Editing that engages

Improve young writers' self- and peer-editing skills with these strategies

Heads were bent in concentration while pencils scratched and erasers erased. A soft hum of voices filled the room as the first graders wrote.

The teacher looked at me apologetically. "Should I ask them to work more quietly?" she asked. Heavens, no! The hum of voices was a dear indication of th children's involvement in the writing process, I told her. By "eavesdropping" o this self editing you can gain insights into how each child goes about writing.

PRIMARY GRADES: SELF EDITING

In classrooms like this first grade, students are naturally inclined to audible and uninhibited self editing. Let's listen in:

"I'm putting a bird in my story," one gift said. A boy remarked to himself, "Hey, how did that get there!" as he erased a word. At another table, a child sounded out a word: c-a-t-a-p-i-l-r. Her neighbor corrected her without missing a beat. A heated discussion ensued in which five children abandoned their pencils and debated whether caterpillar has two t's or one. They decided to settle the matter later with a dictionary, and returned to their writing. The hum of voices resumed.

OLDER CHILDREN: PEER EDITING

After the primary grades, children have internalized many self-editing tasks. They tend to revise their work silently, rereading as they write, adding an image, correcting a spelling, and so forth. But in the next step in the writing process--peer editing--older students should be encouraged to verbalize ideas. Here is a portrait of a peer review session in action at Dewitt Elementary School in Webster, New York:

The teacher and I divided the class into small groups. I gave students their instructions: "One person in each group will read aloud while everyone listens carefully. Don't interrupt authors as they read. Afterward, you'll have a chanc to tell them what struck you--a line of dialogue, an image, a character's gesture--as well as ask any questions you may have. The authors will carefully consider their classmates' suggestions and answer questions thoughtfully. Later they will decide for themselves what changes to make."

I asked fourth grader Brenna what she thought of the sharing sessions. She commented, "We compared the different ways everybody thought about the same character. I worked hard to make my story better because I knew my friends woul read it again, and that made me proud."

6 Tips for Constructive Editing

1. Primary-age writers talk to themselves as they write; listen in to learn how they experience the writing process.

2. Guide students to save spelling and other technical questions for after the first draft. Going forward with their ideas is far more important than crossing every t.

3. Give writers lots of physical space. Reading over their shoulders will make them clutch.

4. Save your red pen for later. First allow children time to rethink, reconsider, and revise on their own.

5. Encourage students to use the word because in peer-review sessions: "I like the ending because..." is useful because it is specific.

6. During peer editing, fade into the background (but keep your eyes and ears open). This will help students realize that they are capable of making aestheti and compositional decisions on their own.

DR. CYNDE GREGORY, author of Childmade: Awakening Children to Creative Writing, works with thousands of children and teachers annually in workshops and residency programs.

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