Writing Project 4 In-Class Revision Activities

We will spend the first part of class today working on revising WP1. Keep in mind that your
revision does not need to be limited to the suggested activitiesif you can think of something
that will be more helpful for your paper, do it. The more work you do now, the better your paper
is going to be (and the better your final website will be). You can either do these activities with
your own paper or switch with a classmate. Please keep any group interactions as quiet as
possible to respect those around you. Feel free to ask me any questions.
1. Go through your paper and revise as much as you can according to the feedback and
suggestions you received from me or in peer review. Keep in mind, though, that this is
your paper and you are not obligated to take advice you dont agree with.
2. Thesis: Highlight or underline your thesis. Does it make a significant claim that relates
the songs and explains what your main point is going to be? Does it go beyond the
obvious (the songs are different because they were released at different times) with an
insightful claim? Does it guide the rest of the paper with no tangents?
3. Content: Read through your paper (or swap with someone else) and make a list of every
claim you make about the songs, the context, the intended audience, etc. Is each claim
backed up with adequate support? Could any points be strengthened with additional
support?
4. Glossing for organization/ideas1: Read through your draft paragraph by paragraph.
a. First, determine what the paragraph says. What idea are you trying to get across?
In the margins, write a paraphrase (the same ideas in different words) for the
paragraph. A paraphrase as a part of the glossing activity is a direction-finder, a
summary, another way of saying something. What are key words or phrases that
help you understand what the paragraph is saying?
b. Next, ask yourself how that paragraph functions as a part of your overall piece.
What is the paragraph doing? What purpose does it serve? How can you tell?
c. Copy your glosses onto another piece of paper. Look at what youve got in terms
of arrangement or organization. What is happening to the development of ideas?
Do your ideas develop in a logical way? Are there other ways to organize your
piece that would be more effective? Are there possible directions for this draft to
take, places where it isnt accomplishing what you had hoped? Experiment with
rearranging the glosses into different outlines.
d. Ask yourself: What difference does it make to the meaning of the text and to
potential readers if you arrange ideas differently?
5. Sentence-level revision: Have a partner check your paper for unclear wording and
sentence structure. With your own paper, try to simplify the sentences as much as you
can, cutting unnecessary words and breaking long, complex sentences up into shorter
sentences.

Adapted from http://www.unl.edu/writing/revision-practices