|
Re-visioning Revision
"My kids are too young to revise," or "My kids hate to revise," are probably the most frequent statements I hear from teachers. I believe this is due, in large part, to our misconceptions about revision. All too often we communicate the expectation that revision should happen after the student has written a first draft. Asking young children to return to a piece after they have written "the end" (and don't they love to write those two words?) does set us all up for disappointment. Young children do revise all the time, but we need to recognize that revision can and does occur at any point in the writing process. For example:
Prewriting: Before leaving the meeting area, Michele tells you that she is going to write about her birthday party. On the way to her table, she decides that instead of writing a list of everything that happened at the party, she will write about trying to break the piņata. She has revised.
Drafting: Daniel begins a new piece with "One Day," decides that this is not an exciting beginning, crosses it off and writes, "Boom!" That is revision.
Conferencing: While reading her beginning to you, Nicky decides that she has left out some important information. She gets up from the conferencing table to add a spider leg. She is revising.
Author's Chair: Sunjay reads the first three pages of his "chapter book" at author's chair. Another student asks for clarification. To remind Sunjay, you write the student's question on a post-it-note. Later Sunjay adds the missing details. Yes! Revision!
In truth, I watch young children revise all the time. If ever you've seen a student erase while writing (and second-grade teachers are intimately familiar with students erasing during writing time), you've witnessed revision. I suggest you encourage students not to erase, but to cross-off instead. Tell students that when they cross-off, you can see all the smart choices they've made. Making smarter choices? That's revision.
Study Guide
A free, downloadable study guide to No More "I'm Done!" is available at the Stenhouse website -- recommended for literacy coaches, PLC groups, administrators, and teachers who wish to reflect upon and deepen their understanding of writing engagement and independence.
| 
