. It generally makes sense to move from the global to the particular. Limit your first responses to content. If you are confused by what a student is trying to say, ask questions in the margins of the paper. Be as concrete as possible. (For example, you could ask: When did this happen? Whom do you mean by "it" here?) You don't have to ignore grammar completely at this stage, particularly if it interferes with meaning. It is often helpful to respond to a writing strategy you have been teaching. For example, if you have just taught the concepts of "thesis statements" and "supporting ideas," focus on that, and try to limit your corrections of surface errors at this stage. Remember that students can take in only so much. If you respond to everything at once, students feel overwhelmed and won't know where to focus in their revision.

You can focus more on mechanics once meaning is clarified. Again, decide on your purpose for correcting errors. If you want students to learn something and not just copy over your corrections, be selective in your corrections. Concentrate on a sub skill you have taught: run-on sentences, the use of particular punctuation, verb tenses. You might pick five spelling errors and have students add them to a personal spelling journal rather than correcting every spelling word.

The finer points of editing can be reserved for final drafts, particularly if students are submitting a piece of writing for publication in a student paper or practicing for a credential. It is important to help students learn to self-edit. Checklists for this sort of thing abound on the web and in composition texts.

3. Highlight the positive.
It is always a good idea to find something positive to say about a piece of writing, even if the content reads like a confusing jumble! You can try something like: You have a really good idea here, and I'm interested in learning more about it. Let's see how you can make this piece of writing a little clearer so other readers can read it more easily and enjoy it. Or: I know you have a lot to say about this important topic. Let's see how you can add more to it so we can learn more about your interesting ideas.

4. Make your rationale clear to students and be willing to negotiate.
ESOL students in particular often want teachers to correct everything at once. They may feel you are not doing your job if you leave certain errors alone. Explain to students why you are responding to their writing in a certain way; that is, you believe it will help them learn to become better writers. Leave room for negotiation.

5. Look for errors many students make, and turn them into mini-lessons.
If you see that many students are having trouble with, say, the use of articles, verb tenses, or transitional sentences, plan minilessons around these problems. Do some explicit teaching with reinforcement exercises, and tell students you will be looking for improvement in these particular areas in their next pieces of writing. Use actual student writing for illustrations, either from previous years, or from current writing. Be sure to check with students if they are comfortable with sharing their writing as examples, whether anonymously or identified.

6. Conference whenever possible.
Establish short one-on-one conferences with students as often as you can—at least twice a cycle. Bring your portfolio of student's work to the conference. Go over a piece of writing or review several pieces. Point out examples of errors the student makes consistently and assign some work for that student to attend to the problem areas. Assist students in internalizing a process for reviewing and evaluating their own pieces of writing.

7. Practice peer-responses.
Have students exchange pieces of writing, and give them very explicit things to look for and respond to in their partner's piece. A few questions may be all that is necessary. For example: What is most interesting in this piece of writing? What don't you understand? What would you like to know more about? What questions do you have for the writer? Such questions put the students in the role of readers, not evaluators, of a peer's piece of writing and give additional input for revision. Because providing peer-response is a skill that needs practicing, model a peer-response sheet or conference with two students while others observe and give feedback—"fishbowl" style.

8. Observe other teachers' methods for teaching writing and responding to drafts.
I learned so much my first years teaching writing by sitting in on the class of teachers I admired. It made things real, and it helped me to develop confidence. Within an ABE program, teachers can organize some kind of staff-development activities by observing anf coaching each other with a focus on writing. This way, everyone learns from one another.

Lenore Balliro is coordinator of the SABES writing initiative and the editor of Field Notes. She can be reached at lballiro@ worlded.org.