Deep Revision by Meredith Sue Willis

[Jennifer Reynolds]

Willis, M.S. (1993). Deep revision: a guide for teachers, students, and other writers. New York: Teachers and Writer’s Collaborative.

My two questions:
1. What are some ways that you get students to enter into authentic revision discussions?
2. Which of the best exercises listed below would be most appropriate and useful in your classroom?




This book makes revision practical. Throughout the book, Meredith Sue Willis emphasizes that the act of writing is an act of revision and has many suggestion on how to strengthen the revision process. This book was written with the educator in mind; however, many of the exercises are applicable for all writers (across ages and genres) and I have used many of them to see if her suggestions are valid. For the most part, her advice is sound.

The bulk of the book is exercises on revision, which often come with student examples and an analysis on how they are applicable to teaching craft. I think that her most valid points were that revision is a social interaction and that students need to examine what revision is and what it is not. There is also discussion on using mentor text and practicing writing that shows what good writing is and what bad writing is. All of her suggestions provided for differentiated learning and really approach the writer as an individual.

Some of the best exercises I found were:

·After writing about a character’s mood, do another version of the character with a different mood.

·Revise another person’s writing, but take on the following roles to respond to their paper: the worst possible teacher, the best possible teacher, a magazine editor considering the work for publication, etc. . .

·Take you story, cut it up and then unscramble it in a different order.

·Take something that is well-written and see how bad you can make it.

·Listen to a sound recording (ex: train) and do a writing on it.

·Assign students to watch a television show and write a script then discuss with one another how the show was structured.

·Take a part of a narrative and make it into a hyperbole (an extreme exaggeration) to see if slowing it down gives any new ideas.

·Read a poem of other piece of writing aloud and have students write it down as you read. Show students how the poem was written and examine differences in line/paragraph breaks and meaning.

·Have a competition with students on who can come up with the most boring/clichéd beginning. Example: It was a dark and stormy night.

·Revise by reading a paper backwards. Start with the last sentence and move forward. This helps to check for redundant sentences without considering how they fit together.

·Write a review of your writing as if you are a critic.

[Allie Eckert]

Jen-
I love all of your fabulous ideas about revision. Honestly, I had never thought so deeply about revision until talking with you and hearing all of the great things that you do in your classroom has truly inspired me! So thank you!

1. In terms of having students discuss revision in an authentic manner, this is something that I have truly struggled with. It seems to me that there are certain students that are able to naturally discuss writing, and there are others that have a lot of difficulty with it. One thing that I have tried in my classroom is using a TON of modeling and role play. I also give them a checklist of vocabulary words that should be used in order to aide in their discussion. While my students discussions are not perfect, I have noticed that when given very specific guidelines it seems that there conversation is much more focused and the students are more interested in what their peers have to say. In my experience authentic discussion is generated from a piece of writing that students feel passionately about.

2. Honestly, I loved almost all of those ideas, and can see that they would all fit into my classroom. I liked the first if the activities that looked at character's mood. While I do agree that this would be a great activity for revision, I feel that it would also be excellent in having the students explore mood & tone. This could be done with student writing or novels, short stories, etc. I also really loved the contest activity where in students came up with the worst hook. Especially in middle school, I feel like allowing the students to come up with the wrong way to do something inspires their thinking. Plus, it would be fun, which we all know we need! My other favorite was to have the students listen to a sound recording and then write about it. What a great way to branch away from the typical picture prompts, and allow students to really be creative. I think that this could also work by allowing them to watch a clip of a movie, t.v. show etc. without any sound and have them write about it. By reaching them on their level with sound and t.v., the students will be a lot more likely to write something that they are proud of.

Thank you again for sharing all of these excellent ideas. I can't wait to incorporate them into my classroom! (And, I would LOVE LOVE to come and see you teach.. you have such fresh and amazing ideas!)

[Sara Kwasna]

1. I think that it might be useful to break students into groups and have them create posters on chart paper for what revision is and is not. Then share these with the class. Perhaps have students think about the real-life places and situations that revision is used or even how we "revise" things other than writing. I agree that taking the time to discuss revision is going to be an instrumental part in getting students to not only have a better understanding of what revision is, but also it will help them to see it as more meaningful part of the writing process.
2. I liked the idea of cutting up a piece of writing and re-ordering it. I think that would really be fun for all the students- good writers and bad, special education students and honors kids- and I think that they all would come up with something new and exciting.

[carol bergin]

1) Having no more than seven resource students at a time in my resource room, I have found that group or shared revisions are informal and non-threatening to the special education students. The first rule is to say something positive about the piece abfore "constructive criticism" is offerred.

2) Jenny, I reallty like the idea of taking writing and rewriting it to make it as "bad as possible". For sped students, I think it would be beneficial and ego-boosting for them to see that their writing isn't as "bad" in the first place - if they can purposely create impropper grammar, word structure, etc.

[Nicole Marvin]

1. What are some ways that you get students to enter into authentic revision discussions?

Something that I have decided to experiement with this year is where I start with revision. I started a writing piece with my students already and we are going into revision this week. But before we actually begin passing papers to neighbors and moving stuff around I am going to do a walk and talk like activity about revision. I am going to ask them: What does revision mean to you? (Besides more work!) How have you used revision in the past? Why is revision important?

I am curious to see their history as revisors and to shine a positive light on revision from the beginning.

2. Which of the best exercises listed below would be most appropriate and useful in your classroom?

I really like the idea of taking something written well and turning it into something bad. I think that would be especially helpful for higher level students. Oftentimes I focus so much on helping my struggling writers I forget how to nudge my great writers to be even better.

Responding to a paper as "the worst possible" teacher could be really fun too. They will have fun filling those shoes and I can easily learn what they don't want me to do or what they feel doesn't help them.

Great ideas!

[Nadyne Burra]

1. What are some ways that you get students to enter into authentic revision discussions? I have tried a few things in my classroom, with some being successful and others floundering. I have to take into consideration my students' ability levels, being special ed and all. There is a lot of modeling and guided practice before my student can do the process on their own. Last year I found that if I gave my students "accountable talk" type of responses to help each other with revision they were able to participate in the process with some degree of success. I also had to show my students how to take into consideration what others thought about their writing in order to revise their papers. So far, with lots of modeling and practice they were able to help each other revise.

2. Which of the best exercises listed below would be most appropriate and useful in your classroom? Many of the ideas I want to try in my own classes, as for which one is the best it's hard to say. Like others have said taking something and making it bad will show students that their writing is far better than they think. My students are already harsh on themselves about their abilities, and by make good writing bad they will begin to hopefully see that they are not bad writers.