Revise Edit Publish

Overview

In this final workshop, students revise and edit their completed Red’s Forest narratives before publishing a polished version. They will give and use focused peer feedback, then share a selected passage and explain one purposeful author choice.

Learning intentions

• WALT revise a narrative for meaning, structure, audience, and impact.
• WALT edit sentence boundaries, dialogue, capitals, spelling, punctuation, and paragraphing.
• WALT give specific, respectful feedback that helps a writer improve.
• WALT explain one purposeful author choice.

Success criteria

• I can make revisions that improve clarity or impact.
• I can accurately edit sentence boundaries, dialogue, capitals, and punctuation.
• I can check that my narrative has a clear setting, character, problem, sequence, and resolution.
• I can explain one purposeful author choice.

Curriculum links

• Creating texts: plan, compose, revise, edit, and publish imaginative writing for a clear purpose and audience.
• Text structure and organisation: use paragraphs, cohesive links, sequence, and an effective beginning and ending.
• Language features: use sentence variety, precise vocabulary, dialogue, punctuation, and spelling to create meaning.
• Oral language and communicating: listen actively, give constructive feedback, and present a selected passage clearly.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Reconnect and set the purpose Open with the opening question and learning intentions: “What makes a reader want to keep reading?” Invite two or three responses, then remind students that today they are authors, editors, and publishers. Read through the WALT and success criteria, explaining that revision improves ideas while editing corrects errors.

2. 5–12 minutes – Model the two-stage check Display the two-stage revision and editing model. Think aloud using a short sample paragraph from a forest narrative: first improve a weak character introduction or unclear sequence; then correct a sentence boundary and dialogue punctuation. Emphasise: “Revise the meaning first; edit the conventions second.” Distribute the two-stage narrative revision and editing checklist.

3. 12–22 minutes – Partner revision conference Students work in pairs with one writer and one coach, then swap roles. Using the revision side of the worksheet, the coach gives one specific strength and one actionable suggestion about the setting, character introduction, problem, sequence, resolution, or cohesion. Partners may read the narrative aloud to notice confusing sections. Refer to the partner feedback prompts and remind students to ask, “What could I change to make this clearer or more engaging for my reader?”

4. 22–31 minutes – Independent editing Students revise their own drafts, then complete the editing side of the two-stage narrative revision and editing checklist. They check sentence boundaries, capitals, spelling, paragraphing, sentence variety, and dialogue punctuation. Use a brief whole-class pause with the editing examples to address common needs, such as starting a new paragraph when a new speaker talks. Students read their work aloud quietly or point to each word while checking.

5. 31–40 minutes – Publish and prepare to share Students produce a neat final copy or type their narrative, retaining changes that improve meaning and accuracy. They choose a short passage of three to five sentences that shows a purposeful choice, such as humour, character contrast, tension, vivid setting, or an unexpected resolution. Confer with students who need teacher scribing, shared writing, or a targeted individual goal.

6. 40–45 minutes – Author sharing and reflection Invite four to six volunteers, or selected pairs, to read their passages aloud. After each reading, the author explains one choice using the frame: “I chose to ___ because I wanted my reader to ___.” Close with the sharing and reflection prompt: “Which change made your writing stronger?” Students record a brief response on the bottom of the worksheet or share with a partner.

Resources

• the Revise, Edit, and Publish teaching deck
• the two-stage narrative revision and editing checklist
• Students’ Red’s Forest narrative drafts
• Publishing paper or devices
• Pens, pencils, highlighters, and coloured editing pens
• A teacher-prepared short sample paragraph for modelling
• Classroom display space for the WALT and success criteria

Assessment

• Observe partner conferences and listen for specific, text-based feedback about meaning, structure, and audience.
• Collect or review drafts and check whether students have made purposeful revisions and accurate edits, especially to sentence boundaries, dialogue, capitals, punctuation, spelling, and paragraphing.
• Use the oral explanation to assess whether each student can identify and justify one author choice. Record a next step for students who need further support.

Differentiation

• Provide the visual two-stage checklist, colour-coded examples, sentence starters, and read-aloud editing for students who benefit from explicit structure or multimodal support.
• Assign peer-conferencing roles: reader, coach, and evidence finder. Model respectful feedback and allow students to rehearse comments orally before writing.
• For EAL learners and students with literacy needs, provide a reduced checklist with one target at a time, vocabulary prompts, additional conferencing, speech-to-text, or teacher scribing.
• For extension, ask students to write an author’s note comparing their choices with Jochems’s use of humour, character contrast, and reader expectations, using examples from both narratives.