Revising Our Informational Writing
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Subject Area: English Language Arts (B.E.S.T.) | Grade Level: 3
Lesson Length: 1 hour
Keywords/Tags: writing, revising, informational
Lesson Description: In this lesson, students will learn how to make their informational writing better. This includes rereading your writing over and over to make sure that it makes sense and is just right. You will not only make sure that you have included everything that is required for an informational essay, but find places that you can add more detail or make better word choices.

  • ELA.3.C.1.5 Improve writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing with guidance and support from adults and feedback from peers.
Video : Revising your Informational Writing
Instructions: Please watch the following video as many times as needed before starting to go through other lesson pages. Understanding the content of the video is very important since the lesson activities will be all about this video content.
Reading : How to Reread and Revise your Informational Writing
Instructions: Please read the following article as many times as needed (aloud and silent) before starting to go through the rest of the lesson pages. Understanding the content of this passage is very important since the following lesson activities will be all about this content. Feel free to print the article if needed.

Writers always reread their writing to make sure that it makes sense and see if there are any changes that need to be made to make it better. Some writers reread their stories thousands of times and say that they can always find ways to make their writing better! If you follow the steps below, you will reread your story several times and each time you will look for specific things.

 

First, read your writing and make sure that you have included everything that is required for an informational essay. The checklist below includes the components you must include. 

1. Introduction-You stated your topic.

2. Linking Words- You used words that connected ideas (first, next, in conclusion).

3. Facts and Details- You gave facts about your topic and supported them with details, deifintions, or examples.

4. Organization- You grouped your facts and details together.

5. Conclusion- You wrapped up your essay with an ending.

 

Now reread your writing again. This time you will use ARMS from the video to make your writing beter. 

1. Look for places where you can ADD more details. You can add detail by adding definitions, examples, or a short story to support your fact. Below are some examples of each.

Definition- A lizadard is a reptile. A reptile is a cold-blodded vertebrates that have scaley bodeis. 

Example- Bulldogs may look like they are mean, but really they are not. For example, I read a story about a bulldog who saved their family by barking when there was a fire.

Short Story- Even some women fought in the American Revolution. Deborah Sampson pretended to be a male to fight in the war. She eventually got wounded which led to the discovery of her being a woman.

2. Look for things that need to be removed. Writers remove information that does belong with their main idea or topic. Or maybe you repeated a fact or detail and you need to delete it. 

3. Look for facts or details that need to be moved. It is common for details to be added in the wrong paragraph. If you write about how much horses weigh in the paragraph about what they eat, that fact can be moved to the paragraph about what they look like or maybe the introdution where you introduced what a horse it.

4. Look for substitutions. This is when you change a sentence or phrase for something that sounds better. Below is an example.

One fact about bulldogs is they look different.

The writer substituted the phrase 'they look different' with: One fact about bulldogs is their unusual look. 

 

Now you have probably reread your story around 5 times! Now it is better than your first draft. You can use this process of using a checklist of what required in your writing and ARMS to revise any writing. 

 

 

Quiz : Revising your writing
Instructions: Please complete this quiz by choosing the correct answer for each question. You can take this quiz as many times needed.
Question #1

What is the purpose of revising your writing?

Question #2
When revising using ARMS, the A is for adding. You reread your story to see where you can add more details.
Question #3

Why would you substitute words or sentences in your writing?

Question #4
When you are revising, you do not need to make sure you have included all coponents required for informational writing.
Resources : Exemplar Informational Writing
Instructions: Please see additional external resources below. Feel free visit each link to learn more about this lesson.
Bulldogs
This is the Bulldogs essay we have used in class as a model.
ARMS Anchor Chart
Here is the anchor chart for each step of the ARMS process for revision.