When many of us are faced with a piece of student writing, these thoughts instantly start to fly:
“What do I comment on?”
“What should I expect of my student based on their age?”
“How can I teach my student to self-edit?”
That’s where the Blackbird & Company Writer’s Checklists come in. For Levels 1, 2, and 3, we offer free downloadable checklists on Print Shop that walk you through what edits to make at each level. The 5-minute conference just got easier!
For example, at Level 1, we look for writing three supporting ideas and using some adjectives. By Level 2 we upgrade to writing five supporting ideas, connecting related ideas, and trying out all four sentence types. By Level 3, the hope is that the student can soar and write eight supporting ideas, add sensory details, and vary sentence length. With a little scaffolding, students can climb the ladder to authentic writing!
These checklists aren’t just for teachers and parents—they’re also a wonderful resource to hand to students so they can start practicing the art of the self-edit.
So this school year, print out a stack of Writer’s Checklists. They just might streamline the editing process for both you and your students.
Well-written, Blackbird!
~ Claire S.