Literary
- develop a multi-paragraph response to the assigned topic that clearly communicates your thesis/controlling idea to the audience;
- support your thesis with meaningful examples and references from the text/source, carefully citing any direct quotes;
- organize your essay in a clear and logical manner, including an introduction, body, and conclusion;
- use transitional strategies to connect your ideas, sentences, and paragraphs;
- use well-structured sentences and appropriate language for your audience;
- edit your work to conform to the conventions of standard American English.
Focus and Purpose
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Revision Goal 1:
Clearly communicate your understanding of the essay question and the literary selection.
1. Look again at the essay question. Did your response focus on the question that was asked? If it did, highlight that section in teal .
2. If you did not answer the question that was asked, do so now.
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Revision Goal 2:
Keep the same focus throughout your writing.
1. Read your essay and highlight important details in green . Details include specific information about the plot, character, setting, or dialogue, and ideas that connect the essay question to the text.
2. Are all of the details you highlighted about your main topic? If not, remove them now. Add more specific details about your topic
Content and Development
- Revision Goal 1: Use details that relate to the theme of the story.
1. What is the theme or the message of the story? (A theme is a unifying idea that the author will come back to again and again throughout the story). Highlight the theme in maroon .
2. If you cannot find the theme, write it now.
3. Highlight, in green , important details that relate to your theme. Details include specific information about the plot (what happens in the story), character, setting, or dialogue (words spoken in the story).
- Revision Goal 2: Use details to describe what is important about your main character(s).
1. Highlight important details about your character(s) in green .
2. If you did not find any specific details, reread the story and add them now.
Organization
- Revision Goal 1: Write an effective introduction.
1. Grab your reader's attention in the beginning of the introduction. Use an exciting event from the story or a strong statement in your first sentence or two and highlight them in green . Also, add the name of the literary selection and the author and underline them.
2. Your introduction should lead to the thesis of your essay. Highlight your thesis, or controlling idea, in teal . If you do not have one, add one now.
- Revision Goal 2: Write strong body paragraphs and a conclusion.
1. Transitional words help show how your ideas are related, or connected. Highlight your transitions in orange . You should include transitions between paragraphs and between sentences.
2. Underline your conclusion. If you do not have a conclusion, add one now. Your conclusion should bring all of your ideas together and restate your thesis, or controlling idea, in a new way.
Language Use
- Revision Goal 1: Use descriptive words.
1. Highlight, in green , the descriptive words (words with adjectives or adverbs that describe your details or ideas).
2. Highlight in purple , phrases or words that you used too often. Replace them with synonyms (words that mean the same thing) or more specific words.
3. Use your five senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste) to describe your details and ideas
- Revision Goal 2: Use a variety of sentences.
1. Highlight, in pink, any sentences that have too many ideas. Then, separate your ideas into two or more sentences
Grammar and Mechanics
- Revision Goal 1: Eliminate errors in grammar, mechanics, punctuation, and spelling.
- Read your writing. You may want to read out loud (to yourself) so that you can hear many of your mistakes and correct them.
2. Correct any spelling errors using the spell checker. Then, make your reader SMILE by doing the following:
A. Sentences: Make sure each sentence has a subject and an action.
B. Marks: End each sentence with a punctuation mark.
C. Indents: Indent when you begin a new paragraph
D. Letters: Start each sentence with a capital letter .