Editing

1. Organization

•Read your partner’s paragraph to yourself.

• Start by telling them several things you liked about their paragraph.–Even though we are looking closely

at them to improve them, they all have some good things in them too! Don’t forget that.

•Find the topic sentence. –(It SHOULD be the second sentence.)• Underline it.• Is it actually a topic sentence for this

paragraph? (comparing poem to movie)• Did it start w/ a deadly beginning? –(There/Here is/are)

• Another deadly beginning to avoid:–This paragraph is about . . . or I’m going to

tell you about . . . .

• Find the attention grabber. –(It SHOULD be the first sentence.)• Does it have one?• Put parentheses around it.

Main Ideas

• Locate the first main idea sentence and write a #1 next to it.

• Do the same for the second and third main ideas.– Do any of these main ideas include support? They

shouldn’t! That comes next. They should only be the main idea.

Supporting Sentences

• Go back to MI #1. Check to see if it is being supported by at least two ideas. (This might be multiple sentences or combined into one.)

Put check marks above each supporting idea.

• Find MI #2 and do the same thing.

• Then also do MI #3.

Conclusion Sentence• Find the conclusion sentence and

underline it.– Is it after the last sentence supporting MI

#3?–Does it restate the main idea of the entire

paragraph – that there are differences between the movie and the poem Beowulf?– Is it another way of saying the same thing

the topic sentence said?

Transitions

• Let’s go back to the sentences you marked as MI#1 - MI#3.–Does each main idea sentence START with

a transition word?–Examples include:»For example»Another example»Next»In addition»Finally

Sentence Starters

• Circle the first word in every sentence. –Do you see a pattern? Is the writer using

the same word over and over? Is he/she using the same phrase over and over? Ex: In the poem . . . .–Give suggestions as to how to rearrange

some sentences to get rid of this problem.

• Deadly starters:–Make sure the paragraph does NOT

include any wording similar to these:• I am going to tell you about . . . .• This paragraph is about . . . .

–If you find these, mark them and work on a way to reword the sentence with the author.

Editing

2. Sentence Structure and Flow

• Read each sentence, one at a time, and evaluate the wording and flow of it.–Would you suggest any changes or

tweaks?–Is the information stated correct?

• Are there any words that can be adjusted to a higher level vocabulary?– EX: The Beowulf movie shows (displays, portrays)

–Now look at MI #1. Carefully read what is says. Evaluate: • Do the following sentences truly support the

main idea? If not, what would you suggest? • Could two sentences be combined to make a

more complex sentence structure?

–Go to MI #2 and #3 and do the same thing.

Proofreading• Now you should look for– Spelling errors–Punctuation errors–Run-ons or fragments–Verb tense shifts (present – past – present)–Parallelism (Ex: Look for connector words

like and, but and or. Make sure the structures on either side of it is the same.)–Any other suggestions you have for your

partner

Rubric

• Evaluator: Now go to the rubric on the back of the Write Tools packet. The student evaluator’s name should be PRINTED above the first column. Look at the marks and think of the suggestions you have made on this paper. Score each section on the rubric.

• Writers: PRINT your name above the second column. Evaluate/score yourself.

Write the Final Draft

• Taking into consideration everything you’ve learned in this editing session, re-write your paragraph. It MUST be double spaced and typed. – Typing Etiquette

• 12 pt. size and simple to read font (EX: Times New Roman)• Double spaced• Black ink

• The final draft is due WITH your rough draft and Write Tools packet in three days. Staple the FINAL DRAFT on top.