1. In Concert:
An Integrated Reading and Writing Approach
by Kathleen T. McWhorter
Part Two:
Reading, Writing, and Organizing Paragraphs
Chapter 9:
Strategies for Revising Paragraphs
PowerPoint by Sarah Gilliam, Instructor of English
Mountain Empire Community College
2. Chapter 9: Strategies for Revising Paragraphs
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
3. Revising a paragraph involves:
• Examining your ideas by rereading
• Making major changes to sentences and ideas
• Adding, deleting, and rearranging ideas
Editing a paragraph involves:
• Adding or deleting words and phrases
• Correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation,
and mechanics
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
4. Strategies for Revising Paragraphs:
1. Read the paragraph once to examine content
2. Read the paragraph a second time to
evaluate the effectiveness of your ideas
3. Read the paragraph a third time to check for
correctness
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
5. Strategies to Consider Audience and Purpose:
1. Decide if the paragraph accomplishes what
you want it to accomplish.
2. Try to read the paragraph from the
viewpoint of the intended audience.
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
6. Create an Idea Map (Revision Map) to Reexamine Ideas:
1. Write a shortened version of your topic sentence on a
piece of paper.
2. Go through each sentence in the paragraph and list each
detail supporting the topic sentence.
3. If you find examples of already listed details, write it under
the detail it is related to and indent.
4. If you find unrelated details, write them to the right of
your list.
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
7. Check for Common Errors in:
• Sentence Structure (fragments and run-ons)
• Verb Tense
• Subject-Verb Agreement
• Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
• Commas
• Semicolons
• Capitalization
Helpful Tip:
Keep an Error Log—a recording of each mistake you make
and how many times you make it. This will identify
strengths and weaknesses in your writing.
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
8. Goal 1: Understand the Purpose of Revising
Review Questions
Which of the following is NOT included in the
paragraph revision process?
A. Rearranging ideas
B. Making major sentence changes
C. Rereading the paragraph one time
D. Adding more ideas to the paragraph
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
9. Goal 1: Understand the Purpose of Revising
Review Questions
Which of the following is NOT included in the
paragraph revision process?
A. Rearranging ideas
B. Making major sentence changes
C. Rereading the paragraph one time
D. Adding more ideas to the paragraph
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
10. Goal 2: Read Critically to Revise
Review Questions
How many times should you reread your paragraph
to ensure it is well-written and correct?
A. Twice
B. Three times
C. Five times
D. Several times—as many as is necessary for you to
feel comfortable with the paragraph.
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
11. Goal 2: Read Critically to Revise
Review Questions
How many times should you reread your paragraph to
ensure it is well-written and correct?
A. Twice
B. Three times
C. Five times
D. Several times—as many as is necessary for you to
feel comfortable with the paragraph.
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
12. Goal 3: Consider Your Audience and Purpose
Review Questions
Which of the following is NOT a strategy for
considering audience and purpose?
A. Determining if the paragraph accomplishes what
you want.
B. Reading the paragraph from the audience’s point
of view.
C. Writing what the audience wants to hear
D. Trying to make the material engaging and
interesting.
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
13. Goal 3: Consider Your Audience and Purpose
Review Questions
Which of the following is NOT a strategy for
considering audience and purpose?
A. Determining if the paragraph accomplishes what
you want.
B. Reading the paragraph from the audience’s point of
view.
C. Writing what the audience wants to hear
D. Trying to make the material engaging and
interesting.
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
14. Goal 4: Examine Your Ideas
Review Questions
True or False:
An idea map is not an effective tool for reexamining
ideas in a paragraph.
True or False:
Checking for transitional words that connect ideas is
an effective strategy for examining ideas.
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
15. Goal 4: Examine Your Ideas
Review Questions
True or False:
False: An idea map is not an effective tool for
reexamining ideas in a paragraph.
True or False:
True: Checking for transitional words that connect
ideas is an effective strategy for examining ideas.
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
16. Goal 5: Correct Errors in
Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation
Review Questions
Editing is the revision process that checks for errors
in which of the following:
A. Sentence Structure
B. Commas
C. Capitalization
D. All of the above
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
17. Goal 5: Correct Errors in
Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation
Review Questions
Editing is the revision process that checks for errors
in which of the following:
A. Sentence Structure
B. Commas
C. Capitalization
D. All of the above
Copyright 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Notes de l'éditeur
Revising involves rereading your ideas several times and making major changes to your paragraph content. This includes reading every idea and each sentence thoroughly. You may have to add more details, delete some points, add more examples, or rearrange your content to be more organized.Editing is the part of the revision process that involves clarity and correctness. Editing means you may have to reword some phrasing, delete/add words, and check for correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mechanical errors.
The first step in paragraph revision is rereading the paragraph to see what works and what does not. Because it is easy to overlook errors in your own work, there are strategies that you can use to determine if you’ve written a good paragraph. Reading the paragraph multiple times using different revision strategies will ensure that your paragraph is well-written.Does the paragraph say what you want it to say? If not, make the appropriate changes in wording/content. If you are not sure if your meaning is clear, have a friend or classmate read your paragraph.Read the paragraph a second time to evaluate how well you have expressed your ideas. Make any needed changes, and reread again to make sure the changes work.Read the paragraph a third time to check for correctness: grammar, spelling, punctuation, mechanics. Make any necessary changes.Activity:Split the class up into pairs. Require that each student bring in a paragraph they have written on an assigned topic. Using the listed strategies, have students peer review each other’s paragraphs.
If the paragraph does not accomplish what you want, use the review checklist on page 290 to try to decide what went wrong and revise the paragraph. If this doesn’t help, ask a friend to read your paragraph and provide insight as to what might help you make your point.Try to anticipate what ideas the audience might find confusing or unclear. Is the material engaging? Could it be presented in a more interesting way? Does it make original points?
Reevaluating your ideas is the most important step in the revision process. Using an idea map to reevaluate your ideas (see pages 285–286 for the visual format) will allow you to ensure you have provided relevant and sufficient detail in your paragraph as well as make sure your ideas have a logical organization. By listing your ideas in the order they appear in your paragraph, you can determine if the organization seems logical (see examples on pages 288–289). Also look for non-specific words or terms unrelated to your topic. Either omit them or replace them with relevant terms. Be sure you connect your ideas with transitional words and phrases. See page 290 for the full review checklist.Activity:Exercise 9-2 (Writing a Paragraph and Drawing an Idea Map)
The process of making these types of corrections is called editing. Mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and spelling make your paper less effective. Editing is the final step in revising a good paragraph.Refer to the proofreading checklist on page 291 to help guide your corrections.Keep an error log to determine how many times you make similar errors. If you can identify areas of difficulty, you can study them to improve your skills.Activity:Using an assigned paragraph, have students use the checklist on page 291 to identify errors in their own paragraphs. This activity is best done individually, as peer reviews for correctness often confuse students. They are more apt to accept a peer’s incorrect marks rather than question them.
Answer: C—you should reread the paragraph several times!
Answer: C—you should reread the paragraph several times!
Answer: D—you should reread the paragraph several times until you are comfortable with it.
Answer: D—you should reread the paragraph several times until you are comfortable with it.
Answer: C—you do not have to write what you know the audience wants to hear; you have to make what they read engaging and interesting to them.
Answer: C—you do not have to write what you know the audience wants to hear; you have to make what they read engaging and interesting to them.