In my new school (can I still call it that after finishing term 1?), the use of purple polishing pens, for revising and editing, has not been as pivotal a stage in the writing process as is the case for published authors.
In a bid to embed this stage of the writing process into our children's writing, the entire federation have developed a new tool: The editing and revising ladder.
The ladder shows (using visual cues) what the editing and revising expectations are for each year group. We have included what the children will focus on in the editing process to ensure expected standard. We have developed this with high aspirations but with an awareness of where our children are currently in relation to editing their work.
As a team we decided, that if the children were taught something in one year group then it would usually be the following year group (if not later on in their school journey) expectation to be able to identify and amend the errors/ improvements with regards to this teaching point.
All teachers have launched this device in an editing lesson.
My lesson was a teacher modelled, guided, affair. After assessing the children's work over the half-term break I highlighted good elements of writing spotted initially. I then took them on a journey through the appropriate editing stations, as a whole class. If children had mastered a specific element that we were revising I guided them to look at their individual writing targets instead ( which were also shared with the children in this session).
The children knew that using this ladder would enable them to produce a final draft (of their folk tales).
In future sessions, I will focus on one element of the ladder to ensure that all children achieve the skill to a greater extent rather than lots of editing at a superficial level.
When we are more established in the editing process, and the children have gathered a deeper understanding of year 5/6 writing devices and grammatical terminology, we shall return to these folk tales to edit again. Until then here are some of the children's final pieces; the editing and revising ladder and my whole class written feedback.
