Revising Vs. Editing
W. 8. 5- Can I develop and strengthen my writing
by planning, revising, editing, and rewriting,
with teacher guidance and peer support?
L. 8. 1-3.- Can I demonstrate the command of
the conventions of standard English grammar
and usage when writing?
Revising Vs Editing
• Revising
The goal of good writing is communication. You
must write so other people can understand your
meaning. You wrote it, so you should know what
it means. Will your reader be able to
understand it, too? That’s where revising comes
in. Revising means “seeing again.”
To revise, pretend that you are reading
someone else’s writing. Read it aloud. You want
the writing to seem new and fresh to you. Ask
yourself some questions about what you have
read.
•
•
•
•
Is the writing clear?
Are the sentences complete ideas?
Are the verbs active?
Are the adjectives and adverbs clear and
exact?
• Do the conjunctions show the correct
meaning?
• Does the paragraph make sense?
• How can this writing be improved?
The last two questions are the most important ones. If you
write something and you can’t understand it, your reader
won’t either. You have to revise the writing until it makes
sense. Revising means to rewrite.
Revising Vs Editing
• Revising deals with improving
the content of your paragraph.
Proofreading deals with
correcting your writing. When
you proofread, you look for
errors you have made. When
you edit, you correct those
errors. To be a good proofreader,
look for one kind of error at a
time.
• Capitalization
• Punctuation
• Spelling
• Grammar
Argumentative Writing Outline
If you did not use the outline, notes, or sample paper to write your paper, now would be
a good time to refer back to it!
Introductory Paragraph- 3 sentences
• Lead
• Introduce and explain the issue
• State your claim- advantages, disadvantages, benefits, reasons
Body Paragraphs 1 & 2- Supports your claim/thesis statement
• Start with a topic sentence that introduces a reason people should be convinced by the
argument.
• Then include specific evidence to support the thesis statement (the claim). Use facts,
examples, and statistics to back up the claim.
• Follow each piece of evidence with a bridge to explain how the evidence supports the
claim.
• Close with a concluding sentence.
Body Paragraph 3- Counterargument
• The opposing argument, called the counterargument, proves that you fully understand the topic,
and that you are fair-minded.
• The turn-back/refutation is a return to the original argument. Be sure to refute the opposing
claim.
Concluding Paragraph
• Begin by restating the thesis statement or claim.
• Then, write one or two sentences that summarize the reasons and evidence.
• Finally, write a benefit that will result from obeying or listening to the argument. Or provide a call
to action to move the audience into wanting to make a change.
Write an argumentative essay for a health magazine in which you take a position
whether or not young people should exercise more. Your essay must be based upon
ideas, concepts, and information that can be determined through analysis of the two
passages. Use evidence from both passages to support your response.
Manage your time carefully so that you can
• Plan your essay
• Write your essay
Be sure to
• Include a claim
• Address counterclaims
• Use evidence from multiple sources
• Avoid over relying on one source
Your written response should be in the form of a multi-paragraph essay.
Spend about 90 minutes on this essay, including the time you spend reading the
passage(s), planning, and writing your essay.