Contexts That Make Me Revision Exercise
- Part I: Reading and Response
- Discuss James McBride's "What Color is Jesus" essay (or a similar one in The Original Text-Wrestling Book) in terms of what the author chose to highlight about context and self
- Share drafts in pairs; have reader ask questions as if she were "Jesus" author-how would author react? What might she not understand?
- In writer's notebook, make a reflection note on what you might add and/or explain more about as a result.
- Part II: Revising for Description
- Discuss specific aspects of "Jesus" essay in terms of showing v. telling descriptions and/or have students choose most effective description and explain why
- Have students examine their own drafts and underline a section where they think they "tell" rather than show the reader an aspect of the context and/or its influence; rewrite in writers' notebook to "showing" description
- Share revisions in pairs; discuss which works better and why
- Part III: Revising for Style
- Choose a part of your draft that describes either context or illustrates influence (a paragraph or two)
- Try rewriting it in the way "Jesus" author might have written it
- Try rewriting it in a way completely different than your own or McBride?'s (or see Style and Place exercise for other examples of different styles)
- Read through entire draft and mark sections that might benefit from more description in a rewrite; write process note on what you will change
