In which writing stage do students typically write their first drafts?

Students typically write their first drafts during the stage known as the First Draft Stage. At this point in the writing process, they have developed enough understanding and skills to create a rough version of their writing that showcases their ideas. This stage allows children to transfer their thoughts onto paper without focusing too heavily on spelling, grammar, or punctuation. The primary goal here is to get their ideas down, which sets the foundation for later revisions and refining their work.

During earlier stages like the Pre-Literate and Emergent stages, students are either exploring the concepts of writing or writing in ways that may not yet resemble conventional text. In the Transitional Stage, students begin to convey their ideas more clearly but might still be focused on organization and structure rather than drafting a complete text. Thus, the First Draft Stage is specifically focused on producing a substantial piece of writing, where the emphasis is on generating content rather than perfecting it.