Fostering a writing community in the classroom is important. Students should also understand that one draft will never lead to an “A+” paper. In my classroom, students write several drafts before they ever get to what they consider a completed assignment. I usually divide this work up into several days’ worth of lessons so students can review their drafts with a fresh mind. Before students write the second draft of their essays I give them a self editing sheet with instructions to follow once they have written their essays. Students are supposed to proofread their work, among other things. I also tell them to highlight their thesis statement and all specific examples in the body paragraphs that support their thesis. This way, when I edit their work I am not only checking their writing skills but also whether or not they have understood what I’ve asked them to do. For example, if I tell students to write a persuasive essay about whether or not there should be a statewide curfew for teenagers, I should not read an essay where the student has highlighted, as a supporting example, a sentence where the student lists all of his favorite places to go after 10 o’clock at night. If I do, I know I need to review supporting details with the class.
Once students have finished their third draft, I edit all of their essays. They have to turn in all the steps they have completed thus far to get full credit. I have them staple all drafts together, first draft on the bottom, newest draft on top. When I edit student essays, I use a blue pen instead of a red one. I want them to understand that I am not telling them their writing is bad, instead I am showing them how to make their writing better. I don’t simply point out grammatical errors; I write questions and comments throughout the essay about how they can make this draft even better. I also point out areas where a student has done well in the essay. It is important to give students positive feedback so they don’t get discouraged. After I return the edited drafts to my students, they then write a final draft. This again is turned back in to me with all of the previous copies. Their last draft I check mainly to see that the student has corrected and expanded her essay in the places I asked her to. It is important that students revise their essays so they may learn from their mistakes. This way they can keep from making the same mistakes in future essays.
