Closing Session: Bolder Revision, More Ambitious Writing

Maggie Beattie

Five Ideas to Enhance Revisions

• Sometimes it takes some time
• Sometimes it takes a really good study of another writer
• Sometimes it takes a risk
• Sometimes it takes exploration
• Sometimes it takes a plan

Revision Tips

• Make clear what you mean by revision: more modeling, demonstrate how tough it can be
• Address the common belief that good writing comes naturally and does not need to be revisited
• Focus your comments on the revisions that will be most beneficial: give them the issue and how to fix it
• Avoid abstract terms when giving feedback
• Provide your students with specific strategies and models
• Motivate students to revise
• Make sure there is adequate time for the hard work of revision: plan celebration on work backwards
• Encourage students to get feedback on writing from multiple sources

Quotes from Day One

Day One: 29th Annual Summer Institute on the Teaching of Writing

The Reading and Writing Project Teachers College Columbia University

Quotes from today's sessions:

"The words that come first are any one's words. You need to make them yours." LC

"The first draft reveals the art, revision reveals the artist." Michael Lee

Slice of Life Tuesday

Holy Cow! It took me 20 minutes to remember how to navigate my blog since I haven't posted in over a year.

Ruth has inspired me! (She's really good at that.) I've been reading her posts thinking, 'I need to write.' I have been talking myself out of writing long enough. I even had an excuse for today, two post-graduate projects due this Friday. (I'm completing an EdS degree in leadership and administration at GVSU.)

I decided after reading several comments on today's slices that I needed to quit making excuses. So here I'm ending the excuses.

To help end my writer's block I decided to start with a list of future topics:

• Becoming a triathlete
• Being productive this summer (First step: no sleeping late. Alarm remains set for 6:45)
• MY FIRST TRIP TO EUROPE, Germany this August
• Summer Writing Institute is right around the corner
• All the projects I hope to accomplish this summer
• Taking guitar lessons this summer
• Defending a Writer's Workshop approach to teaching writing
• Tending my flower garden

Here's to a summer full of writing.

Just something extra.

I found a picture of my horse.  I had hoped to post it with my slice about my saddle, but couldn't find it.  Well, here's the picture of my best friend for 11 years.  We lost her at the age of 21.

31 out of 31 (I missed two so it should be 29 out of 31) SOL

We have come to the end.  I've been pondering this last SOL all day, thinking to myself; you've got to come up with something really cool for today's last Slice of Life.  Well, that didn't happen, but I did spend some time thinking about the journey.  Here's a rambling list of my rambling thoughts:

• It's not easy to write EVERYDAY.  This makes me think; how do my students feel?
• I have no idea when to use a colon or semi-colon.  This made me realize colons and semi-colons while I was reading.  Reading improves writing.  Now I'm on the hunt for those pesky punctuation marks.
• Writing involves taking a risk.  This is important because life is about taking risks and one does not grow as a person unless they take risks.  
• I revise immediately, almost sentence-by-sentence.  Might the reason for this be that it's difficult for me to express myself in writing.  (I just changed that sentence.)  I'd rather talk any day.
• I'm a copy cat.  I see a style or an approach to a writing task and I mimic that example.  I need somewhere to start.  
• My poor spelling abilities prevent me from writing more.  It's a HUGE frustration to have a thought and not be able to put it down on paper because I cannot spell a word I wanted to use.  This makes me think; if it's hard for me than how do my students feel?
• I can't write on the fly.  It takes me several attempts before I feel ready to put my writing out there.  Writing is a painstakingly, time consuming task for me.
• Writing is HARD and the teaching of writing is even HARDER.  

We've come to the end of our time together (so to speak).  It has been an incredible month. Thanks to everyone who commented on my slices and especially the encouragement about my parents' divorce.  You are all an amazing group and a true inspiration.  Thanks for taking this walk with me.  See ya on Tuesdays.  

30 out of 31 SOL

Again, I was inspired by Ruth and her inspiration from Rebecca Cooper. 

Remember Kelly-

• You live life full throttle; it's part of who you are.
• Life is about possibilities.
• You define who you are; not society.
• It's okay to let go.
• You can make a difference.
• You don't have to be anybody, but yourself.
• Life is not about being perfect.
• You're loved by many.

29 out of 31 SOL

I hit the doorbell button and pulled open the back room door at the same time, hoping to avoid the plops of rain dropping from the sky.  Wiping my feet I knocked on the door, "Hey, it's just me," I said as my dad rounded the corner into the back room.

"Come in, come in... you don't need to knock," answered my dad with a shake of his head.

"Well, I wanted to make sure you weren't sleeping or something," offering some kind of excuse because I'm still adjusting to my dad living in our rental house.    

"No, I wasn't sleeping, just watching the game," explained my dad.  "What are you doing out-and-about in this awful weather?" he asked.

Kicking off my boots, "I needed a break from reading student papers, so I drove over to see Jeff.  Do you have any pretzels or chips; something Jeff could eat as a snack?"

Jumping on my request, Dad yanked open the cupboard, "I've got cookies, chips and M&Ms," listed dad as he touched each item in the cupboard.  Not surprised that dad's cupboard was full of several junk food options.

"Oh, he's not fussy.  Here, let's put some cookies and M&Ms in a container," I said while digging around for a lid.  "Whoa, that's plenty," I continued as I noticed Dad adding more cookies to the container.

Good comes from life's challenges.  Have I come to terms with my parent's divorce?  No, and honestly I'm not sure I ever will.  Instead I've chosen to focus on the silver lining; getting to know my dad differently.  I'm building a relationship, on a different level, with my dad who worked two jobs, at times, to provide for his family, who I took for granted as a teenager and young adult and who seems to be adjusting to his new surroundings.