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| Wednesday
Writing |
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Weekly
reading, writing, & thinking lesson |
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Grades 9-12 | How to Grade
Your Own Writing
|
|
How
to Grade Your Own Writing
If you
do not understand something in this section, ask your teacher to explain
it or send us your question at Ask
the Editor.
| 5
Things My Story Should NOT Have |
- a
stolen plot line (plagiarism)
- real
names of people (in fiction)
- personal
information, such as telephone numbers and addresses
- gratuitous
violence or gore
- insensitive
words that might offend people
|
|
Give
Me a Break!
Your
first draft is finished. Now what? It's time for a break.
Sometimes staring at your writing for too long causes you to
overlook errors. So, put your writing away for a day or two. Come
back to it after the break for a fresh look. |
|
Use
Second Pair of Eyes
Have
you ever gotten a paper back that had big red circles around
obvious mistakes--mistakes you can't believe you didn't find
yourself? When you are proofreading your work, your
eyes can "auto-correct" some of your writing mistakes as
you read, causing you to miss errors. After all, your mind knows
what you meant to write. To avoid
missing those mistakes, have someone else read over your work. A
second pair of eyes always comes in handy when you're proofreading
your draft copy. |
|
Read
Out Loud
Have
a hard time catching errors in your writing? Try reading your work
out loud. You might hear some of your
mistakes. Also, ask yourself if your writing makes sense. |
|
|
Quick
Checklist |
|
Ask
these questions about your writing: |
| Does
my piece have a main idea? |
| Is
that main idea on topic for my assignment? |
| Is
my purpose clear? |
| Is
the form (i.e., narrative) I chose appropriate for my purpose and
audience? |
| Does
my entire piece stay on topic? |
| Are
my ideas original? |
| Is
there a logical or sequential development (entire piece and
paragraphs)? |
| Are
the relationships between paragraphs clear? |
| Are
my transitions appropriate and smooth? |
| Is
my structure clear and strong (introduction, body, and conclusion)? |
| Is
my voice consistent? Tense? Person? |
| Do
I use
varied sentence structure? |
| Do
I avoid slang or clichés? |
| Is
my language concise? |
| Is
my vocabulary precise? |
| Do
I use varied vocabulary? |
| Do
I use active voice? |
| Do
I use correct punctuation, spelling, and capitalization? |
| Can
superfluous details be cut? |
|
