Revising and editing is sometimes a hard task for students, but when you incorporate a little fun, it can encourage them to look at their writing in a new way. Using mobile editing and revising stations, students can grab supplies that will help them be more self-efficient during language arts time. Using tools such as pens, markers, magnifying glasses, and more, students will be able to look at revising and editing in a whole new way. Make sure to download the free basket and prompt printables here!
After working hard through prewriting and drafting a piece of writing, students naturally want to get right to publishing their work. It's so exciting to finally be done and the last thing they want to do is go back through their writing to revise and edit. It is a difficult task and one that many would love to skip right over, but it is also one of the most important steps of writing that students must practice, practice, practice.
So, how can we get our students excited to revise and edit? Create a specific station in your classroom that students can use to help revise and edit their work. Having tools available that students love to use will help encourage them to go back and make necessary changes to their work.
Whether working with partners, small groups, or on their own, students can benefit from using a mobile revising and editing station. A mobile station can be created fast using an easy-to-grab basket with handles, fun pointers like fingers or wands, Sharpie markers, magnifying glasses, pencils, sticky notes, and colorful pens. Download the free basket labels here as well as the revising and editing tips to go inside your basket.
Fun pointers will help students revise their writing by acting as a visual guide. Students can wear pointers while reading their writing. As they find places where details can be added in their writing they can leave the pointer on specific party of the page. They will love seeing funny fingers laid out on their page and this encourages students to look carefully for areas of their writing that can use more detail.
Students can also use magnifying glasses to search for misspelled words. Having a fun tool like a magnifying glass helps students hunt for misspellings and encourages a watchful eye as students reread their writing. Magnifying glasses can also be used to help find proper punctuation as students revise and edit.
Shuttle pens are the perfect revising and editing tool. They are so fun to use and make kids feel extra special when they get to use them! Your students will be sure to revise and edit JUST to use the shuttle pen! With different colored ink options available with one pen, you can encourage students to find misspelled words throughout their writing and correct the spelling using one specific color of ink. Students can use different colored ink to correct punctuation mistakes, a different color to add in details, and a different color in to omit repeated or unnecessary words or details. The possibilities are endless with shuttle pens!
Sharpies® and sticky notes are always student favorites because students know that these two tools are a teacher favorite too! When using Sharpies and sticky notes for editing, students can write notes to peer editing partners with questions or comments.
Setting up a mobile station where students can grab tools to revise and edit their writing is a fun way to practice otherwise difficult skills. I hope you found some inspiration for your own mobile revising and editing station!
