revision

How do you define the word revision?

Stacey Shubitz

A few years ago I was given a simple, concrete definition of revision that I’ve used with my students: to see again. However, I’m curious… how do you describe what revision is in your classroom?

Please leave a comment with your definitions. I’d love to compile them all in a post sometime next week.

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Published by Stacey Shubitz

Stacey Shubitz is a K-6 literacy consultant and former elementary teacher. She is the author of CRAFT MOVES and other professional books on writing workshop. Her forthcoming book, MAKE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WORK FOR YOUR CHILD WITH DISABILITIES (Guilford Press, 2026), empowers parents to navigate the special education system.

15 thoughts on “How do you define the word revision?”

  2. When it comes to revision, I am vastly influenced by the very talented Georgia Heard, and her book, The Revision Toolbox. I teach specific skills that the kids can add to their toolbox.

    What I say to them to differentiate between revising and editing is this:
    “Revising is making your piece sound better. Editing is making your piece look better.

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  4. Pingback: Revision a la Wordle « TWO WRITING TEACHERS

  6. I have to second a few of these. Like you, I talk with them about “seeing again” – especially when we are studying prefixes.

    I also do like Bryan does. I talk about the difference between revising and editing as the difference between the way a piece sounds and the way a piece looks.

    I find that most of the time I spend in conferences is on revising. My students, by fifth grade, are willing to do the editing. They may not always do it well, but they are willing to do it. Getting them to revise is still more of a challenge.

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  7. Early in the year, I use an overly simplified definition to help my students break away from the idea that revising means fixing spelling and adding periods. Revising changes the way that our writing sounds (the music) and editing changes the way our writing looks on the page (the mechanics). You can hear the difference when you add more descriptive language or take out boring section or shake-up your lead with some laser-toting aliens. You can’t hear a spelling correction.

    We listen to a lot of “before and after” revision examples, and our listening is guided by the writer’s purpose. Hopefully, our listening will lead to questions that will prompt the next round of revision. If the author is writing a spooky story, we might ask as a class “How can he make the story sound scarier?” or “Is there another word for ‘move’ that sounds creepier?” or “What parts don’t sound very scary at all?” Then we’ll dive into our bag of revision tools and try some out. Then we’ll listen to the changes that we made, often with our eyes closed.

    Of course, this is just a small piece of our discussions on revising and editing, but it gives us a place to start that’s a little more concrete.

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  8. I use the “see again” and also “to have a new vision, a new dream.” I tell my writing students that revising is both re-seeing and refining. Taking the ore and getting to the gold.

    Jane Yolen

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  9. I get out a pair of binoculars and have some some of my kids read a sentence or two of a story I wrote. Next, I have them turn the binoculars backwards and read a word or two. We’ll add some colored acetate and look at the text in different colors. They still don’t know what the story is about, but each begins to form differing ideas. Next I display a page of the text on a smart board and use their suggestions to revise the story. It is then a small step for them to begin to revise their own work.

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  10. I have heard that revision is also to look again, with your vision again. I have also heard that you should tell the students to put on glasses to look for only one aspect of writing, such as organization or voice or grammar. If they are not specific about what they are looking for it is too much information.

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  11. Mine is similar–“to see anew”. I typically chart my revision minilessons for reference with a heading like, “We revise our writing by…” and do a similar one for editing, adding to each chart as a minilesson, mid-workshop interruption or share breings a new idea to the table. Chunking the strategies in this way helps them see the difference between improving the content, craft, voice, structure, etc. vs. issues around mechanics. It seems to work well for the 2nd and 3rd graders I’ve had in the past.

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  12. I did not have a definition as much as a procedure. I think that I need to define revision with students.

    The procedure I use is this:

    Decide WHAT you like about the piece. (I don’t let the kids decide IF they like the piece. I find the kids say I like it! LOL

    Change something (word, sentence, section, etc.)

    Add something (word, sentence, section, etc.)

    Cross out something you do not need (extra word, extra sentence, section, etc.)

    I do not include the parenthesis on the chart.

    http://www.debrennersmith.com

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  13. I just tell them that revising is making it better. Next to Ruth I feel dull and uninspired. But I am dying to know the other Craft Moves.

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  14. Imagine this:
    26 seventh graders.
    Standing on their chairs.
    One hand on the hip.
    The other in the air, posed to snap.

    Teacher: REVISING IS WORKING THE WORDS. We need to

    Students: WORK IT, BABY! (snaps + hip action at each syllable).

    Teacher: Louder this time: Revision is working the words, we need to . . .

    You get the drift. There was a lot of laughter and it seemed to stick. If it didn’t, said teacher would put them back on their chairs for a bit more chantin’, snappin’, and hippin’!

    There was a wall with all kinds of “Craft Moves” we had studied that could be used as a reference when deciding how to “work it.” The title was: Craft Moves: Work it, Baby!

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  15. My kids are always a little mixed between “edit” and “revise.” I say “edit” is “fix” “revise” is “change.” I don’t know if that is what you are looking for, but it seems to stick easily enough.
    For revising we give our writing the “ARMS” treatment. (Add, Remove, Move, or Substitute… as in a word, phrase, sentence, or paragraph) It doesn’t stick as well but we have a poster and they DO refer to it.

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