Children can become better communicators by expressing their thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Effective communication through speech or writing enables children to successfully convey their messages. When teaching writing to children, educators often look to writing traits--ideas, organization, word choice, voice, sentence fluency, conventions--to…

Writer's checklists are evidence-based procedural facilitators that prompt students to actively engage in the writing process. Students with diverse learning needs experience problems when composing texts because of the complex steps involved. To write effectively, students must focus on understanding prompts; setting goals; generating,…

Outlines the process of peer editing, and points out that research shows peer editing to be highly effective. (ARH)

A teacher describes what happens when professional writers are invited into his college composition classroom to talk about and show the processes they employ in revising their work, and reports that students benefit not only by hearing about but also by actually seeing successive drafts. In the class, the students begin the semester by analyzing…

Shows how an editing assignment emphasizing punctuation can help students in a first-year writing class discover new ideas and perspectives as part of the revision process. Considers a class that experimented with editing punctuation for a dual purpose--as a revision heuristic as well as for correctness. Reconsiders editing and revision…

Provides ways to use the standard functions of word processors to help students effectively edit on-screen "soft copy" as well as ways to counter the illusion of perfection caused by drafts printed on high-resolution laser printers with proportional fonts. (RS)

Offers a plan for developing student editing skills in the beginning technical writing class. Suggests guidelines that parallel the revision-oriented heuristics of such scholars as Michael Flanigan and Linda Flower. (FL)

Describes how writing instructors can aid students to become self-reflective, independent practitioners who can readily edit and proofread their own writing. Outlines numerous methods for dealing with error patterns. (HB)

Argues that proofreading should be viewed as a separate kind of writing and reading skill and that teachers of writing have not effectively trained their students how to perform this important task. Describes various strategies for teaching proofreading to students, including computer applications. (HB)

Discusses how writing instruction can help students move from the expressive writing typical of first drafts to writing that can be presented to discriminating audiences. (MM)

Argues that emphasis on process has reduced the amount of time teachers spend teaching basic editing skills. Offers eight suggestions for incorporating instruction in punctuation into a process approach to writing. (MS)

Describes an editing assignment in which senior engineering students use their knowledge of non-finite clauses (both restrictive and non-restrictive) to achieve concise mature writing. Explains the linguistic background provided to students before the assignment, gives details of the published "answer guide" and the exercise, and…

Investigates 156 third, fifth, and ninth grade students to determine whether the revising/editing process is related to age or instruction and learning. Finds that the tendency to engage in revision/editing is more related to one's writing ability than it is to age or level of cognitive development. (MG)

Describes a writing assignment in which students write (and send) a letter to a famous person of their choosing. Notes one student's seriousness about the project and the usefulness of peer editing in revising. (SR)

Outlines seven steps that help improve students' revising and editing skills, including helping students to focus their revision efforts, revising work based on feedback, and having students copy and display the piece in some way. Asserts that writers need both practice and instruction on how to improve their work. (MM)