Writing Workshop: Remembering Rainbow Edit

Yay!  It's more Writing Workshop Ideas with Ideas by Jivey.

My absolute favorite lesson of the year would have to be my Rainbow Edit introduction lesson.  I don't start the year using Rainbow Edit - we work on making sure our paragraphs are complete sentences to begin the year, but by October it's time to move into a full Rainbow Edit mode.  

What's Rainbow Edit?  

It's a way to make sure the kiddos remember to check for everything in each sentence of each paragraph - it creates a visual during the editing/revising stage of the Writing Process.

Each color corresponds with a different thing for them to color on their rough drafts.  If it's not there, they have to add it in or fix it.  Each sentence should have a rainbow.

Here is our simple whole class paragraph - I wanted something relatively quick so we could practice Rainbow Edit.  

So basically my lesson is writing a full class paragraph - mine on chart paper, they have the same one written on binder paper.  We brainstorm together, then write together.  

After that we use a handy dandy key to figure out what color to use.  We go in order of the rainbow, using the same color throughout the entire paragraph before we move onto the next one.  Some kids choose to underline the specific parts of the sentence, others trace over their pencil marks.  I tell them that either way is fine, we just have to be able to read their writing when they are done.  

We tackle all the capitals in the entire paragraph first - coloring them red.

  

Then we go through with orange and make notice of 

all the end punctuation marks. 

After that comes coloring in the indent space with yellow, and 

then underlining our topic sentence with green - making sure to 

draw a box around our key words.

 

Blue means that we notice adjectives and examples in our writing.  

If a sentence doesn't have an adjective then they need to add at least one in.  

Last they go through and circle/underline any words they aren't positive they 

know how to spell.  Then they look it up.

It's pretty simple, and for the first lesson everyone is excited, especially 

since they get to use colors during writing time.  

If you are interested in my Rainbow Edit packet of materials it is over in my TPT store.  It contains a student full binder sheet, half sheets, posters, explanation, and a rainbow to fill in.  

Hope you have a great day! :)