Working With Your First Draft

Period 3:

Start off today with some writerly advice:

• Barbara Abercrombie
• Colette Sartor
• On Terrible First Drafts

Watch these 3 videos and write any advice in the videos in your journal. 

After viewing, please take the rest of the period to do the following tasks:

• Complete any revisions or additions to your interview story draft: here's how to do it:
• Add details that you left out of the first draft
• Cut details that are redundant or obvious or boring
• Add imagery: metaphor, figurative language, similes, etc.
• Cut unimportant details or details that do not serve a function in your story
• Correct misspellings, grammar and punctuation  problems.
• Write a poem or short story of your own choosing.
• Complete any writing or reading work for Ms. Gamzon's class.

Period 4:

• Print out a copy of your revised short story. You will be reading your story out loud to your group members. Take turns reading. Your groups will be small to allow you to focus on each other's work. If your friend is not part of your group, feel free to share your work with your friend later (after this exercise or after this class).
• It is important for you to practice reading to other people as if you were performing a speech or a scene. Peers should actively listen to your story. Allow comments such as: effectiveness of volume, effectiveness of delivery, or the effectiveness of sincerity/acting skill/energy or tone in your voice.
• For each reader, group members should evaluate and give comments about volume, delivery, tone/sincerity, etc.
• You will be sharing your story in the following groups:
• Akhiyar, Pahz, Darnell
• Kordae, Jesziah, Isobel
• Victoria, Raeona, Britney
• Jenna, Alquasia, Turon
• Javant, Ja'Miah, Kemani, Joshua 

After sharing your work with your group members and evaluating their performance, help each other with your grammar/editing. Together, help find errors in the original draft that you might have overlooked. You will likely catch some of these errors when you read your work out loud.

Go back to the lab and correct any errors and put your finishing touches on your draft. Print out the NEW, revised draft and turn in at the beginning of NEXT class for a final project credit. Your work will be kept in your writing portfolio.

HOMEWORK: None.