Absolutely Irrevocable

What is Peer Editing?

Peer editing can be done with partners or groups. Before any peer editing takes place, instruct students to reread their revised drafts carefully and edit them individually. Self-editing is an important skill that helps students to become more aware of their writing. Only after self-editing should students take their writing to a partner or peer group for editing.

Writing Wednesday: Students work on practice tests for writing. Take the prompt apart using a do-what chart. Write the thesis using the words from the prompt.

Minilessons are a great way to begin a workshop classroom. The workshop classroom is student-centered. In a minilesson, students come together in a large group. In my classroom, we gather on the rug in the middle of the classroom.

Minilessons should be short, not more than five to ten minutes, and should focus on one topic. Students may use the learning in minilessons right away or it may be some time before they use them. Review the information in centers and small groups.

Narratives are compositions in which the writer tells about a personal experience. Most are brief accounts of something that happened to the writer. A focused main idea, strong details, and examples are the keys to effective narratives. Personal narratives provide good opportunities for students draw on their own experiences. You will find that much of the writing that goes on in your writing workshop will be personal narratives.

An essay is a short piece in which a writer discusses a specific topic. Since your students will often be required to write essays in school to answer test questions, or out of school for competency tests or for application to college, the essay is an important form of writing for students to learn.

To answer essay test questions effectively, students must know the subject matter and write with competence and clarity. Just knowing the facts is not good enough; students must be able to analyze, organize, and explain those facts.