A revising and editing checklist is a great way for students to assess their work. It guides students and keeps them on task during the revising and editing process.
Checklists can be used for:
- Writing centers
- Peer-review “workshop”
- Independent self-assessment
However, the checklists I was using when I first started teaching writing were very broad. When the checklist just asked students to check for CUPS – or capitalization, usage, punctuation, and spelling, I saw students checking off boxes simply because they noticed that they used a capital letter, or an end punctuation mark, or they thought their spelling was good. It felt shallow. I wanted them to dive deep into their papers and show that they really understood the rules they were using for the different skills we were covering.
Revising and Editing Checklist: Let’s Get Specific!
That’s when I decided to break it down to another level. Most weeks we were focusing on a specific skill anyway, so I wanted to find a way to foster an even deeper understanding of that skill by incorporating it into our own writing.
I started with punctuation. Instead of handing out the usual checklist that asked students to check for “Correct Punctuation,” I printed off a simple list of comma rules that we had covered so far in the unit. I told my students to look over the comma rules, then read through their papers and circle or highlight all the rules they used correctly. If they noticed any mistakes, this gave them a chance to fix it.
Using a revising and editing checklist was almost like a scavenger hunt, and students were able to see exactly why their comma usage was correct, or why they needed to make a certain change
A Revising and Editing Checklist for Each Skill
I realized we could do this with any skill we cover, so I made these Skill-Specific Revising & Editing Checklists. They provide a clear guide for students to use when editing their papers for a specific skill. The week we cover end punctuation, I hand out the “Edit End Punctuation” checklist. When we finish covering apostrophe rules, I hand out the “Edit Apostrophes” checklist. When we’re done discussing revising sentences strategies, I hand out the “Revise Details” checklist, and so on. The best part? You can laminate these and give each student a set to use over and over again with dry-erase markers.
Once we’ve covered all the grammar skills for the year, I mix it up. Here are some ways we’ve used a revising and editing checklist during our writing time:
- Plan a center activity where students rotate through stations to revise and edit for each specific skill at a different station.
- Peer-review workshop where students swap papers and search for specific errors in their partner’s work.
- Take a composition and use a different checklist every day until the paper is polished.
Before long, looking for specific corrections to make becomes second nature for many students. They know exactly what kind of errors to look for, and they also get to see which rules they continue to use correctly. Then, when it’s time to hand out the broad “CUPS/ARMS” checklists for a complete revision, students can use them more intentionally because they know how to seek out and correct those specific errors!
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