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Chart of Minilessons in The Reading/Writing Connection to Improve Writing
Teachers need to provide students with direct instruction in the form of minilessons to help them practice the three key operations of revision -- adding to, deleting
from, or rearranging text for clarity, for impact, or for style. These mini-lessons may be
introduced at the prewriting, planning, drafting, or the revising stage of the composing
process but should be reinforced as the writer is revising meaning to meet the needs of
a reader. Provided below is a chart of all the mini-lessons in The Reading/Writing
Connection that are aimed at helping students improve their writing to make a text
communicate better. Since a properly edited paper also contributes to the clarity of the
message, some of the editing minilessons are also included on the chart.
Figure 10-6 Minilessons to Improve Writing
Chapter
Type of Minilesson
What to Do at the Revising Stage
Chapters
2 and 5
Beat the Author
Select an element of the author's craft
(such as the use of similes or action
words) and ask students to revise with
these elements in mind.
Chapter 2
Metaphor and Simile
Minilesson
Add similes and metaphors to one's
own writing.
Chapter 2
Focus on Descriptive
Language
Highlight the author's use of
descriptive language and then add
descriptive words to one's own text.
Chapter 2
Focus on Pronouns
Edit to ensure pronouns are used
correctly.
Chapters
3 and 8
Writing a Hook
Chapter 3
Evaluating the Title
Revise title to capture the essence of
the paper better.
Chapter 4
Analyzing Symbols
Add symbols to the students' own
texts.
Chapter 4
Minilesson on Similes and
Metaphors
Create original similes and metaphors
to add to students' texts.
Chapter 4
Letter Format Minilesson
Review writing and revise to
conform to proper letter format.
Chapters 5,
8, 9
Showing, Not Telling
Add more showing description to final
draft.
Revise opening of text to grab the
reader's attention.
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Chapter
Type of Minilesson
What to Do at the Revising Stage
Chapters
6 and 7
Quoting From the Text
Insert appropriate quotes into the text
using proper form.
Chapters 6, 7
and 8
The Microtheme
If students do not formulate a writing
plan prior to the rough draft, they may
restructure their essay at the revising
stage using the microtheme.
Chapter 8
Seashells and Similes
Add comparisons to descriptive
writing.
Chapter 8
Snapshots and Thoughtshots
Find places in a rough draft to zero in
and write from a telescopic point of
view as well as to reveal thoughts and
feelings.
Chapters 8
and 9
Reviewing Dialogue
Revise text to add dialogue. Edit for
proper dialogue form.
Chapter 8
Transition Words
Review text to add smoother
transitions.
Chapter 8
Thesis
Identify and strengthen the thesis.
Chapter 8
Color-coding for Commentary
Color-code text and revise to add more
commentary and supporting detail.
Focus on Verb Tenses
Chapter 9
Chapters 9
and 10
Edit to make verb tenses consistent.
WIRMI (What I Really Mean
Is)
Revise to communicate one's intended
message better.
Believing and Doubting
Chapter 10
Revise and support assertions.
Chapter 10
Sentence Combining
Combine sentences for syntactic
fluency.
Chapter 10
Copy-change
Imitate author's style to enhance one's
own style.
Chapter 10
“There Was a Child Went
Forth” Revision Frame Guide
Imitate Walt Whitman’s style to create
one’s own poem.
Chapter 11
Graphic Grammar
Learn grammar spatially.
Chapter 11
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
(Companion Website)
Focus on parts of speech and strong
verbs.
Chapter 11
Animalia (Companion Website)
Chapter 11
Type of Minilesson
Focus on parts of speech and
alliteration.
What to Do at the Revising Stage
236
Chapter
Type of Minilesson
What to Do at the Revising Stage
Chapter 11
Adjective Picture
(Companion Website)
Generate interesting adjectives.
Chapter 11
MADDOG
(Companion Website)
Create a dominant impression with
precise nouns.
Chapter 11
The Dada Poem
Internalize parts of speech and analyze
one's own style through color-coding.
Chapter 11
Sentence Expanding
Expand subjects and predicates for
more specific details in writing.
Chapter 11
Sentence Unscrambling
Practice reassembling sentences to
develop syntactic fluency.
Chapter 11
Sentence Combining
Combine sentences to eliminate errors.
Chapter 11
Human Sentences
Create kinesthetic sentences to develop
syntactic fluency.
Chapter 11
Sentence Sorting
Sort sentences to develop sentence
sense.
Chapter 11
Participle Pantomine
Practice using participles
participial phrases in sentences.
Chapter 11
Punctuation Mythology
(Companion Website)
Create a story to internalize
punctuation rules
Chapter 11
Vocabutoons
Create memory links to expand
vocabulary.
Chapter 11
Vocabulary Story
Collaboarate on a group story to
internalize vocabulary.
Chapter 11
Word Tree
Develop word trees to understand the
spelling-meaning relationship.
Chapter 11
Word Sorting
Construct hypotheses about spelling
rules through sorting activity.
Chapter 11
Yes Twice, Comma Splice
Detect and correct comma splices.
Chapter 11
Sentence Draft
Detect sentence errors by reading
papers backwards, sentence by
sentence.
and