entry 8: "Bless, Address, and Press"

Makayla & I

I would love to take this time to write about my friend, Makayla! She has a wonderful blog that she uses for the same purpose that I use this blog for - to reflect on what I am learning and what I have read for LTED 618. Click here to take a look at her wonderful writing!

I was reading through her blogs, and a post that really caught my attention was Entry 7 * Revision and Feedback - Truly Important. Makayla began this blog entry by mentioning how she was still pondering on Philippakos' (2017) article which discusses revision and feedback. Makayla made a statement that I feel really resonates with how I am feeling as well after reading this article and reflecting on my own revising practices:

"I am learning that taking the time to deeply read over my work during the revision process is extremely important in the final piece and saves me a lot of extra work later on."  ~Makayla Pierpont, Blog Entry 7

Like Makayla, I have also realized that when it is my turn to go back and revise my work, I tend to make few (if any) changes to what I have already written. I think it is helpful for me to realize that I am not alone! I am learning throughout the readings we have been assigned throughout this class as well as reading my peers' blogs and through having discussions that I still have some skills I need to learn and improve on regarding my own writing process.

Revision Image from Makayla's Blog

I think Makayla did a great job at connecting what we read in Tompkins (2012) about revising to what we read in Philippakos (2017). Makayla identified an important idea from Tompkins (2012): the revising process "isn't just polishing; it's meeting the needs of readers by adding, subtracting, deleting, and rearranging material" (Tompkins, 2012, p. 9). She also mentions "revision really means 'seeing again' (Tompkins, 2012, p. 9)." Makayla included a really great image (pictured to the right) within her blog to help her potential second graders understand what this term really means. I think this image is very powerful and does a great job at breaking down the word revision to a level that second graders would be able to understand and easily remember. The way Makayla wrote about her potential revision lesson with a second grade class made it very easy for me to imagine!

I am wondering, Makayla, how might this lesson you are picturing with second graders differ if you were teaching revision to a fifth grade class? Would it be vastly different or would the majority of the lesson be the same? Thinking about your question about peer review, how would peer review look in a fifth grade class versus your second grade class?

I think even with older students, it is still a great idea to instruct using mini-lessons to show students how they should be making revisions by revising your own work. I think for the most part, the structure of your second and fifth grade lessons could be very similar, but obviously the level of writing for these two grade levels would be very different. When it comes to peer reviewing, it may be helpful to have a mini-lesson about what it means to give effective peer reviews, no matter the grade level. Philippakos' (2017) states that "the reviewers may make superficial comments or general statements that may not be accurate or even helpful to the writer (e.g., 'This is good')" (Philippakos, 2017, p. 14). It would be beneficial to address with students that helpful peer feedback is specific to their peer's writing, such as making suggestions about word choice or asking about something that might be confusing.

I would like to thank Makayla for allowing me to reflect deeper on my understanding on the revision and feedback that occurs during the writing process. I feel like she helped me have a deeper understanding on how revision and feedback lessons could be taught to multiple grade levels, and that revision and feedback are important for all writers! For more great insights on the writing process, take a look at Makayla's blog!

                                      References

Philippakos, Z. A. (2017). Giving feedback: Preparing students for peer review and                                   self-evaluation. The Reading Teacher, 71(1), 13-22. DOI: 10.1102/trtr.1568