A Well Worked Draft

 

This writer has been using the routines for revising and editing very well. Notice all the highlights, circled words, addition of more detail, and word counts to check punctuation and sentence fluency. This writer has taken this piece of writing as far as he can and invested a great deal of time and energy into creating quality writing. These habits are no accident. Rather, they are the result of modeling, guided practice and lots and lots of independent practice time.

Teacher Comments Focus on Process, not Just Product

 

This 3rd grade writer has been working on developing stamina in order to create full pieces of writing. He has also been practicing a new editing routine of circling words when he is unsure of their spelling. This will keep him writing longer instead of spending all of writer's workshop thumbing through his spelling dictionary. It will also help him to write more conventionally by providing him a method for identifying spelling concerns.
Notice that the teacher's comments to this writer celebrate his use of the new editing routine and also encourage him to keep going. Early drafts need comments about what is working and what the writer is doing right.