Boost Student
Writing Skills:
A Low-Stakes Revision
Exercise
http://bit.ly/FlashRev
Overview
1. Why Students Don’t Revise
2. Origins of FLASH REVISION
3. Demo
4. Examples
5. Benefits
6. Common Revision Needs
7. BONUS Revision Exercises
8. Q & A
Why Students Don’t Like
to Revise
Revising =
Hard
Are Not
Self-Critical
Don’t
Know
How
History of
Flash
Revision
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/interview-with-pennykittle-todd-finley#comments
Prompt:
__________ is the best book or
movie of all time because ____
[Explain why - Freewrite for 5 min].
Revise
Make it
clearer
Use RADAR :
Replace
Add
Delete
AND
Reorder
(2 min. to Revise)
Make it
succinct
Make
it flow
English
II Honors
English II
Honors
Example #1: Standard
English IV
Students shows
basic
understanding of
the revision
process. They
point out what
needs to be taken
out and added to
make their
argument appear
more valid.
Example #2: Honors
English IV Student
Students shows a
better
understanding of
the revision
process. Pointing
out details that
need to be taken
out or moved.
Trying to make the
passage flow
better.
BENEFITS
1. INCREASES METACOGNITION.
2. LOW STAKES = LOWERS STRESS
3. USEFUL ACROSS DISCIPLINES
4. FAST
Handout: Fixing
Common Revision
Errors
http://tinyurl.com/pfn8449
Revising
Activities
Tell
Writers...
Cut 10
words.
Tell
Writers...
Help readers
see, hear, and
experience
your ideas.
Tell
Writers...
1. Cut adjectives and adverbs =
“ran quickly”
1. Replace with precise
nouns/verbs = “sprinted”
Tell
Writers...
Freewrite for 5
min. on what
you’re trying to
accomplish
Tell
Writers...
Noun + string of
specifics:
“I inhaled the flowers from
her garden – roses, tulips, and
azaleas.”
2 BONUS
TIPS
Direct Students
to Revise ONE
specific part of
an essay
Assign
fewer
papers.
HOW DO YOU
TEACH
STUDENTS TO
REVISE?