Have you ever heard of using ARMS for revision? Today we talked about the next step in our writing process journey, revision. We used the acronym ARMS to help guide peer feedback as we revised our first drafts.
I started class by reading one of my daughter’s favorite books, Pout Pout Fish. At first, the class questioned why I was reading them a book that I also read to my almost 2 year old. They quickly realized that the author did an amazing job of including vivid language and colorful details. Instead of describing the main character as a blue fish with a frown, the author called the fish a kaleidoscope of mope with an ever present pout. She went on to use words like scowl, grimace, impolite, and sulking. The kids were impressed by the author’s ability to take boring ideas and words and turn them into colorful, interesting phrases and ideas.
We discussed the idea of revising- the act of adding, removing, moving or substituting words, ideas and thoughts to improve our writing or make it more interesting to readers. The kids were eager to dive into their own writing and start revising. Everyone broke out highlighters and pencils and immediately got to work! I was most impressed by the questioning I heard between partners and the empathy shown when making/receiving suggestions. Many students embraced the fact that their first draft was just that- a first attempt and they were excited to make changes and get more feed-forward.
The next step is to type their second drafts before revising again next week. I can’t wait to see and share how their writing evolves over the next few weeks. Stay tuned!