Musical Revisions
Get your students moving and improving their writing in just ten minutes.
As an English teacher, I know that teaching students to revise and edit is fundamental to their success. It can also be one of the most difficult lessons to integrate. Finding time to give proper feedback or fit in peer editing can be daunting. But there is a bigger issue here: kids find revising boring and pointless.
We as teachers can appreciate and understand the importance of such skills, but our students haven’t yet seen it for themselves. They feel like we are personally punishing them and trying to ruin their day, or teaching them something they won’t use in their lives.
Without revising and editing their writing and the writing of others, students will fall behind in their writing development. They miss out on the opportunity to view writing in a critical eye and learn from that experience.
This is why I put together Musical Revisions.
What is Musical Revisions?
Musical Revisions is an active way for students to develop revising skills in steps.
This activity works similarly to musical chairs (with upbeat, happy music guiding them along), but when they sit down they are providing targeted feedback on their peer’s writing.
No swapping of computers, reading silently, and scratching down a few “it’s good.” When students give revisions and feedback with this activity, they have a direction and a purpose -- which improves the quality of their feedback!
Why use Musical Revisions?
When students peer revise for their classmates they are gaining knowledge of grammar concepts, being exposed to different writing styles and voices, and identifying elements of writing that they can implement in their own writing (in addition to their feedback).
They can learn from each other in a low stakes way; often in ways that we teachers are unable to reach them. By giving them time to practice this and utilizing guiding questions, they are not only learning how to improve their writing in the moment, but in future writing assignments as well. They know what is expected of them and have a guide along the way.
After using this many times in my classes, I can say with full confidence that my students’ writing has improved after this activity. They were able to make corrections, engage in discussions with classmates about their writing, and add to their writing in meaningful ways.
Whether you have 10 minutes or 60 minutes, students are able to practice critically revising writing.
You don’t have to reinvent this wheel - I’ve done that for you.
What’s in it?
Musical Revisions comes with:
5+ activities
Guiding questions to help facilitate structured feedback
Additional tips and tricks for implementing this seamlessly
Printables for 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 rotations (with and without a thesis statement option)
The best part about purchasing this bundle is that you can use this product with any grade level and any piece of writing! It is effective when looking at single paragraphs, extended responses, and complete essays.
You can also use this product throughout the writing process to help students revise an almost finished product or give and receive feedback as they go.
This stress-free and fun way to get students to revise their writing will transform how you and your students feel about the editing and revising process. No more complaints about revising being boring, that’s for sure.
You can find Musical Revisions (the printables, guiding questions, and tips and tricks) in my TPT store. Implement this activity as early as Monday morning, and let me know how it works in your classroom!
Happy teaching.
