Narrative Writing: Revising and Editing Using a Checklist | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G2:M2:U3:L9

Narrative Writing: Revising and Editing Using a Checklist

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • W.2.3: Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
  • W.2.5: With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
  • SL.2.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
  • SL.2.1a: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
  • L.2.1d: Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs (e.g., sat, hid, told).
  • L.2.6: Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy).
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can revise my narrative using a Revising and Editing Checklist. (W.2.3, W.2.5, L.2.6, SL.2.1, SL.2.1a)
  • I can edit my narrative using a Revising and Editing Checklist. (W.2.5, L.2.1d)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During Work Time B, use the Narrative Writing Checklist to document students' progress toward W.2.3 and L.2.2 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1.  Opening

A. Engaging the Learner: Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2.  Work Time

A. Revising and Editing: Using Teacher Feedback to Improve Our Narratives (25 minutes)

B. Peer Critique: Editing Our Narratives with Writing Partners (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Reflecting on Learning (10 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • This is the final lesson in which students go through scaffolded writing instruction to produce a narrative about discovering a fossil based on Holly's experiences from The Maiasaura Dig: The Story of  Dr. Holly Woodward Ballard. Students revise and edit their narratives using teacher feedback. Students also edit their writing with their writing partners. (W.2.5, L.2.1d, L.2.2)
  • During Work Time A, students use the Revising and Editing Checklist that has been filled in by the teacher to revise and edit their writing. Students use a purple colored pencil to make these revisions  to keep track of these changes when reviewing their work. (W.2.5)
  • During Work Time A, the teacher uses pages 3 and 4 of the Narrative Booklet: Teacher Model is used to model how to revise and edit their narratives based on specific teacher feedback. Please keep in mind that this is the same Sample Narrative from Lessons 6 and 7 (pages 1 and 2).
  • During Work Time B, students have one more opportunity to edit their work with their writing partners using the second column of the Revising and Editing Checklist. (L.2.2)

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • During Lessons 6-8, students drafted their narratives about discovering a fossil, and revised and edited their pieces along the way. In Lesson 9, they have one more opportunity to revise and edit their entire narrative.
  • In Module 1, students used a Revising and Editing Checklist to create their The Most Important Thing about Schools books. This Revising and Editing Checklist from Module 1 supported students in producing informative writing, so keep in mind that the checklist for this unit is supporting students to produce narrative writing.
  • Continue to use Goal 1-3 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • For students who may experience a high level of frustration with revising and editing, consider reviewing the feedback individually before Work Time A. Discuss the specific teacher feedback with them, and ensure they clearly understand how to implement the suggestions.
  • For students who may need extra support in revising and editing their writing, consider inserting a star mark in the place on the Narrative Booklet where students should revise or edit their writing.

Down the road:

  • During Lesson 12, students are assessed on their ability to revise and strengthen their writing using teacher feedback (W.2.5).

In Advance

  • Use students' Narrative Booklets to complete a Revising and Editing Checklist for each student. Evaluate student writing using the checklist and check off criteria that the student has included in his or her writing. Then, circle two criteria that the student could revise or edit. Include suggestions that are specific to the student's narrative. Refer to the Revising and Editing Checklist with Sample Teacher Feedback in the supporting materials as necessary.
  • Prepare the Sample Revising and Editing Checklist and pages 3 and 4 of the Sample Narrative Booklet for Work Time A.
  • Preview the think-aloud in Work Time A to support students in revising and editing their narratives based on teacher feedback.
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

Consider using an interactive white board or document camera to display lesson materials.

  • Work Time A: Create the Sample Revising and Editing Checklist and Sample Narrative in an online format--for example, a Google Doc--to display and for families to access at home to reinforce these writing skills.
  • Work Time B: Record students as they work with their writing partner to share feedback to listen to later to discuss strengths and what they could improve on, or to use as models for the group. Most devices (cellphones, tablets, laptop computers) come equipped with free video and audio recording apps or software.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 2.I.A.1, 2.I.A.2, 2.I.A.3, 2.I.A.4, 2.I.B.5, 2.I.C.10, 2.I.C.11, 2.I.C.12, 2.II.A.1, 2.II.A.2, 2.II.A.3, and 2.II.A.5

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to focus on successes and errors in their narrative writing at several levels of language, including paragraph-level, sentence-level, and word-level, thus helping them develop more comprehensive language competence.
  • ELLs may find feedback challenging to incorporate and overwhelming to process, especially if there are more than two suggestions for improvement. At the same time, it's possible that ELL writing might contain a multitude of language errors. Seriously consider limiting feedback to only one or two pervasive errors. For example, sentence- and paragraph-level errors (e.g., confusing actions, no details) can often clarify incomprehensible writing. Leave word-level errors for last (e.g., temporal words, verbs, mechanics) unless they are responsible for interfering with the gist. Just as important, consider spending an equal amount of time giving feedback on what the student did well. Get excited about and discuss the student's interesting details or accurate verb tense usage, for example. This will help enable the student to identify and repeat his or her success next time.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Encourage students to expand one of their narrative sentences by adding an adverb or an adverbial phrase as a means of providing detail (e.g., "This is a very interesting fossil sitting right here in my hand.").

For heavier support:

  • For peer feedback in Work Time B, consider marking two or three places in student writing where they might consider making edits. Alternatively, or in addition, consider providing the necessary edits and invite students to place them appropriately.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): To facilitate effective learning during this lesson, ensure that all students have access to the directions for each activity and feel comfortable with the expectations. Vary the ways in which you convey expectations for each activity or task. Consider engaging in a clarifying discussion about the directions and creating a visual display of the steps for each activity.
  • Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): In this lesson, some students may need support in setting appropriate goals for their effort and the level of difficulty expected. Appropriate goal setting supports development of executive skills and strategies. Offer scaffolds for students learning to set appropriate personal goals, such as a checklist with specific goals for each activity. (Examples: "I can follow along as my teacher models how to improve my narrative." "I can listen to my partner without interrupting." "I can ask for help from my writing partner if I need it.")
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Throughout this lesson, students have multiple opportunities to share ideas and thinking with classmates. Some students may need support for engagement during these activities, so encourage self-regulatory skills by helping them anticipate and manage frustration by modeling what to do if they need help from their partners. Offer supports for engagement to promote a safe learning space for all students.

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L): Text-Specific Vocabulary (T): Vocabulary Used in Writing (W): 

New:

  • suggestion (L)

Review:

  • responsibility (L)

Materials

  • Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Revising and Editing Checklist (one to display)
  • Compelling Narrative about Discovering a Fossil anchor chart (begun in Lesson 5)
  • Sample Revising and Editing Checklist with Teacher Feedback (one to display)
  • Sample Narrative Booklet (one to display)
  • Irregular Past-tense Verbs anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2)
  • Revised and Edited Sample Narrative Booklet (example; for teacher reference)
  • Narrative Booklets (from Lesson 6; one per student)
  • Purple colored pencils (one per student)
  • Revising and Editing Checklists with teacher feedback (one per student; distributed with feedback during Work Time A)
  • Revising and Editing Checklist (example, for teacher reference)
  • Narrative Writing Checklist (for teacher reference; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Unit 3 guiding question anchor chart (from Lesson 1; one to display)

Assessment

Each unit in the K-2 Language Arts Curriculum has one standards-based assessment built in. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Engaging the Learner: Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

  • Gather students in the whole group meeting area. Make sure they are sitting next to their writing partners.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read them aloud:

"I can revise my narrative using a Revising and Editing Checklist."

"I can edit my narrative using a Revising and Editing Checklist."

  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What is the verb in each of the learning targets today?" (revise, edit)

  • Remind students that they have drafted the beginning, middle, and end of their narratives, and did some revising and editing along the way.
  • Tell students that one thing writers do after they draft a piece is to revise and edit the entire piece again to make sure that their writing is the best it can be.
  • Direct students' attention to the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart.
  • Invite students to turn and talk with an elbow partner:

"What habit of character will you need to show today and why?" (Responses will vary, but may include: I will need to show responsibility by making sure I look over my work closely; I will need to use perseverance by editing my writing, even if it gets hard.)
  • To activate background knowledge and scaffold comprehension, review the definition of a verb. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: Invite students to notice how the language in the two learning targets is the same and how it is different. Encourage them to create a generalizable formula for "can" sentences. Example:

_____(Who or what/subject) + can + verb + how.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Revising and Editing: Using Teacher Feedback to Improve Our Narratives (25 minutes)

  • Tell students that over the past few days, they have been working on including particular criteria in their narratives about discovering a fossil.
  • Tell students:
    • You were so excited to see the work they had been doing that you read all of their narratives yesterday. Point out criteria that you noticed many students using in their writing (actions they took to discover the fossil, etc.).
    • As you were looking over their work, you also noticed some things they could do better, or criteria they had forgotten to include. Tell students that you put this information on a Revising and Editing Checklist and filled it in for each of them based on their own writing. Tell students you want to support them to be the best writers they can be, and the Revising and Editing Checklist is one way to do that.
  • Display a blank Revising and Editing Checklist and read the criteria aloud.
  • Ask and invite students to point to the chart where these criteria are listed:

"Is there a chart in the room where these criteria are also listed?" (Compelling Narrative about Discovering a Fossil anchor chart)

  • Share that each student will receive a Revising and Editing Checklist. On their checklist, they will see two kinds of marks:
    • A checkmark for each criterion that they had in their narrative.
    • A circle around two criteria that were missing from their narrative, along with suggestions for ways they could improve their writing.
  • Share with students that everyone will be working on revising and editing their work, although everyone might be working on improving a different part of their story.
  • Tell students that before they revise and edit their own work using the checklist, you are going to model for them what it would look like to do this.
  • Display the Sample Revising and Editing Checklist with Teacher Feedback and Sample Narrative Booklet.
  • Using the Sample Narrative Booklet, model the following steps:
    • Read through Sample Revising and Editing Checklist with Teacher Feedback. Pay close attention to what has been circled by the teacher. Say: "So what has been circled is what I need to do a better job of in my writing. Let me look at the specific suggestions the teacher has left for me."
    • Read suggestion #1.
    • Say: "Okay, on page 3, I need to include what I was thinking when I discovered the fossil."
    • Read suggestion #2.
    • Say: "Now let me go to those pages and make sure I make my writing better based on my teacher's suggestions."
    • Display the Sample Narrative Booklet. Read page 3. Model how to use a purple colored pencil and revise based on the teacher's suggestion. In this case, include a detail about what you were thinking when you discovered the fossil.
    • Read page 4. Model how to find the word get. Use the Irregular Past-tense Verbs anchor chart to find the irregular past-tense verb of get and edit your writing by writing "got" using a purple colored pencil.
    • Refer to the Revised and Edited Narrative Sample Booklet (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Invite students to move to sit with their writing partners and to Think-Pair-Share:

"How did I revise and edit my writing based on the teacher's suggestions?" (You read through the checklist and noticed what the teacher had circled. You read the specific suggestions. You went to the specific places in your writing where he or she had made suggestions, and revised and edited your writing using a purple colored pencil.)

  • Refocus whole group. Tell students that there may be other things they could have done better in their writing, but for now, they should focus on the suggestions from you, the teacher. They will have one more chance after this to edit their writing with a partner.
  • Distribute students' Narrative Booklets, purple colored pencils, and Revising and Editing Checklists with teacher feedback.
  • Transition students back to their workspaces and invite them to sit next to their writing partners.
  • Invite students to take 1 minute to independently read their checklist and look at the specific parts of their narratives where they should make those changes.
  • Invite students to turn and talk with their writing partner:

"What revisions and edits are you going to make to your narrative?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Tell students they are now going to use the Thumb-O-Meter protocol show you if they understand what the specific suggestions are, and how to revise and edit their writing. They will then show their comfort level by giving a thumbs-up, -down, or -sideways. By holding their thumb up, they are indicating that know what they need to do with their writing. By holding their thumb sideways, they are indicating that they think they will need some support. By holding their thumb down, they are indicating that they are confused by the teacher feedback.
  • Reassure students that it is okay to give a thumbs-sideways or -down--you will discuss the feedback and make sure they understand your suggestions.
  • Ask:

"Do you understand the suggestions, and are you ready to revise and edit your narrative?"

  • Invite students to show you with their thumb if they understand the teacher suggestions and are ready to revise and edit their narratives.
  • Scan student responses and make a note of students showing a thumbs-sideways or thumbs-down so you can check in with them moving forward.
  • Invite students to begin revising and editing their narratives. Remind them to use the purple colored pencil to make their changes on the blank lines on each page.
  • Circulate and support students as necessary.
  • Give students a 2-minute warning to finish up their improvements. Assure students who have not yet finished that they can come back to their writing at a designated time to complete it.
  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension: Before modeling the revision process, provide an individual copy of the Sample Narrative Booklet so they can follow along with a near-point visual. (MMR, MME)
  • For ELLs: Continue the color-coding process by inviting students to use different colors to highlight or underline the feedback suggestions on the Revising and Editing Checklist to correspond to the revised and edited language in their narrative booklet.

B. Peer Critique: Editing Our Narrative with Our Writing Partners (20 minutes)

  • Gather students in the whole group meeting area.
  • Offer students specific, positive feedback on the responsibility they showed to revise and edit their writing. (Example: "I noticed Gerald reading my suggestions closely and then opening his booklet to make changes based on those suggestions.")
  • Tell students that they now have a chance to edit their writing one more time with their writing partner, paying attention to the other criteria on the right-hand side of the Revising and Editing Checklist.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and reread the first one aloud:

"I can edit my writing using the Revising and Editing Checklist."

  • Point out to students that there may have been other criteria that were not checked off, and they will be able to work with their writing partner to find and correct these mistakes.
  • Display a blank Revising and Editing Checklist. Review the four sentences on the editing side of the checklist by reading them aloud.
  • Post the following directions and review them with students:
  1. Label yourselves A and B.
  2. Partner A reads his or her work aloud as partner B listens and looks along.
  3. Partner B offers partner A feedback using the editing side of the Revising and Editing Checklist.
  4. Partner A corrects his or her work.
  5. Switch roles and repeat.
  • Transition students back to their workspaces.
  • Invite students to begin reviewing and editing their work with their writing partners.
  • If productive, cue students to think about their thinking:

"How does our peer critique and the Revising and Editing Checklist add to your understanding of how to write a good narrative? I'll give you time to think and discuss with a partner." (Responses will vary.)

"What habits of character helped you succeed in the peer critique? I'll give you time to think and discuss with a partner." (Responses will vary.)

  • Circulate to support students as they work with their writing partners.
  • Consider stopping students after 6-7 minutes and encouraging them to switch roles.
  • Circulate and support students as they write by directing them to the classroom supports (e.g., anchor charts, Interactive High-Frequency Word Wall). Consider using the Narrative Writing Checklist to gather data on students' progress toward L.2.2a and L.2.2d.
  • Invite students to return to the meeting area with their Narrative Booklets.
  • During the Peer Critique (before refocusing students to the meeting area), increase mastery-oriented feedback by providing feedback that is frequent, timely, and specific to individual pairs of students. (Example: "I heard that you helped Kenneth edit for temporal words in his writing. That sounded very helpful and specific for his revision.") (MME)
  • For ELLs: Before students begin giving feedback, invite them to take turns with their partner to rephrase and give examples from the four criteria on the editing side of the checklist.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning (10 minutes)

  • Display the Unit 3 guiding question anchor chart and read it aloud:

"How do authors write compelling narratives?"

  • Direct students' attention to the Compelling Narrative about Discovering a Fossil anchor chart.
  • Tell students that you would like them to choose one of the criteria on the anchor chart and a place where they have used these criteria in your writing, just like a real author!
  • Provide an example. Say: "One thing authors to do write compelling narratives is to include an ending, so in my narrative, the ending I chose was . . ."
  • Give students 1 minute to identify what they will share and provide the following sentence starter:

"One thing authors do to write compelling narratives is _____, so in my narrative, _____."

  • Tell students that they are going to use the Pinky Partners protocol to share their reflections on the guiding question with a partner.
  • Guide students through the Pinky Partners protocol, encouraging them to use the sentence starter.
  • Invite students to return to their seats in their whole group meeting area.
  • Invite students to give you an air high-five for their hard work today as writers!
  • For ELLs: To provide lighter support, invite students to create variations of the sentence frame by rearranging the phrases and using synonyms. Example:

"_____ is one way authors write compelling narratives. I believe my narrative writing is compelling because my ending _____."

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