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Is It Done Yet?: Teaching Adolescents the Art of Revision
Beyond all the wise and practical advice Gilmore offers, there is another reason why I love this book its funny and fun to read. Though the author writes with great authority, he never places himself above the reader. Indeed, he uses humorous anecdotes from his personal life and classroom to humble himselfand create a sense of joy even as he tackles a subject of dread for most English teachers. Barry Lane Author of After the End Why do so many students resist revision? Maybe because it feels to them like starting over, like an indictment of their first draft, or a rejection of their ideas. Encouraging teens to see revision as process rather than criticism, as the bridge between generating ideas and finalizing their work for publication, is crucial to their growth and success as thoughtful adult writers. With Is It Done Yet? Barry Gilmore helps you push your writers toward a new, realistic understanding of revision while offering proven ways to overcome student resistance. Is It Done Yet? takes a new, refreshing look at revision. It acknowledges that while writing manuals often suggest general guidelines for writing, few target the specific and recurring issues of style and argumentation that students typically encounter in their assignments. Gilmore offers a variety of practical strategies for incorporating revision at all stages of the writing processespecially in content and styleas well as in numerous genres, including literary analysis, on-demand writing, and the college entrance essay. He goes beyond marking up grammar and spelling, differentiates editing from revising, and presents a multifaceted approach that moves students toward an understanding of revision as a process that helps them write fluently and communicate more effectively. All the while, Gilmore will help you change your own sense of revision so that you can use it to match up student needs with specific instructional focuses. Humorous, practical, and accessible, Is It Done Yet? includes classroom samples of student writing and revision, a thorough description of Gilmores step-by-step process for incorporating powerful revision lessons, and ready-to-use activities that engage students and support your teaching. In addition, with chapters on peer and class revision, revision in creative writing, and using technology during revision, he gives you everything you need to get kids revising and develop their maturity as writersto help them complete papers with pride, confidence, and craft.
160 pages, Paperback
First published February 7, 2007
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May 16, 2018The last chapter has tips for revising creative writing.
June 30, 2008
I started reading this book at a time when our district was having English meetings and trying to talk about a scope and sequence for teaching grammar and writing. This book addresses how to teach students revision beginning with content: improving a thesis, revising introductions, improving organization, incorporating evidence, revising conclusions etc. That's just part of the book. Many of his ideas made a lot of sense. Sadly some of his student examples that were his "bad" examples were better than I think I could write. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but if my students were writing that well, I'd hardly be complaining. Gilmore teaches AP students and this is very much a college prep level book. I am dealing with students working at a much lower level, yet, I think I could still, should still be trying to use some of these approaches and maybe I'd start to see some improvement. I would just need to find appropriate models that wouldn't leave the students overwhelmed.
The next biggest section of the book talked about revising style and this was also interesting. Here he talked about sentence combining, measuring the sentences and adding variety, scaling back words, adding clarity, using better verbs and adjectives and improving voice among other things. Again there were gems all through this section, but there were also things that I thought were surprising. At one point he listed 10 rhetorical devises kids will actually use. None of them, when listed in example form, seemed shocking or new to me, but here's a confession: I had never even HEARD of some of the descriptive labels of that rhetorical device. Where have I been? Here are the ten he suggests to give you an idea of what I mean: allusion (nothing wrong with that one, I teach it all the time), anadiplosis, anaphora, antithesis, asyndeton, chiasmus, ellipsis, metaphor, polysyndeton, tricolon. Obviously I understood ellipsis and metaphor as well, but the others were new "terms" even if the devices were familiar. Sheesh. Talk about humbling.
So, my assessment of this book is that it's worthwhile if you are truly wanting to revise your approach to writing and revision in the classroom. It's best if you teach high school and even better if you teach AP or honors or freshmen in college. It is a little pie in the sky in some ways, but in others it's just humbling and I realize I'm not doing enough to support my students in their efforts at revision.
The next biggest section of the book talked about revising style and this was also interesting. Here he talked about sentence combining, measuring the sentences and adding variety, scaling back words, adding clarity, using better verbs and adjectives and improving voice among other things. Again there were gems all through this section, but there were also things that I thought were surprising. At one point he listed 10 rhetorical devises kids will actually use. None of them, when listed in example form, seemed shocking or new to me, but here's a confession: I had never even HEARD of some of the descriptive labels of that rhetorical device. Where have I been? Here are the ten he suggests to give you an idea of what I mean: allusion (nothing wrong with that one, I teach it all the time), anadiplosis, anaphora, antithesis, asyndeton, chiasmus, ellipsis, metaphor, polysyndeton, tricolon. Obviously I understood ellipsis and metaphor as well, but the others were new "terms" even if the devices were familiar. Sheesh. Talk about humbling.
So, my assessment of this book is that it's worthwhile if you are truly wanting to revise your approach to writing and revision in the classroom. It's best if you teach high school and even better if you teach AP or honors or freshmen in college. It is a little pie in the sky in some ways, but in others it's just humbling and I realize I'm not doing enough to support my students in their efforts at revision.
June 5, 2016
Book #42 of 2016.
"Once you die, it's no longer in draft form. Before that, all bets are off."
I gleaned so many ideas from this book. I think that a lot of reading pedagogy books is going "Well, that was obvious" and then wondering why you weren't doing it if it really were that obvious. Oftentimes, the answer to that question is "not enough time" or "not sure how." Barry Gilmore helps make neither of those an excuse. He provides specific exercises for all stages of the revision process for all sorts of writing pieces. Some are ones that I had not thought of, but he expands the most basic rule of "read it out loud" into specific steps for authors, peers, and teachers to use during that process. Many of these activities can be easily adapted for each student or used as a scaffold based on what specific students are struggling with.
Additionally, Gilmore himself has clearly spent time revising the book itself-- his tone is perfectly appropriate and deliciously readable, plus he sprinkles in excellent quotes from authors.
My only complaint: His student writers are far too good. I know that this book is primarily intended for high school students, but either his revision method REALLY WORKS or those are some incredibly talented high schoolers.
"Once you die, it's no longer in draft form. Before that, all bets are off."
I gleaned so many ideas from this book. I think that a lot of reading pedagogy books is going "Well, that was obvious" and then wondering why you weren't doing it if it really were that obvious. Oftentimes, the answer to that question is "not enough time" or "not sure how." Barry Gilmore helps make neither of those an excuse. He provides specific exercises for all stages of the revision process for all sorts of writing pieces. Some are ones that I had not thought of, but he expands the most basic rule of "read it out loud" into specific steps for authors, peers, and teachers to use during that process. Many of these activities can be easily adapted for each student or used as a scaffold based on what specific students are struggling with.
Additionally, Gilmore himself has clearly spent time revising the book itself-- his tone is perfectly appropriate and deliciously readable, plus he sprinkles in excellent quotes from authors.
My only complaint: His student writers are far too good. I know that this book is primarily intended for high school students, but either his revision method REALLY WORKS or those are some incredibly talented high schoolers.
October 6, 2011
Berry Gilmore goes over most every aspect of writing in a secondary English classroom. From poetry to AP essays, the art of organization and drafting is encouraged and explained in full detail in a way that inspires teachers and students alike.
Personal note: I found vast amounts of enjoyment in this book, and I certainly didn’t expect that out of something that teaches revision. Barry Gilmore constructs so many metaphors and examples to encourage teachers in generating their students’ thought processes. Not only am I more confident in teaching revision, but my own writing, I believe, will significantly improve.
Personal note: I found vast amounts of enjoyment in this book, and I certainly didn’t expect that out of something that teaches revision. Barry Gilmore constructs so many metaphors and examples to encourage teachers in generating their students’ thought processes. Not only am I more confident in teaching revision, but my own writing, I believe, will significantly improve.
September 25, 2011
I picked this up at the beginning of vacation because this is something I struggle with--how to get the students to REVISE writing. I think the testing mentality puts so much emphasis on great first drafts it is undermining teaching writing (and thinking). Still reading
June 20, 2011
This book is aimed at teachers of Honors and AP students, but the lesson ideas can be adapted for any students including those who are struggling. Ironically, this book contains a few typos...but otherwise, I recommend it to other high school English teachers.
June 5, 2013
Had to read this for book study at school... It was okay. The best parts of the book were the quotes. I did get a few writing ideas to do with the students next year but all in all this seems to be a book more for college age students not middle school.
December 31, 2007
An excellent look at high school-quality writing, with realistic ways of teaching students to internalize and enjoy revision.
April 24, 2010
This has been my favorite book on the teaching of revision so far! Very conversational and easy to read.
May 15, 2015
Barry Gilmore's Is It Done Yet?: Teaching Adolescents the Art of Revision was read for ENG 230 Writing/Teaching of Writing.
My rating is actually a 4.5/5.
My rating is actually a 4.5/5.
December 2, 2015
This is a great resource for teachers who are teaching the writing process and have no idea how to get students to edit and revise their papers.
August 4, 2009
Great ideas for teaching revision.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews