CHAPTER 4

STRATEGY FOUREDITING AND REVISING

INDEPENDENTLY:USING A CONSISTENT

DEVELOPMENTAL POLICY IN EVERY K-12 CLASSROOM

• In order for students to be able to improve the quality of their work, they have to learn to make their own shots.

•  Practice depends on the concept of revision.

• The teacher needs to become a genuine coach, a coach who gives feedback and has the learner make the improvements, and accepts that these improvements will be gradual.

The focus should be on teaching editing and revising in every class with specific , selective, and publicly shared developmental strategies.

Students need the collective help of all their teachers in building their language skills.

Students need to be taught how to listen, read, edit and revise.

Revising

editing that involves writing something again

To see again and to give power and clarity to expression.

REWRITING

EDITING AND REVISING

EXAMPLES OF REVISION

changing a whole paragraph from passive to active

reorganizing to provide a single, clear, over-arching structure to your paper

refining a thesis statement and supplying new evidence to support it

introducing opposing evidence (by citing authors who make points that challenge yours)

...and by refuting that evidence (by citing additional evidence that answers the challenges)

deleting paragraphs that do nothing to advance your argument, and replacing them with additional paragraphs (supported with evidence) to fill the space

in a technical paper, offering a troubleshooting guide, or writing a new "experts" and/or "beginners" section to address the needs of that specific group.

Editing

involves reviewing text written on a technical topic, and identifying errors (grammar, punctuation and use of words) related to the use of language in general or adherence to a specific style guide.

To refine and clarify so that others can make meaning from our communication.

EXAMPLES OF EDITING:

deleting needless wordscorrecting spelling or awkward

phrasingchanging, standardizing punctuationmoving sentences or paragraphsadding or improving a transitionconverting a paragraph to a bulleted

list (and vice-versa)

Students need to genuinely understand the logic and purpose of grammar.

Grammar is “covered”; it is not learned.

The following outline establishes appropriate expectations for the development of students’ editing and revision skills according to their developmental level. The goal is that each student will eventually learn to work independently on the designated editing and revision tasks at each of these levels:

ALL STUDENTS IN GRADES K-2 WORK INDEPENDENTLY TO

Edit forEnd punctuation (period, question mark, exclamation

point)Exclamation point (!) suggests

excitement or emphasis in a sentence.

Ex. I can’t believe how difficult the exam was!

Question mark (?) suggests an interrogatory remark or inquiry.

Ex. What has the humanity done about the growing concern of global warming?

Period (.) denotes a full stop at the end of the sentence.

Ex. The accessibility of the computer has increased tremendously over the past several years.

Capitals at the beginning of each sentence

Ex. The students have very little free time because of heir exams.

Capitals in proper namesEx. Dorothy and her family went to

Egypt. Complete sentences by reading aloud

Revise forReplacing one word with a better

wordEx. Drink your medicine.

Take your medicine.

ALL STUDENTS IN GRADES K-3 WORK INDEPENDENTLY TO

Edit forEnd punctuationInternal punctuation for commasWe use comma(s) when:denoting an appositiveEx. Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, is the developer of the operating systems known as Windows.

denoting a seriesEx. The fruit basket contained apples,

bananas, and oranges.your subject has three or more adjectives describing it.

Ex. A deep, powerful, resonating sound caught our attention.

CapitalizationFirst word of every sentenceProper names

Subject/verb agreementThe train arrives at noon.The trains arrive at noon.

Proper tenseFuzzy spelling

bourgeoisie

Revise for Embellished adjectives Variation in sentence lengthParagraph formationEngaging openings

ALL STUDENTS IN GRADES 6-8 WORK INDEPENDENTLY IN ALL SUBJECTS TO• Edit for– End punctuation – Internal punctuation (comma,

semicolon, colon, quotation marks)Semicolon (;) is used to

Separate 2 related but independent clauses Ex. People continue to worry about the future; our future to conserve resources .

Separate a complex series of items, especially those that contain commas.

Ex. I went to the show with Jake, my close friend, his friend, Jane, and her best friend, Jenna.

I went to the show with Jake, my close friend; his friend, Jane; and her best friend, Jenna.

Colon (:) is used to:To introduce a listEx. The professor has given me three options: to retake the exam, to accept the extra credit assignment or to fail the class.

Quotation marks (“)-double quotation mark (“) encloses a direct quotation, whether made by a person or taken from a piece of literatureEx. “I can’t wait to see him perform!” John exclaimed.

-single quotation mark or apostrophe (‘) has a variety of uses.

Indicates possessionEx. The hamster’s water tube needs to be refilled.In the pet store, the hamsters’ bedding needed to be changed.

Combines to works to form contractionsit is- it’s you are- you’rethey have- they’ve do not- don’t

Within a regular quotation to indicate a quotation within a quotation

Ex. Ali said, “ Anna told me, ‘I will not lose.’ ”

–All capitalization The first word of every sentence The first-person singular pronoun,

I Proper nouns

–Complete sentences–Subject-verb agreement–Proper tense

- Run-on sentences and sentence fragment

Fragments- are groups of words which do not form a sentence. They may have a subject but do not have a verb, or if with a verb, they have no subject.

Ex. The problems in isolated barrios Are waiting to be heard

Run-on sentence- a sentence in which two or more independent clauses (i.e., complete sentences) are joined without appropriate punctuation or conjunction

Ex. The boy showed us his tickets someone gave them to him.

Revise forPrecise and rich vocabulary with a

focus on including adjectives and adverbs, more engaging action verbs, and more precise nouns

Sentence varietyParagraph formation

ALL STUDENTS IN GRADES 9-12 WORK INDEPENDENTLY IN EACH CLASS TO

Edit forEnd punctuationInternal punctuation (comma,

semicolon, colon, quotation marks)All capitalizationComplete sentencesRun-on sentences and sentence

fragmentsSubject-verb agreementProper tense

• Revise for– Precise and rich vocabulary with a

focus on including adjectives and adverb, more engaging action verbs, and more precise nouns

– Sentence variety– Paragraph formation– Smooth transitions– Expansive openings– Including concessions in arguments– Appropriate voice– Expanded range in genre choices

 

There is a direct link between writing, and the other language capacities of speaking, listening and reading

Amy Benjamin, Writing in the Content Areas (2005)

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!

Reported by:

Alyssa Denise A. ValinoBSED 3