Carrie E. Goodnight
October 13, 2004
Convention (Grade 6)
25 minutes

Mini-Lesson:  Editing Symbols

I.  Getting Started/Warm-Up Activity (2 min)
•	Students should have their Writing Workshop folders on their desks with the current writing sample that they are working on (students should be familiar with the procedures of Writing Workshop at the time of this mini-lesson).
Students, please get out your Writing Workshop folders if you have not done so already.  
•	 Introduction to the lesson:
	Today we will be learning new tools to help clarify the advice we give when editing other people’s papers.  We will be learning how to use codes that will help the editor relay direct messages to the writer of the piece.  These codes will also make it easier for the writer to understand the responses that the editor gives.

II.  Review/Introduction (5 min)
•	Changes in the Conference
These codes that we are going to learn about are called editing symbols.  We will use these as editors to help make the revision process more clear for the writer.  The procedures that we use in editing conferences will not change.  The only difference is that we will use the symbols to make suggestions to the writer.  

Conferences will still be:
1.  Scheduled by the editor and the writer ahead of time.
2.  Held in a quiet place where the two people can concentrate on the writing piece.
3.  Formulated to give effective feedback to the writer that is as honest, but tactful as possible.

These tools we will learn will make editing:
•	faster
•	more direct
•	more professional
•	clearer
•	more helpful for both members of the conference

Using these editing symbols allows the editor to give more formative feedback without over-influencing the thoughts and ideas of the writer.

III.  Points/Objectives to Learn
6.01 Demonstrate an understanding of conventional written and spoken expression by:
•	Using a variety of sentence types correctly, punctuating them properly, and avoiding fragments and run-ons.
•	Using appropriate subject-verb agreement and verb tense that are appropriate for the meaning of the sentence.
•	Demonstrating the different roles of the parts of speech in sentence construction.
•	Using pronouns correctly, including clear antecedents and correct case.
•	Using phrases and clauses correctly (e.g. prepositional phrases, appositives, dependent and independent clauses).
Students will use these editing symbols to help their classmates and their selves through the revision process of their writing.  The different bulleted examples of this objective are covered through corresponding revision symbols.

6.02 Identify and edit errors in spoken and written English by:
•	Reviewing and using common spelling rules, applying common spelling patterns, and developing and mastering an individualized list of words that are commonly misspelled.
•	Applying proofreading symbols when editing.
•	Producing final drafts that demonstrate accurate spelling and the correct use of punctuation and capitalization.
Students will use these symbols to locate mistakes in their writing in order to produce written pieces that are grammatically correct.

National Standards
6.  Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions, (e.g. spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative genre, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non print texts.
Students will use the editing symbols to communicate more effectively with one another in the editing process.  

Rationale
These editing symbols will make the editing process more direct and effective in conferences held during Writer’s Workshop.  Students will know how to relay their suggestions more successfully to the writer of the piece.  These symbols cut out confusion in the editing process.

IV.  Materials Needed
•	Handout on Editing Symbols to be kept conveniently in the Writing Workshop folders
•	Writing samples to use these editing symbols with (once the mini-lesson is over)

V.  Guided Practice (15 min)
•	Pass out Editing Symbols handout (symbols and abbreviations taken from http://webster.commnet.edu/writing/symbols.htm).
This handout should be kept in your Writing Workshop folder to be referred to while conferencing with a partner.  The examples listed on the handout to the right of the actual symbol are not examples of correct grammar.  They contain mistakes where the specific symbol would be an appropriate response of an editor.  The examples are there to help you understand the mistakes and practice with them later.

VI.  Independent Practice
•	Practice with the symbols and abbreviations.
Use what you already know about grammar to find the mistakes in the handouts and use the appropriate symbol in the left column as you would if you were editing someone else’s writing.  If you have trouble spotting the mistake, raise your hand, and I will help you.

•	Students will try these new symbols and abbreviations in their writng conferences with one another once the mini-lesson is over.

VIII.  Closure/Expectations (3 min)
Keep these handouts in your Writing Workshop folder so that you can refer back to them while you are conferencing.  After you use these symbols for a while, you will be able to use them without looking at the handout.

•	Share this quotation with the class:
“The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon. You can always do it better, find the exact word, the apt phrase, the leaping simile.”
__ Robert Cormier

Writing takes time, and I do not expect you to get it right the first time.  Writing is a process that you must work at.  In order for people to take your writing seriously, you must use correct grammar and punctuation.  While we sometimes view these elements of writing as formalities, they do affect what we are trying to say.  With these editing symbols, the editing process will become more clear as readers and writers can communicate more effectively with one another.

  
Editing Symbols

Symbol	Meaning	Example	
	Insert a comma	The mayor’s brother I tell you is a crook.
	
	Apostrophe or single quotation mark	I wouldn’t know where to put this vase.	

	Insert something	I know it in fact, everyone knows it.	

	Use double quotation marks	My favorite poem is Design.	

	Use a period here	This is a declarative sentence

	
	Delete	The elephant’s trunk is is really its nose.
	
	Transpose elements	He only picked the one he likes.
	
	Close up this space	Jordan lost his favorite basket ball.
	
	A space needed here	I have only threefriends:  Ted, Raoul, and Alice.	
	Begin new paragraph	“I knew it,” I said.  “I thought so,” she replied.
	
	No paragraph	“I knew it,” she said.
“He’s no good.”	

Proofreading Abbreviations

Abbreviation	Meaning	Example	
Ab 	A faulty abbreviation	She had earned a Phd along with her M.D.	
Agr	Agreement problem:
Subject/verb or
Pronoun/antecedent	The piano as well as the guitar need tuning.  The student lost their book.	
Awk	Awkward expression	The storm had the effect of causing millions of dollars in damage.	
Cap	Faulty capitalization	We spent the Fall in Southern Spain.	
CS	Comma splice	Raoul tried his best, this time that wasn’t good enough.	
-ed	Problem with final -ed	Last summer he walk all the way to Birmingham.	
Frag	Fragment	Depending on the amount of snow we get this winter and whether the towns buy new trucks.	
 Pron	Problem with pronoun	My aunt and my mother have wrecked her car. 
The committee has lost their chance to change things.	
R-O	Run-on sentence	Raoul tried his best this time that wasn’t good enough.	
Wdy	Wordy	Seldom have we perused a document so verbose, so ostentatious in phrasing, so burdened with too many words.	
WW  	Wrong word	What affect did the movie have on Shelia?  She tried hard to analyze its conclusion.