PEARSON ADULT LEARNING CENTRE 
English 10: Writing
Guided Revision of a Short Folktale

October 2, 2002

Today, we will revise the stories we wrote for homework. For each step, the teacher will guide you.

Listen carefully to each instruction, write as requested, and be prepared to share your results with the class.

If you have not done the homework, write sentences according to the instructions below.

Guided Revision

 1. Read your first five sentences. Have you introduced your main character? If yes, add one or two descriptive sentences at the beginning of your folktale. If no, add five to seven sentences to let us meet your main character.

 2. Read the sentences where the main character speaks. Are the sentences clear? Revise two sentences by making each one about 50% longer than before.

 3. Read the sentences about the other characters in your story. For each character, add one additional sentence of dialogue OR revise your dialogue to make it clearer.

 4. Check your paragraphing. Have you started a new paragraph when a character speaks for the first time? Find and note all your paragraphs of dialogue. Is it clear, always, who is speaking?  If you have no dialogue, add it so about 50% of your story is in dialogue.

 5. Is it clear the moral or message your story has? Do the actions of your characters show this message clearly? If so, write a sentence or two to explain how your story conveys this message.

 Homework: Finish all revisions done in class. Hand in a clean copy, double spaced and word processed (if possible), before next week's class.

See a teacher's sample for this topic.

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