Editing Techniques

College Prep English 4

So, you think that you are finished with that rough draft of yours…

but actually, you have just started to work on your paper. You have painstakingly put your ideas down on paper and now it is time to polish those ideas. We are going to use several different editing techniques with each essay that you write in this class so that you will have a finished product in which you take tremendous pride.

Are you ready…

To roll up your sleeves and get to work?

Let’s go!

Peer Editing

The editing process should be interactive with a balance among peer, teacher and student editing.

Writing can be a very lonely process; some of the difficulty in writing comes from the fact that it is one-way communication…Responding to the writing being shared by others, writers gain a clearer sense of what distinguishes effective from ineffective writing.

Cathy O’Aoust, Teaching Writing a a Process

Peer Editors Your peer editor will utilize a checklist of criteria when he/she reads your

paper. He/She will make a check in one of three columns to denote whether he/she believes you have met the given criteria. Before the peer editor returns the paper to you, he/she will write a compliment and/or helpful suggestions about your paper on the peer editing sheet.

The peer editor should always feel free to mark or write notes on the writer’s paper since this is just a draft of the essay even if the rough draft is typewritten.

The peer editor is able to give you immediate feedback; he/she may not always see things the way that YOU do, but always assume that the peer editor has your best interest at heart—ASSUME POSITIVE INTENTIONS.

No one is “out to get you” or make you feel embarrassed. We are all here to HELP EACH OTHER.

My Peer Editing Rules

You will not be a peer editor for another student who sits at your table or close beside you at another; you cannot serve as a peer editor for the same student more than once in the course of the semester as I keep track of this in my grade book. You can only be an effective editor if you are in class. Peer editing assignments CAN NOT BE MADE UP IF YOU ARE ABSENT OR COME TO CLASS UNPREPARED WITHOUT A DRAFT.

You will receive points for peer editing. Avoid “cute” remarks on the student’s essay or you will lose points. Stick to the task at hand as peer editing is a serious business—another student is COUNTING ON YOU AND SO AM I! If you go down the column on the peer editing sheet and make random check marks without giving careful consideration or justification, you will NOT receive points for peer editing.

Let’s face it…

no one really likes criticism; do not take these comments personally! As a peer editor, always treat others as you would like to be treated. We are all here to help each other in any way we possibly can.

Your peer editor’s primary mission is to give you immediate oral and written feedback about your writing. Were you clear? Did the paper have memorable elements? What did you like about the paper? What did you find confusing? You might also want to refer to pages 72-73 in your book about peer editing.

Now we have finished our first step in editing—peer editing—but we are not even CLOSE to being finished with your paper. Now return the paper to the writer.

Eight Count

Eight Count is a method used to help you improve your word choice by making you aware of the level of your writing. You can’t fix it if you don’t know that it is broken, right?

1. Select 8 sentencesDivide run-ons; count as individual sentences. Do not include introductions or conclusions.

2. Count words that have three or more syllables in those 8 sentences.

Eight Count

Do Count: words with three or

more syllables “higher level” one/two

syllable words or mature phrasing

Do Not Count: simple two syllable words

+ ing/ed/es any word more than twice a multi-syllable word used

incorrectly a proper noun words provided in the

prompt

3. Convert word count to grade level.0-5 = 3rd grade vocabulary 5-10 = 5th grade vocabulary 10-15 = 8th grade vocabulary

15-20 = high school vocabulary 20 + = pre-college vocabulary

Eight Count

Whew!

Improving your choice of words will make a big difference in your paper, and I know that it is somewhat unnerving to complete an 8 count activity and find out that you are writing on the 3rd or 5th grade level. Refer to pages 82-86 in your book to get some specific tips on how to improve word choice. Reading these pages is worth your time!

Linking Ideas

Transitions between sentences or paragraphs are vital. There’s a list of transition words on page 70 that you will often want to refer to throughout the semester. If you didn’t have any transitions in your draft, you will want to add them as you edit your paper.

And now we are going to turn your paper into a

For this activity you will need 5 different colored pencils and a red ink pen.

Ratiocination

Step 1: Underline the 1st sentence in one color; the second in another; continue to alternate throughout the entire essay.

Step 2: Circle the first word of every sentence in a new color. Make a list of those words in the left hand margin. Note repeated words. Fix this!

Step 3: With another new color, place a triangle around the end punctuation of each sentence and each TRANSITION you have used.

Ratiocination

Step 4: With your fifth color, draw a rectangle around the basic state of being verbs: am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being. These verbs are not action verbs—you should avoid using them whenever possible.

Step 5: Mark out every VERY and A LOT that you see on the paper with an X. REMOVE THESE WORDS PERMANENTLY!

Step 6: Any errors you see in capitalization need to be circled in RED INK so they can be fixed.

Step 7: Now you need to go back and revise your paper based on findings; read page 87 in your book for other reminders regarding proofreading.

The next step is up to you,

the writer, to take the peer editor’s comments, a thesaurus, your discoveries about sentence fluency, word choice and transitions to edit, proofread and revise your paper. Editing is not just typing what you wrote out. Editing requires careful thought and consideration, and it will result in significant improvements in your writing. When I am simultaneously looking at your rough draft and submitted essay, I should see some SIGNIFICANT differences.

When is my paper due?The final copy of your paper is due at the beginning of the

next class period. We will generally NOT use class time for you to type; it is your responsibility to get to a lab or the library during Titan Time.

Your paper must be typed in 12 pt font. Use a margin of 1 inch on the top, bottom and sides of your paper. Use a standard font like Arial or New Times Roman; never use a script or “fun” font for a formal paper for any class.

Add a title to your narrative if you wish. A cover sheet or folder is not necessary.

The heading for your paper should be in MLA format. When you have more than one typewritten page, then your last name and page number should be placed in a header in the upper right hand corner of the page(s).

MLA Heading for Assignments

TOP Left of your paper:

Your first and last names

Name of Instructor

Name/Course #

Today’s Date

This MLA heading is standard format for collegiate assignments regardless of whether it is an English class or not.

Late Paper Penalty

Your final copy is worth 300 points. Late penalties (20%) will be imposed for students who have unexcused absences on the day the paper is due unless you have an AMNESTY coupon that you turn in with your paper. The 20% penalty will become 50% after the paper is late by two weeks. Refer to School Fusion for Wichita South’s late work policy for more information regarding final due dates for the end of the grading period.

Essay Value100 points – Rough Draft WITH ratiocination and editing

completed100 points – Peer Editing – CAN NOT BE MADE UP IF

YOU ARE IN CLASS UNPREPARED OR ABSENT300 points – Submitted Essay – Graded on the Kansas

Narrative Rubric – See your Agenda bookYour 30 point rubric score is converted into 300 point value

500 points – TOTAL POINTS FOR EACH ESSAYFor every essay, I must see that the writing process of planning, prewriting and editing has been completed. I will accept NO final copies without rough drafts that have been through the ratiocination process.

Submitting Papers

When your paper is submitted for grading, staple a RUBRIC sheet from the school house tin box to the upper RIGHT hand corner of your paper (opposite your name). YOUR PAPER WILL NOT BE GRADED UNTIL A RUBRIC RECORDING SHEET IS ATTACHED.

Include your rough draft with peer editing sheet when you hand in your final copy. Staple the peer editing sheet to the rough draft, but DO NOT staple it to your FINAL copy. WHEN I READ BOTH YOUR ROUGH DRAFT AND FINAL COPY, I NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE THAT EDITORIAL CHANGES WERE INDEED MADE. If not, then you lose the 100 points for completing the rough draft as you have not shown evidence of completing the writing process to produce your submission.