Why Students Don’t Really Revise: How to Teach Students to Revise Their Writing

As far as students are concerned, they completed the assignment and that’s the end of it. Once the words are committed to paper, it feels as if it is written in stone. 

Permanent. 

Asking them to change their words – words they most likely struggled to pull from their brain in the first place – now feels painful and useless. Now you’ve got grumpy students who still have no idea what they’re supposed to fix or why. 

The good news? Revision is a skill that can be taught. You can teach students how to revise their writing. No long revision checklist needed.

Let’s look at what revision actually means, why students struggle with it and some simple revision strategies you can use in your classroom tomorrow.

What Is Revision In Writing? 

Reading their own writing aloud is a great idea, and sometimes it garners a few corrections to the writing. But more often than not, the brain fixes the errors for us. 

When students read their own writing, they “see” what they intended to write. Not what they actually wrote. 

In lower grades, “revision” often means to rewrite the words, only neater this time. Maybe fix a few spelling errors along the way. 

But that’s editing, not revision. 

Revision literally means to see your writing piece again through fresh eyes. You’re looking at the big picture stuff like your ideas, organization, and clarifying meaning.

There’s often a disconnect between what you intended to say and what you actually said on the paper. Sometimes our brain was thinking faster than our fingers or pencil could capture our thoughts. 

Or you know information about your subject or characters that you assume your reader also knows. 

But they don’t. 

Revision vs. Editing: What’s the Difference?

One of the first things students need to understand is that revising and editing are not the same thing.

In short, REVISION asks: “How can I make my writing better for my reader?” while EDITING asks: “How can I make my writing correct?”

Both are important, but they require different ways of thinking.

What Questions Should Students Ask When Revising?

During the revision stage, students might ask themselves . . . 

• Did I actually respond to the writing prompt? 
• Did I include everything that I needed to make my message or story clear to the reader?
• Did I say everything in the best possible way?
• Did I get the words right?
• Are there any places that might confuse the reader?
• Did I give enough evidence to support my claims? 
• Did I elaborate or cite my sources where needed?

Revision Should Happen Throughout the Writing Process

Revision doesn’t have to wait until the end. In fact, it shouldn’t. In my opinion, revision should happen throughout every stage of the writing process. 

Got a new idea for a story, poem or article? Bounce your ideas off a friend, then revise your ideas. A good brainstorming session always helps me. 

Doing research? Confer with a friend. What info goes into your writing piece? What info should be kept out? 

Writing your first draft? Read it aloud to a friend. Where were they confused? Did they laugh at the right spots? If not, revise it. 

Revision isn’t just something writers do after they’ve finished their first draft. Revision is part of the writing process from beginning to end.

Which isn’t as hard as it might sound. Students can write to the principal to highlight a problem on campus or give ideas for a new club. Write thank you letters after a field trip or on campus assembly/performance. Write an illustrated story or article to read to the second graders. Write a letter home to tell about the fun story they read in class.

Honestly, when it comes to finding an authentic audience to write for, the possibilities are endless. Making this small shift will work wonders when it comes time to revise writing. Suddenly, just knowing someone is actually going to read their writing, students care more. Take more pride in their work. And the revision process won’t feel so hard because it will feel important and necessary.

Chances are, your first attempt at responding to your writing prompt wasn’t as great as you hoped it was.

That’s okay.

The process of revising gives writers a second chance to get the words just right. 

In short, revision is what makes your writing better. 

For students, it might mean that they review the writing prompt or source material again to ensure they’ve completed the task fully. It’s easy to get caught up on one part of the assignment while completely ignoring other directions, especially if it’s a multi-step prompt. 

Revision gives writers the opportunity to step back and ask: “Did I actually do what I was supposed to (or wanted) to do?”

It also gives them the opportunity to look at their writing from the reader’s viewpoint. “Will my reader understand what I mean?”

That’s a pretty powerful shift in thinking. And it requires that your students have a real audience to write for.

Which isn’t as hard as it might sound. Students can write to the principal to highlight a problem on campus or give ideas for a new club. Write thank you letters after a field trip or on campus assembly/performance. Write an illustrated story or article to read to the second graders. Write a letter home to tell about the fun story they read in class.

Honestly, when it comes to finding an authentic audience to write for, the possibilities are endless. Making this small shift will work wonders when it comes time to revise writing. Suddenly, just knowing someone is actually going to read their writing, students care more. Take more pride in their work. And the revision process won’t feel so hard because it will feel important and necessary.

How Do Authors Revise Their Writing?

While it’s ultimately the writer’s choice whether to accept these suggestions or fix the problems pointed out, it’s always a good idea to take time to carefully consider these potential changes.

Will they make your writing better? Quite possibly. 

There’s a great picture book by author Mac Barnett called, “How This Book Was Made” that blends reality with fantasy. Trust me, you need this picture book in your life.

My Revision Process as a Romance Writer:

I always start with the big stuff first. If the content of my story – plot, characterization, and conflict – isn’t clear to the reader, I have to rethink and rewrite it until it’s better.

That might mean I go back to my story notes or plot outline, or do more research. Personally, I tend to capture the character dialogue first, then have to go back later to layer in setting details. 

Sometimes I have to think long and hard about the goals for each scene.

• Is the right character narrating this scene?
• Does the reader learn something new that keeps them reading?
• Have I added enough interiority (character thoughts), dialogue, sensory setting details, or emotions to satisfy my readers? 

Ultimately, I have to ask myself:

Have I done my job well enough to keep the reader hooked and wanting to read more?

If not, there’s no point in fixing all the spelling or punctuation mistakes if the entire scene is a hot pointless mess, right? 

I can’t fly to New York to sit beside someone while they read my book, just so I can clarify what I meant to say.

That would be bonkers.

No, it’s my job to communicate my message clearly so that my words impact the reader the same way I intended them.

Once I’ve gotten my manuscript as good as I can get it, I send it to my editor for more feedback.

While writing my first book, a romantic suspense, my editor informed me that I had to either cut or rewrite my absolute favorite scene of the entire book.

Apparently, you can’t kill off a point of view character.

Who knew? 

Was she right? Absolutely.

Did the feedback sting? A little bit, yeah.

But after a few days of reflection, I reluctantly revised the scene until we were both satisfied with the end result. 

That’s revision.

You write something. You step away from it. You get feedback. You reconsider your choices. You make changes.

And then you make more changes if necessary.

I think the reason why I love the revision process so much is that it gives me a chance to learn how to become a stronger writer. I’m always learning something new and I love that. Plus I get the chance to flex my creativity.

By demystifying the flow of the writing process that actual authors work through, students can begin to understand how the revision process works and why it is so important for all writers.

Including them. 

If you want to learn more about authors and their writing process, check out this cache of author and illustrator interviews on the Reading Rockets website: https://www.readingrockets.org/books-and-authors/author-and-illustrator-interviews 

Here are three of my favorite author videos on the importance of revision in the writing process.

Revision Activities: 11 Strategies To Help Students Revise

Now that you understand why revision matters, the next question is:

What can I actually have my kids do?

Here are 11 revision activities and strategies I’ve used with my upper elementary students.

1. Handwrite the First Draft, Type the Second
   This is the easiest way to get kids to revise their own writing.
   
   When typing, I frequently get asked by students if they can make changes to their work.
   
   I always reply, “Of course you can!”
   
   The act of typing the writing piece sometimes makes it feel more important or valuable maybe than the handwritten version, making it the opportune time to make a change. There’s no erasing or rewriting by hand to deal with. Just a few keystrokes on the computer.
2. Use Text-to-Speech to Read the Writing Aloud
   Have the computer read the writing aloud while students follow along.
   
   When something sounds weird, pause and fix it before moving on.
   
   I love using this method. Because the computer doesn’t read with the same inflection or intonation that I do, I catch things I wouldn’t have before.
   
   It’s also a great way to help students hear awkward wording, missing words, repeated words, and sentences that don’t quite make sense.
3. Create Revision Stations
   Create one revision task per station so students can focus on just one aspect of their writing at a time.
   
   For example, one station might focus on adding sensory details while another station focuses on improving sentence variety or strengthening word choice.
   
   This is particularly helpful if each station includes examples that can guide each writer.
   
   I’d recommend students go through only 1-2 stations a day so as to not get overwhelmed. 
4. Form Critique Groups for Peer Feedback.
   Create teams of 3 or 4 students with similar writing abilities.
   
   Students can take turns reading their writing to their group, while the other students give feedback and suggestions.
   
   We always want to start with what’s good about the writing before we move on to discussing what needs to be fixed.
   
   It’s helpful if each young writer asks their group one question or area of their writing to focus on, rather than trying to tackle the entire writing piece at once.
   
   If you want ready-to-use peer and self-critique group forms, you might like:
5. Create Mini-Lessons on What Good Writing Looks Like
   Create whole-group or small-group mini-lessons based on the particular writing assignment your students are working on.
   
   I find mini-lessons to be incredibly valuable in my classroom. Usually I introduce the writing skill I’m targeting, engage in some hands-on or interactive practice, then we search mentor texts to find this skill in action. 
   
   Students aren’t just being told what good writing looks like.
   
   They’re seeing it, analyzing it, and trying it themselves.
6. Give Students a “Bad” Writing Example to Revise
   Create a teacher-written piece that mimics and exaggerates the common issues you’re seeing in your own students’ writing.
   
   I like this activity because it doesn’t point out a specific student, but does shine a light on a skill that needs to be developed further.
   
   I love doing this to show how to revise a run-on that uses far too many ands. By the fifth “and” my students were freaking out. “That’s too many ands!”
   
   Then the kids became the editors, using sticky notes to cover up the unnecessary ands, adding in punctuation where needed.
   
   Sometimes it’s easier for students to spot problems in someone else’s writing before they’re ready to spot the same problems in their own.
7. Use AI to Create Writing Samples for Students to Analyze
   Yes, I’ve used AI to create good writing samples for students to analyze.
   
   I actually used this strategy last year to help my students understand what a high scoring story would look like for the CAASPP ELA Performance Task.
   
   Once we examined a strong  story, we were able to pinpoint where our own stories were weak.
   
   And it worked.
   
   The vast majority of my students scored well on the Performance Task and two kids even scored 10/10.
   
   The key here isn’t having AI do the writing for the students. In fact, my students never even touch AI. Instead, I occasionally use AI as a teaching tool.
   
   Students can analyze the sample, identify what makes it effective, and then apply those observations to their own writing.
   
   Not into AI? Teacher created examples work just as well. 
8. Create Mini-Challenges
   Give students one small revision challenge to complete.
   
   For example: “No two sentences may start with the same word.”
   
   Or: “Use all 5 senses to describe the setting.”
   
   Or: “Replace three weak verbs with stronger verbs.”
   
   These mini-challenges work because students aren’t being asked to “fix the whole paper.”
   
   They’re being asked to make one specific improvement.
9. Create a Reverse Outline.
   After the essay is written, write a one sentence summary of each paragraph.
   
   It’s a great way to identify the main idea of each paragraph based on what actually made it onto the paper.
   
   Sometimes students think their paragraphs are organized on one idea, only to discover that the paragraph includes several unrelated ideas that an be moved or deleted entirely.
   
   I’ve used this same basic strategy while writing my books. It’s a simple way to step back and see the overall structure of a piece of writing.
10. Rewrite One Part Three Different Ways
    Choose a topic sentence, introduction, conclusion, or another important part of the writing.
    
    Have students to write it three different ways.
    
    Then select the best version.
    
    Revising a single sentence or paragraph doesn’t feel as daunting as revising the whole piece. And students get to see that there isn’t always only one “correct” way to write something.
    
    Sometimes the writer has several good choices and needs to decide which one is the most effective at communicating the message.
11. Rewrite It.
    Sometimes I’ll have students write their first draft and turn them in or crumple it up and throw it into the center of the room. Then we’ll rewrite the writing piece from scratch, without the help of our first draft.
    
    Once done, I’ll pass back the first draft and we’ll compare our first draft to our second draft, selecting our favorite one.
    
    This works best with short drafts or writing assignments. I love this activity because students get to see how their thinking – and their writing – can change between drafts.

The Goal Isn’t Perfect Writing—It’s Better Writing

It’s important for our students to understand that revision isn’t about fixing “bad” writing. It’s about making their writing even better.

Professional writers revise. Teachers revise. And yes—even published authors revise.

There’s this saying in the writing world and it goes something like this.

When you’re writing your first draft, your just scooping sand into your sandbox.

Get words on the paper. Figure out what message you want to send.

It’s only during the subsequent rewrites and revisions that you can build your beautiful sandcastle.

Much like any sport or hobby, learning it takes time and a lot of practice. No one gets it perfect the first time.

But each writing piece offers us the opportunity to learn something new about our craft.

So when you ask your students to revise their writing, pick one new writing skill you want them to learn and practice. Don’t worry about revising the whole writing piece. Focus on just one small part.

Remember, even small revisions can make a big difference.

Once your students view writing as a way to communicate with others and they have a real audience to write for, they’ll begin to embrace the revision process . . . without all the groans. Because they – like all writers – will understand something that every writer eventually learns:

Your first draft doesn’t have to be your best draft.

Want to Make Revision Easier for You and Your Students?

If you’re looking for a simple way to help students give and receive useful feedback on their writing, my revision resources can help.

They’re designed to give students specific things to look for when reviewing their own writing and the writing of their classmates—so you’re not stuck hearing, “It’s good!” from every student in the room.

Happy revising!