An editing framework guiding students toward self-correcting errors in writing

In order to have a successful school experience, a student must be able to write effectively. It is a skill that transfers to nearly every content area, especially once students reach the high school level. From our first year of education to our last, teachers stress the importance of working through the writing process. Unfortunately, for many students getting started proves a struggle to organize ideas, developing those ideas is exhausting, and by the time they complete a draft they want to turn it in without looking back. Furthermore, struggling writers often do not know where to begin analyzing their work for improvement. This study measures the success of a structured activity that makes editing a more concrete process. It focuses on five freshmen in a Resource Language Arts setting. With the specific guidelines provided, editing became a visual, tangible process that directed the students to the particular areas of their writing that needed improvement.