"A book, too, can be a star, 'explosive material, capable of stirring up fresh life endlessly,' a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe." - from Madeleine L'Engle's Newberry Medal Acceptance Speech

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Revision Lesson 1: Author's Purpose and Focus

After reading most of your drafts, I identified two areas that need the most work in your responses: author's purpose and focus. Here are some questions to help you revise these areas. Answer them directly on your draft.

1. Author's Purpose - Fulfill the prophecy: you must write an appreciation
  • What elements can you add to your composition to make it look and sound more like an "appreciation" and less like a review or general literary essay? Look back at notes and mentor packet.
  • How can you make sure your composition has a nice balance of a) why you appreciate the book, and why it's important to you; b) specific evidence from the text; and c) why the book is universal and timeless and important for all readers?
  • Appreciations are often written as an introduction to a book and invite the reader to read it. Imagine your appreciation as an introduction to the book you are writing about. Does it invite readers?
2. Focus - So what? Why are you writing this?
  • What is the main message/big idea that you want your readers to think, feel, and know?
  • How can you improve the focus? Does each sentence and paragraph support the focus?
  • What details do you need to take out or add to elaborate on and clearly support your focus? How do these details and examples support your focus? Explain.
* Now, reread your drafts and start making the necessary changes. Here are some tools you can use to help you: 1) sign up for a conference with me; 2) get approval to work with a peer; 3) review your mentor texts.

Happy revision!

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