Amanda Holley
Craft Mini-Lesson: Revision and Edit Methods-
����������� �Good writing is 20 percent inspiration and 80 percent cleanup�
Class/Subject: Language Arts
Materials: 2 overheads, a handout, overhead/handout, red marking pens, old papers
Focus and Review: 5-10 min
����������� Put the overhead, of an example of a student�s writing, up on the board and hand out a copy of it to the students.� �I want you all to make corrections on your handout and then raise your hands to tell the class what one of your corrections are.�� Then go over it with them and make final corrections and correct some of their mistakes that they might have suggested.� This is to get them to start thinking about editing and revising papers and it lets me see what they already know and what they don�t know. (Examples of student responses and of the corrections are on the attached overhead.)
Statement of Objectives:
����������� Tell the students:� �Today we are going to talk about K.I.S.S.ing.�� Give them a chance to laugh about it and to get concentrated on what you are about to say.� Then tell them: � K.I.S.S. stands for �Keep It Short and Simple� and you are going to learn how to revise and peer/self-edit your writings.� This will help you in class and later on outside of class when you write something important.�� In other words, the students will be applying conventions of grammar and language usage to do these things.
6th-8th grades: Goal 6- The learner will apply conventions of grammar and language usage.
����������� 6.02- Continue to identify and edit errors in spoken and written English by mastering proofreading symbols for editing, producing final drafts/presentations that demonstrate accurate spelling and the correct use of punctuation, capitalization, and format, and listening to and monitoring self to correct errors.
National Standard #6- Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions, media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
Teacher Input: 10-15 min
����������� Start off by giving them more information about K.I.S.S. from the overhead about it.� �Read what KISS stands for and tell more about what it means with garbage words and long sentences.� I want you all to look at these sentences now and make them simple by getting rid of the �garbage words� and non-important information.� Write down a student�s answer and then put down your answer.� It is important to keep your writing simple, because is can boar your reader and start to become repetitive.�� Then go over the four basic ways to revise from the overhead on it.� �Lets now look at the four basic ways to revise a piece of writing.� Read them off of the overhead and the definition.� As you talk write up the examples of each way.�� Then give the students a handout on some questions to ask themselves when they self evaluate and peer evaluate papers.� The handout also has the symbols for revising on it.� �Read the questions and examples out loud.� Do you have any other questions that you use when you edit your writing?� If there are any write them down on the board and get the students to add them to their handout.�� (Examples of student responses and of the examples are on the attached overhead.)
Guided Practice: 15-20 min
����������� Give the students back a copy of their last paper that they turned in.� �I want you to start the revision process by self revising your paper with the new tools you were just given.� Get them to volunteer examples to the class about things that they see now that they could have done differently in their papers to make them better.� For this revising, give the students red pens to do their correcting in, so they can see what they are changing.�
Independent Practice: 15-20 min
����������� �I now want you to pair up with someone in the class and get them to peer edit your paper and see what they might change if it was their paper.� By the end of the lesson you should have the start of a new rough draft of your old paper.�
Closure: 15-20 min
����������� Tell the students: �For homework you are to take your corrections and your peer�s suggestions home and make a final draft of your paper.� I also want you to bring both your old paper and the new one to class tomorrow.�
Resources:
Warriner, John.
1995
Parsons, Les. Revising & editing: Using models and
checklists to promote successful
writing
experiences. Pembroke Publishers Limitied.
Means, Beth and Lindy Lindner. Teaching
Writing in Middle School: Tips, Tricks, and
Techniques. Teacher Ideas Press. Englewood, Co. 1998
Elliott, Rebecca, Ph.D. Painless Grammar. Barron�s.