Revision Essay Assignment

Avoid slipping into clich=C3=A9s or generalities. Take this opportunity to =
really examine an experience that taught you something you didn't previousl=
y know about yourself, got you out of your comfort zone, or forced you to g=
row. Sometimes it's better to write about something that was hard for you b=
ecause you learned something than it is to write about something that was e=
asy for you because you think it sounds admirable. As with all essay questi=
ons, the most important thing is to tell a great story: how you discovered =
this activity, what drew you to it, and what it's shown you about yourself.

revision essay assignment
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Be sure to read your assignment thoroughly before you read the article or b=
ook. Your instructor may have included specific guidelines for you to follo=
w. Keeping these guidelines in mind as you read the article or book can rea=
lly help you write your paper!

Please note: The length of your introduction and overview, the number of po=
ints you choose to review, and the length of your conclusion should be prop=
ortionate to the page limit stated in your assignment and should reflect th=
e complexity of the material being reviewed as well as the expectations of =
your reader.

If your assignment asks you to review the book as it relates to issues or t=
hemes discussed in the course, or to review two or more books on the same t=
opic, your introduction must also encompass those expectations.



First, put your draft aside for a little while. Time away from your essay w=
ill allow for more objective self-evaluation. When you do return to the dra=
ft, be honest with yourself; ask yourself what you really think about the p=
aper.

Check the focus of the paper. Is it appropriate to the assignment prompt? I=
s the topic too big or too narrow? Do you stay on track throughout the enti=
re paper? (At this stage, you should be concerned with the large, content-r=
elated issues in the paper, not the grammar and sentence structure).

Because this is a writing intensive course, students will earn a substantia=
l part of their final grade through four writing assignments (80%). Student=
s are required to review their first paper at the Writing Center with a pee=
r tutor, although they are strongly encouraged to avail themselves of these=
 services for all three writing assignments.

For one paper, students may choose one to send a draft for review, but it m=
ust be sent a full week ahead of the paper deadline. Students may also rewr=
ite one paper if they received a B or lower. I require students to send dra=
fts far in advance because it takes 7-10 days for me to thoroughly read and=
 comment on all papers. I often tell students to go to the Writing Center a=
fter giving them feedback. Although I make many suggestions, I hope that st=
udents revise the entire essay, based on my suggestions, rather than just f=
ixing the specific things marked. When I receive a rewrite, I average the t=
wo grades.

My WI courses focus heavily on improving analytical writing skills. For all=
 essays I provide extensive feedback in the form of in-paper corrections as=
 well as a separate sheet of general suggestions. I also provide a small am=
ount of extra credit for those who go to the Writing Center when it is not =
required.

Students are required to revise one paper. In my introductory course, I ave=
rage the original and the revision grade. In my upper-level course, in whic=
h the revision is of a research prospectus for a 25-page research paper, th=
e revised prospectus receives a separate grade. In addition, students are r=
equired to have a Writing Center conference on a second essay. For all pape=
rs, students are encouraged to meet with me one-on-one.

True revision requires that you look at your essay from a completely differ=
ent perspective than when you initially wrote it. When you wrote this draft=
, your first concern was expressing your ideas; now your primary concern is=
 to communicate those ideas more clearly to your reader. Here are some sugg=
estions and guidelines for your revision.

As the most important sentence(s) of your essay, anything you do to clarify=
 or narrow your thesis statement will benefit your entire essay. Remember: =
It should contain concrete elements and specific names and places rather th=
an vague generalizations. Your thesis should explain the significance of th=
e topic you have chosen to discuss, rather than announce your topic as a st=
atement of fact.

What is the connection between the details you've chosen to discuss in your=
 essay? What are the similarities or differences? How are pieces of evidenc=
e related? If your thesis is strong, the connection between your examples s=
hould be evident.

In an essay, nothing is understood; all of your arguments need to be explai=
ned. Avoid using general terms which are meaningless without context. Examp=
le: "a better life" (What does this mean to the character within the contex=
t? There is an implied comparison, so better than what?) Don't assume your =
reader knows what you mean. Make sure you define your terms and use example=
s to illustrate.

An error which has been identified on your first draft should not appear ag=
ain in the revision. If your essay contains confusing, unclear sentences, r=
ephrase, reorganize, or edit those sentences. Even if you use a Spell Check=
 program, look over your paper for typos which the computer can't recognize=
 (ex. "tow" instead of "two").

Revising and editing are the two tasks you undertake to significantly impro=
ve your essay. Both are very important elements of the writing process. You=
 may think that a completed first draft means that little improvement is ne=
eded. However, even experienced writers need to improve their drafts and re=
ly on peers during revising and editing. You may know that athletes miss ca=
tches, fumble balls, or overshoot goals. Dancers forget steps, turn too slo=
wly, or miss beats. For both athletes and dancers, the more they practise, =
the stronger their performance will become. Web designers seek better image=
s, a more clever design, or a more appealing background for their web pages=
. Writing has the same capacity to profit from improvement and revision.

You should revise and edit in stages: do not expect to catch everything in =
one go. If each time you review your essay you focus on a different aspect =
of construction, you will be more likely to catch any mistakes or identify =
any issues. Throughout this chapter, you will see a number of checklists co=
ntaining specific things to look for with each revision. For example, you w=
ill first look at how the overall paper and your ideas are organized.

When you edit, you take a second look at how you expressed your ideas. You =
add or change words. You fix any problems in grammar, punctuation, and sent=
ence structure. You improve your writing style. You make your essay into a =
polished, mature piece of writing, the end product of your best efforts.

How do you get the best out of your revisions and editing? Here are some st=
rategies that writers have developed to look at their first drafts from a f=
resh perspective. Try them throughout the writing process; then keep using =
the ones that bring results.

When you revise to improve organization, you look at the flow of ideas thro=
ughout the essay as a whole and within individual paragraphs. You check to =
see that your essay moves logically from the introduction to the body parag=
raphs to the conclusion, and that each section reinforces your thesis. Use =
Checklist 12.1: Revise for Organization to help you.

Jorge reread his draft paragraph by paragraph. As he read, he highlighted t=
he main idea of each paragraph so he could see whether his ideas proceeded =
in a logical order. For the most part, the flow of ideas was clear. However=
, he did notice that one paragraph did not have a clear main idea. It inter=
rupted the flow of the writing. During revision, Jorge added a topic senten=
ce that clearly connected the paragraph to the one that had preceded it. He=
 also added transitions to improve the flow of ideas from sentence to sente=
nce.

Begin to revise your paper to improve organization. Start with any major is=
sues, such as needing to move an entire paragraph. Then proceed to minor re=
visions, such as adding a transitional phrase or tweaking a topic sentence =
so it connects ideas more clearly.

Careful writers use transitions to clarify how the ideas in their sentences=
 and paragraphs are related. These words and phrases help the writing flow =
smoothly. Adding transitions is not the only way to improve coherence, but =
they are often useful and give a mature feel to your essays. Earlier chapte=
rs have discussed using transitions for specific purposes in the planning o=
f your writing. Table 12.1: Common Transitional Words and Phrases groups ma=
ny common transitions according to their purpose.

When Mariah (who you were introduced to in Chapters 5 and 6) revised her es=
say for unity, she examined her paragraph about televisions to check for co=
herence. She looked for places where she needed to add a transition or perh=
aps reword the text to make the flow of ideas clear. In the version that fo=
llows, she has already deleted the sentences that were off topic.

Many writers make their revisions on a printed copy and then transfer them =
to the version on screen. They conventionally use a small arrow called a ca=
ret (^) to show where to insert an addition or correction.

When a piece of writing has unity, all the ideas in each paragraph and in t=
he entire essay clearly belong and are arranged in an order that makes logi=
cal sense. When the writing has coherence, the ideas flow smoothly. The wor=
ding clearly indicates how one idea leads to another within a paragraph and=
 from paragraph to paragraph.

When you reread your writing to find revisions to make, look for each type =
of problem in a separate sweep. Read it straight through once to locate any=
 problems with unity. Read it straight through a second time to find proble=
ms with coherence. You may follow this same practice during many stages of =
the writing process.
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