Section 2: Ugly First Drafts

I had an interesting conversation with Mrs. Risney last week about writing. YES! Teachers and principals talk about schoolwork all the time! She said she can tell the mark of a real writer when she compares a rough draft with a final copy. They should not look the same! In fact, they should look RADICALLY different. The final piece should be a much better version of the first draft. A real writer REVISES thier work. What does that mean? The art of revision is exactly what the word says "RE"= again "VISION"= looking. REVISION means looking at your work again, asking yourself the following questions, and then working to improve your work:

Ideas/Context

❑    Is my topic narrow, clear and focused?

❑   Are my ideas fresh and original?      

❑    Have I included descripitve details? Is there anything I can add more detail about?

❑    Does my writing makes sense?

Organization

❑   Do I have a clear beginning, middle and end?

❑    Can my reader understand my writing?

❑   Does my writing have a logical sequence?

❑    Do my paragraphs transition smoothly? Would transition words help?

❑    Are my paragraphs are in the right order?

Voice

❑    Am I writing to a clear audience?

❑    Does my writing sound like me?

❑   Is my writing expressive?

❑    Am I confident, energized, and passionate about my topic?

Word Choice

❑    Do my words create a vivid image? Can my reader visualize my writing?

❑    Does my piece have powerful vocabulary?

❑    Are my words “just right” and do they make my message clear?

Sentence Fluency

❑    Does my piece have an engaging lead?

❑    Do my words and phrases read smoothly?

❑   Do my sentences begin in different ways?

❑    Are my sentences varied in length and structure, and are they constructed correctly?

This week's challenge:

REVISE the following sentence to make it a POWERFUL piece of text.

Autumn is a nice season.