Models for Promoting Successful Revision

Workshop Follow-up (Supporting Successful Student Revision)

Spring 2012

Post-write:

Have students do a “post-write” after writing a draft, in which they reflect on their drafts. For instance, after the second draft, have students reflect on their writing by answering three questions: What has changed in the draft? How do you feel about it? What does it still need? These questions can also be used in peer review, or can be directed towards the instructor when he or she is commenting on drafts. This model gives students more agency by providing them with a way to reflect on and discuss their own writing.

This model suggested by Eve Eure, Kristen Anderson, and Janet Dengel.

Reverse Outlining:

This strategy can be used individually, in small groups, or with an entire class. When students reverse outline a draft, they identify the main idea and/or purpose of each paragraph in an essay, allowing them to see the structure of their writing. Having peer review partners or groups reverse outline each other’s essays can help to identify spots where the organization or argument breaks down. When doing reverse outlining with the entire class, one approach is to have students sit in a circle, and pass their essays around the circle. Each person reads the introduction, and one body paragraph, and writes the main idea of the body paragraph in the margin next to that paragraph, and whether or not they understand the connection between that paragraph and the essay’s central claim. When students get their own essays back, they should be able to see whether or not their central claims are clear, and whether or not their body paragraphs are logically connected to the central claims.

Color-coding:

Have students use different colored highlighters to highlight different parts of their own or each other’s drafts. For example, you could ask students to highlight all parts of an essay that are summary in yellow, all parts that are analysis in blue, and all direct quotes in pink. This provides students with a way to really see the areas where their essays may need more development and revision.

These models suggested by Lauralee Lubrano, Sasha Troyan, and Gerrie Logan.

Show, Don’t Tell (Modeling):

Use examples to show students work they did well and places where they could do similar work. Provide models that show students successful elements of academic writing, in both their own work and/or in classroom examples. You can approach modeling or coaching in this style as a philosophy that informs many different aspects of writing instruction, rather than as one isolated activity.

This model suggested by Catherine Keohane, Jeevan Gurung, Norman DeFilippo, Theresa Waters, and Leslie Doyle.

Modeling a Body Paragraph in an Essay:

Provide a sample central claim and work together to build a paragraph, either in a one-on-one session or with an entire class. Build the paragraph sentence by sentence, so that student(s) can see how the paragraph progresses from an introduction/topic sentence to evidence, to creating a connection between the evidence and the central claim, and finally to a concluding sentence.

Focused Peer Review:

Have students use a specific question in peer review, or when working one-on-one with a professor or consultant, to help the listener develop a response from what s/he heard. Have students read their own papers out loud to their partners, who will be focusing on answering a particular question or set of questions as they listen. Use different questions for each peer review.

These models suggested by Jen Russo, Claudia Vianello, Catherine deLaurentis, Janis Hubschman, and Alicia Remolde.

Sample of Focused Peer Review Activity!*

Writers

Re-read your draft

Outline your draft

What is the point of each paragraph?

Choose a partner – Sit across from each other

Read aloud your revising question first – choose one of those below:

(This gives your partner something specific to listen for)

·  Does my definition of [community] come through?

·  Can you tell me what my 3 basic points are?

·  Do I have enough specific detail to make my points? Or do I need more? Where?

·  Is there anything confusing in my discussion?

·  Is there anything that needs to be cut out?

Read aloud your draft.

Listener

Gives a verbal response to the revising question

Writes down a short response on card

Writer

Writer writes down the response so s/he can review it later

Both writer and listener sign card – I will collect the cards.

Then reverse roles

*Courtesy of Professor Claudia Vianello.