CCRA.W.5: Planning, Revising, Editing and Rewriting
In plain English: CCRA.W.5 is the Common Core College and Career Readiness anchor standard for writing that asks students to develop and strengthen their writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting or trying a new approach. In grades 6-12 it is carried by W.6.5 through W.11-12.5 and WHST.6-8.5 to WHST.11-12.5, moving from revision with support from peers and adults to revision aimed at what matters most to readers.
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy · Domain: College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing · Cluster: Production and Distribution of Writing Also written as CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.5 · Official standard
CCRA.W.5 is about what writers do between a first idea and a finished piece. It names five strategies (planning, revising, editing, rewriting and trying a new approach) and adds two words that matter: "as needed." Strong writers do not run every draft through every step. They diagnose what the draft lacks for its reader and choose the strategy that closes the gap, often revising content before they edit sentences.
This page teaches the anchor as a progression for grades 6-12. In grades 6-8 the grade-level standards expect revision with guidance and support from peers and adults and, in grades 7 and 8, a focus on purpose and audience; in grades 9-12 the focus is what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. The same expectations appear for history, science and technical writing in WHST.5. The texts, all written for this page, follow one student's science article from plan to Draft 2, with written feedback and an editing conference, and a second student's request letter with conflicting feedback for homework. Every activity has a grades 6-8 version and a grades 9-12 version.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Tell planning, revising, editing, rewriting and trying a new approach apart, and give an example of each
Diagnose what a draft needs, using a reverse outline and reader feedback, and choose a strategy as needed
Revise a draft for focus, organization and development so it better serves its purpose and audience
Edit a draft for conventions and name the rule behind each correction
Decide which feedback to act on by weighing it against the purpose and the reader
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Writing a paragraph with a main idea and supporting details
Identifying the task, purpose and audience of a piece of writing CCRA.W.4
Using an apostrophe to show possession CCRA.L.2
Recognizing a complete sentence and a run-on CCRA.L.1
"A writer made two changes to the same sentence. Change 1: 'Fireflys are beetles.' became 'Fireflies are beetles.' Change 2: 'Fireflies are beetles.' became 'Those blinking lights over the lawn on a summer night are beetles.' Which change fixes a mistake, and which change gives the reader something new? Which one would you make first?"
Take answers. Change 1 is editing: it fixes a spelling error, and the reader's experience barely changes. Change 2 is revising: it changes what the reader sees and why the reader might keep going. Ask which should come first. A good answer: revise first, because there is no point polishing a sentence you may later cut. CCRA.W.5 names these and three other strategies, and the words "as needed" mean choosing the one the draft needs.
Direct Instruction15-20 minutes
Terms for the whole period.
Planning: deciding before drafting who the readers are, what the piece must do and in what order the main points will go.
Revising: changing content and structure: adding, cutting, moving or explaining ideas so the piece does its job for its reader.
Editing: correcting conventions: grammar, usage, spelling, capitalization and punctuation.
Rewriting: drafting a section or the whole piece again, from scratch, instead of patching the old version.
Trying a new approach: changing the way into the piece, such as a new opening, a new structure, a new form or a new angle on the topic.
As needed: the standard does not ask for every strategy every time. The writer first diagnoses what the draft needs, then chooses.
Reverse outline: an outline made after drafting, with one line per paragraph saying what that paragraph actually does. It shows gaps, repeats and detours.
The question to ask. "What is the biggest gap between this draft and what my reader needs?" Fix that first. Diagram 1 shows why the steps form a loop.
How the anchor grows. In grades 6-8, the grade-level standards say students revise "with some guidance and support from peers and adults"; grades 7 and 8 add a focus on purpose and audience. In grades 9-12 that phrase drops away, and the focus becomes what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. The table lists every grade-level standard that carries CCRA.W.5 in grades 6-12.
Progression of CCRA.W.5 in grades 6-12
Grade-level standard
Band and subject
What this band adds
W.6.5
Grade 6, English
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, plan, revise, edit, rewrite or try a new approach; editing for conventions draws on the Language standards for the grade
W.7.5
Grade 7, English
Adds a focus: how well the writing addresses its purpose and audience
W.8.5
Grade 8, English
Same as grade 7, with the more demanding writing tasks of grade 8
W.9-10.5
Grades 9-10, English
No longer names guidance and support; the focus becomes what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience
W.11-12.5
Grades 11-12, English
Same wording as grades 9-10, applied to longer and more complex writing
WHST.6-8.5
Grades 6-8, history, science and technical subjects
Same as W.7.5 and W.8.5, for content-area writing such as lab reports and history explanations
WHST.9-10.5
Grades 9-10, history, science and technical subjects
Same as W.9-10.5, for content-area writing
WHST.11-12.5
Grades 11-12, history, science and technical subjects
Same as W.11-12.5, for content-area writing
Model texts. The texts in this lesson were written for this page; Teo, his classmates, his teacher and Oak Hollow School are invented. Teo is writing an article for the school science magazine. Below are his plan (Text 1), his first draft (Text 2) and the written feedback he received on it (Text 3). The science in all of Teo's drafts is accurate.
1Assignment: an article of 200-300 words for the Oak Hollow School science magazine, which goes home to families.
2My readers: students in grades 6-8 and their families. Most have seen fireflies. Few know how or why they light up.
3My purpose: to explain why fireflies flash.
4What I know: They are beetles, not flies. The light comes from a chemical reaction. It is light without much heat. Flashes are signals between males and females. Each species has its own pattern. The larvae glow too. The larvae eat snails.
5My order: what fireflies are, how the light works, why they flash.
SVHS (original model text; the student and school are invented), Text 1: Teo's plan, written before Draft 1 (written for this page; Teo and Oak Hollow School are invented). Original passage written for this page.
1Fireflies are beetles in the family Lampyridae. There are many kinds of them. They live in many places around the world. Some of them do not light up at all.
2Fireflies make light with a chemical reaction. The chemicals are called luciferin and luciferase. When oxygen is added, light is made. This is called bioluminescence. It is cold light.
3Firefly larvae also glow. They live in the soil and in rotting wood. They eat snails and slugs. Some people call them glowworms.
4Fireflies flash to find each other. Each kind has its own pattern. That is why they flash.
SVHS (original model draft), Text 2: Teo's Draft 1, "Fireflies" (written for this page). Original passage written for this page.
1Ama (writing partner): I learned that fireflies are beetles, which surprised me. But I kept waiting for the answer to the question in your plan, why they flash, and it only came in the last three sentences. The part about snails is interesting, but I couldn't see what it had to do with flashing.
2Mr. Ruiz (teacher): Your facts are accurate. Two questions your readers will have: What is "cold light"? What do luciferin and luciferase actually do? A family reader will not know those words. Also look back at your plan. You promised to explain why fireflies flash, but most of this draft is about what fireflies are. Could you start with something your readers have seen for themselves and build toward the why?
SVHS (original model feedback; the people are invented), Text 3: Written feedback on Draft 1 from Teo's writing partner and his teacher (written for this page). Original passage written for this page.
Diagnose with a reverse outline
Make a reverse outline of Draft 1 (Text 2): one phrase per paragraph saying what it does. Then compare it with the purpose in Teo's plan.
Result: Paragraph 1: says what fireflies are. Paragraph 2: names the chemicals that make the light. Paragraph 3: describes the larvae. Paragraph 4: says fireflies flash to find each other. The plan's purpose is "to explain why fireflies flash," but only paragraph 4, 3 of the draft's 16 sentences, addresses it. Each paragraph is on one topic, so the draft is organized; the problem is focus, which calls for revising, not editing.
Sort the feedback: revising or editing?
Mr. Ruiz writes two questions for Teo: "What is 'cold light'?" and "What do luciferin and luciferase actually do?" Do these call for revising or editing?
Result: Revising. Nothing is misspelled or ungrammatical; the problem is that "A family reader will not know those words." Teo needs to add explanation, which changes content for the audience. An editing pass would leave both problems in place.
Choose a strategy as needed
Mr. Ruiz asks, "Could you start with something your readers have seen for themselves and build toward the why?" Which CCRA.W.5 strategy is this, and why might patching Draft 1 not be enough?
Result: It is trying a new approach: a new opening and a new structure that builds toward the question. Draft 1 saves the why for its last paragraph, so adding a sentence here and there would leave that structure in place. A new approach means drafting again from a new starting point, keeping the accurate facts.
Edit by naming the rule
In the editing conference (Text 5, Guided Practice), Ama points to "a fireflys body." What is the error, and what rule fixes it?
Result: The body belongs to one firefly, so the noun needs to be possessive. A singular noun shows possession with an apostrophe and s: firefly's. Ama names the reason ("The body belongs to the firefly"), which is what makes an editing comment useful: the writer learns the rule, not just the fix.
Point out that Teo's plan was sound but his draft did not follow it. Planning does not guarantee a good draft; it gives the writer something to check the draft against.
Guided Practice15 minutes
Draft 2 and the editing conference. Teo wrote Draft 2 from a new starting point, then held an editing conference with Ama. Draft 2 contains five errors in conventions on purpose. Read Text 4, then Text 5.
1On a warm summer evening, a tiny green light blinks above the grass, then another, then a dozen. Fireflies are talking, and every flash is a message.
2First, how does a beetle make light? Inside the end of a fireflys body is a light organ. There, a chemical called luciferin combines with oxygen, and a helper chemical called luciferase speeds up the reaction. The result is light. Unlike a light bulb, the reaction gives off very little heat, that is why scientists call it cold light. A firefly turns its light on and off by controlling how much air reaches the light organ.
3Now for the why. Most flashes are a kind of conversation between males and females. A male flies through the dark, flashing a pattern. Each species of firefly have its own pattern, like a password. A female waiting in the grass answers with her own flash, and the male flies toward her.
4Not every message can be trusted. In some species, a female copies the answer of a different species. When a male of that species flies close, she eats him.
5So the next time you see a field of blinking lights, you will know what your seeing: hundreds of fireflies, each one asking the same question in it's own code.
SVHS (original model draft), Text 4: Teo's Draft 2, "Why Fireflies Flash" (written for this page; it contains five errors in conventions on purpose, for editing practice). Original passage written for this page.
1Ama: I'm reading for the editing checklist now, not for ideas. Paragraph 2: "a fireflys body." The body belongs to the firefly, so it needs an apostrophe.
2Teo: Fixed. What else?
3Ama: Also in paragraph 2, "very little heat, that is why" is two sentences joined with only a comma.
4Teo: I'll make it a period, then: "That is why scientists call it cold light."
5Ama: Paragraph 3, "Each species of firefly have." The subject is species, and it's one species.
6Teo: So it should be "has." Anything else?
7Ama: I didn't find anything else.
8Mr. Ruiz: Before you call it done, Teo, read paragraph 5 aloud, slowly, one word at a time.
SVHS (original model transcript; the people are invented), Text 5: Editing conference on Draft 2, Teo and Ama, with Mr. Ruiz (transcript written for this page). Original passage written for this page.
Plan check. Ask: "Where does Draft 2 turn to the question in Teo's plan?" Teacher note: paragraph 3 opens, "Now for the why." The why now has two full paragraphs instead of the last three sentences of Draft 1.
Feedback check. Pairs find where Draft 2 answers each of Mr. Ruiz's two questions. Teacher note: paragraph 2 explains what luciferin and luciferase do and why the light is called cold light. Grades 9-12 also judge whether each explanation is enough for a family reader.
Editing read. Ask: "How is Ama's reading in Text 5 different from her reading in Text 3?" Teacher note: in Text 5 she says she is "reading for the editing checklist now, not for ideas," and she gives a reason with each error. Separate passes keep a writer from mixing big changes with small ones.
Finish the edit. Students follow Mr. Ruiz's advice themselves: they read paragraph 5 of Draft 2 aloud, slowly, and mark anything that sounds right but looks wrong. Collect their marks before the quiz; do not confirm them yet.
Independent Practice15 minutes
Try a new approach yourself. Students write two new openings for Teo's article, each of two or three sentences, in two different ways: a question, a surprising fact, a scene, or a comparison. Then they choose one and explain the choice.
Grades 6-8: Write both openings for Teo's readers, students in grades 6-8 and their families. Underline the sentence in each opening that would make a reader keep going, and write one sentence explaining which opening you would choose and why.
Grades 9-12: Write one opening for Teo's readers and one for a high school biology class. For the biology class, revise paragraph 2 of Draft 2 as well, adding one accurate technical detail (for example, that luciferase is an enzyme that speeds the reaction of luciferin with oxygen, and that the reaction uses ATP, the molecule cells use to carry energy). Then explain, in two or three sentences, what was most significant for each reader.
Teacher note: look for openings that suit the stated reader and that lead toward the article's question. A clever opening that does not connect to the why is a detour, not a new approach.
Closure5 minutes
Exit ticket: Name the strategy (planning, revising, editing, rewriting or trying a new approach) that Teo's Draft 1 needed most, and give one piece of evidence from Text 2 or Text 3 that shows it.
For homework: students use the two texts below, written for this lesson. Dev and his school are invented. Dev's draft contains three errors in conventions on purpose, and the three readers do not all agree.
1Dear Student Council,
2I think we need a quiet room. The cafeteria is to loud. Me and my friends can't study there. Some students have tests after lunch, and they want to study. Room 112 is empty at lunch. A teacher would have to be there though. Maybe students could take turns being in charge of it. I asked around and lots of people agree with me. Also the library is closed at lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays because the librarian have lunch duty. Please let us use Room 112 for a quiet room.
3From, Dev
SVHS (original model draft; the student is invented), Text 6: Homework draft, Dev's request to the student council, Draft 1 (written for this page; it contains three errors in conventions on purpose). Original passage written for this page.
1Ms. Abara (student council advisor): The council meets Thursday. Before it can vote, it will need to know three things: who would supervise the room, how many students would use it, and how the room would stay quiet. Right now your letter says a teacher "would have to be there" but not who.
2Lena (classmate): The Tuesday and Thursday library closing is your strongest reason, and it's hidden near the end. Also, "lots of people agree" sounds made up unless you say how many and how you found out.
3Sam (classmate): Could you make it shorter? The council gets a lot of letters.
SVHS (original model feedback; the people are invented), Text 7: Homework feedback, three readers respond to Dev's draft (written for this page). Original passage written for this page.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give the reverse-outline template with paragraph numbers and the first row filled in
Provide an editing checklist of four items (possessives, run-ons, subject-verb agreement, homophones) and have students make one pass per item
In Activity 3, let students give responses in writing on sticky notes before speaking
For Advanced Students
Ask students to write Teo's Draft 3 and a short note to Mr. Ruiz explaining which changes came from which feedback
Have students revise Dev's homework letter twice, once as a letter and once as a one-page proposal with headings, and argue which approach better serves the council
Ask students to compare two versions of a short paragraph they wrote earlier in the year and name the strategy behind each change
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Strong work shows diagnosis before action: students can say what a draft needs and why, then choose a strategy that fits. Watch for students who treat revising as editing (changing a few words and calling it done) or who act on every comment without weighing it against the purpose. In editing, look for corrections that come with the rule. In grades 9-12, look for revision plans that rank changes by what matters most to the reader.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Strategy Sort
15 minPairs
Pairs sort 10 cards, each describing one move a writer makes, under the five strategies CCRA.W.5 names. The sort builds a shared vocabulary for the rest of the lesson.
The 10 Strategy Cards
Listing what the readers already know before writing
Moving the strongest reason from the end to the beginning
Changing "their" to "there" in one sentence
Turning an explanation into a question-and-answer column
Cutting a paragraph that wanders from the main point
Starting a fresh draft from a new outline after deciding the first draft answered the wrong question
Adding a definition of a term readers will not know
Fixing a comma splice
Choosing the order of the main points before drafting
Writing the opening three different ways and keeping the best one
Grades 6-8 Version
Pairs sort the cards under five headings: Planning, Revising, Editing, Rewriting, Trying a new approach
For each heading, they write one more move of their own
They mark the card they argued about longest and write why
Grades 9-12 Version
Pairs sort the cards, then rank the three moves that Teo's Draft 1 (Text 2) needs most, with a reason for each tied to the plan in Text 1
They name one card that could belong under two headings and explain the overlap
They write one sentence defining "as needed" in their own words
Teacher Key
Planning: cards 1, 9; Revising: cards 2, 5, 7; Editing: cards 3, 8; Rewriting: cards 6; Trying a new approach: cards 4, 10. Cards 4 and 6 overlap: a new approach often means rewriting, so accept either with a good reason.
Discussion Questions
Which strategy had the most cards? Is that also the one writers use most, or only the one that is easiest to describe?
Why might a writer skip editing on a draft for now?
When is starting over better than fixing?
2
Reverse Outline Workshop
15 minIndividual, then pairs
Students make a reverse outline of a draft and use it to plan a revision. Use a draft from a current class assignment; if none is available, use Dev's letter (Text 6).
The Template
Paragraph
What it says (one phrase)
What it does for the reader
Keep, cut, move or expand?
1
2
3
Grades 6-8 Version
Fill in one row per paragraph
Circle the paragraph that does the most for the purpose and star the one that does the least
Trade with a partner, who adds one question in the margin about the starred paragraph
Grades 9-12 Version
Above the template, write one sentence: "What is most significant for my reader is ___." Test each paragraph against it
Write a revision plan of three moves, ranked, with the strategy each uses
A partner reads the plan and the draft and challenges one ranking
Discussion Questions
Did any paragraph say something different from what you thought it said?
Which column was hardest to fill in: what a paragraph says or what it does?
How would the outline change if the reader changed?
3
Reader Response Round
15 minGroups of 3
Each writer reads a short draft aloud and hears how readers experienced it, then decides which responses to act on. The round practices the support from peers that the grades 6-8 standards name and the judgment about significance that the grades 9-12 standards name.
The Three Response Frames
"What I understood was ..."
"I got lost when ..."
"I wanted more about ..."
Responses are about the writing, not the writer. The writer listens and takes notes without arguing.
Grades 6-8 Version
The teacher models one round with Teo's Draft 1 before groups begin
Each listener gives one response per frame
The writer circles the one response to act on first and writes why
Grades 9-12 Version
Before reading, the writer asks one question about the draft, for example "Does paragraph 2 convince a reader who disagrees?"
Listeners answer the writer's question first, then use the frames
The writer sorts the responses into act on now, act on later and set aside, with a reason for each set-aside
Discussion Questions
Which frame produced the most useful responses for you as a writer?
What made a response easy or hard to act on?
Is it ever right to ignore feedback? When?
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
1 diagrams
Diagram 1: The Steps of CCRA.W.5 Are a Loop, Not a Line
Writers move forward from planning to sharing, but a draft often needs to go back: revising may show that the draft should be rewritten or approached a new way, and a change of reader or purpose sends the writer back to the plan. Editing comes after revising, so that time is not spent polishing sentences that will be cut.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
CCRA.W.5 Homework: Revising Dev's Request to the Student Council
Directions: Read Dev's Draft 1 (Text 6) and the three readers' comments (Text 7) at the end of the lesson plan (in Closure). Answer Problems 1, 2 and 6 in complete sentences. Problem 4 has a grades 6-8 version and a grades 9-12 version; answer the one for your grade. Do not invent numbers or facts: where a number would help, write [number] and say how Dev could find it.
Part 1: Diagnose (Problems 1-3)
State Dev's purpose and his audience in one sentence each. Then name the biggest gap between the draft and what that audience needs, using one comment from Text 7 as evidence.
Decide whether Dev's draft needs revising, rewriting or a new approach, and explain your choice. Say why editing alone would not be enough.
Make a reverse outline of Dev's draft. Because it is one long paragraph, write one phrase for each group of sentences that does a single job.
Part 2: Revise (Problem 4)
Grades 6-8: Revise Dev's letter in 150-200 words, in at least three paragraphs, using at least two of the readers' comments. Grades 9-12: Write a new version of 180-250 words that tries a new approach (for example, a one-month trial plan) and answers each of Ms. Abara's three questions.
Part 3: Edit and Reflect (Problems 5-6)
Find the three errors in conventions in Dev's Draft 1. Quote each, correct it and name the rule.
The three readers do not all agree. Name one comment you followed only in part, or not at all, and explain why, using Dev's purpose and audience.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Diagnosis
Names the purpose, the audience and the biggest gap, with evidence from the comments
Names the gap without evidence, or the purpose without the audience
No diagnosis, or only "fix grammar"
Revision
The revised version answers what the council needs, is organized in paragraphs and invents no facts
Some needed information is added, but gaps or one long paragraph remain
Few changes beyond wording
Editing
All three errors are corrected and each rule is named
Two errors are corrected, or rules are missing
Fewer than two corrections
Judging Feedback
Explains a decision about conflicting feedback in terms of purpose and audience
Explains a decision without linking it to the reader
No decision explained
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Questions 2, 3, 16 and 20 use Teo's plan, Draft 1 and feedback (Direct Instruction). Questions 4-6, 15, 16 and 20 use Draft 2 and the editing conference (Guided Practice). The other questions include everything they need. Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A student drafts a persuasive letter about adopting a shelter dog, then decides a short story told from the dog's point of view would make readers care more, and writes the story instead. Which CCRA.W.5 strategy is this?
Answer: C
Changing the form from a letter to a story is a new way into the same purpose. Choice A confuses changing the whole form with correcting conventions. Choice D describes a smaller change than the student made.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
According to Teo's plan (Text 1), what do his readers already know?
Answer: B
Paragraph 2 of the plan says: "Most have seen fireflies. Few know how or why they light up." Choice A reverses part of it, and choice D contradicts it.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In Text 3, Ama writes about the snails: "I couldn't see what it had to do with flashing." Which change does her comment point toward?
Answer: A
Ama's comment is about focus: the paragraph does not serve the purpose, "to explain why fireflies flash." Choice B is an editing move that leaves the problem in place. Choice C adds to the detour instead of fixing it, and choice D gives the off-topic paragraph the most important position.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 3 of Draft 2, Teo compares each species' flash pattern to a password. What does the comparison help readers understand?
Answer: B
A password identifies you to those who know it: "Each species of firefly have its own pattern, like a password," and the female "answers with her own flash." The draft says nothing about learning a pattern (A), hiding it from people (C) or changing it nightly (D).
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which change from Draft 1 to Draft 2 is an example of trying a new approach rather than editing?
Answer: D
Draft 1 begins, "Fireflies are beetles in the family Lampyridae"; Draft 2 begins, "On a warm summer evening, a tiny green light blinks above the grass." That is a new way into the article. Choices A, B and C are corrections from the editing conference: they fix conventions without changing the approach.
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Mr. Ruiz tells Teo to read paragraph 5 of Draft 2 aloud. Which two errors does that paragraph still contain?
Answer: A
"What your seeing" needs you're (you are), and "in it's own code" needs its, the possessive. Both sound right aloud, which is why they need a slow, careful read. Choice C names a contraction that is optional, not an error, and choices B and D would make the sentence wrong.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence uses its or it's correctly?
Answer: C
Its without an apostrophe is the possessive (the light belongs to it); it's means "it is" or "it has." Choices A and D need its; choice B needs It's (it has been).
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which revision corrects the comma splice in this sentence: "The light organ needs oxygen, without it the firefly cannot glow."
Answer: B
A comma splice joins two independent clauses with only a comma. A semicolon can join them (choice B), as can a period. Choices C and D still join the clauses with a comma, and choice A moves the comma to the wrong place, leaving a run-on that seems to say the organ needs oxygen "without it."
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Choose the verb and the reason: "Each of the fireflies ___ its own pattern."
Answer: D
The subject is each, which is singular, so the verb is has; "of the fireflies" is a phrase between the subject and the verb. Choice A matches the verb to the nearest noun, a common error. Choice C has the right verb for the wrong reason: the verb agrees with the subject, not the object.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
What is the main difference between revising and editing?
Answer: A
Revising changes what the piece says and how it is built; editing corrects grammar, usage, spelling and punctuation. Choice C describes planning, not revising. Choices B and D state rules that are not true.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A junior's lab report conclusion will be read by a teacher deciding whether the experiment supports its hypothesis. Which revision addresses what is most significant for that reader?
Answer: C
The grades 9-12 standards ask writers to focus on what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. This reader needs the link between data and hypothesis. Choice A changes style without adding substance; choices B and D may be fine but matter far less to this reader.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
What does a reverse outline help a writer see?
Answer: B
A reverse outline is made after drafting, one line per paragraph, to show what each paragraph does; gaps and detours become visible. Choice A is an editing task, and choices C and D are not what the outline records.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which comment would help a writer revise?
Answer: D
Choice D names a place and a reader's problem, so the writer knows where to look and what to fix. Choice A gives praise with no information, choice B points to editing without saying where, and choice C gives a length target without a reason tied to the reader.
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Before drafting, which question helps a writer plan?
Answer: A
Planning starts from the reader and the purpose; the answer decides what to include and in what order. Teo's plan begins the same way, with "My readers" and "My purpose." Choices B, C and D are about length, appearance and speed, not about the reader.
Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer
Write a reverse outline of Teo's Draft 2 (Text 4): one phrase per paragraph saying what the paragraph does. Then explain one way the order of Draft 2 serves the purpose in Teo's plan better than the order of Draft 1.
Model answer: Paragraph 1: opens with a scene and says each flash is a message. Paragraph 2: explains how the light is made. Paragraph 3: explains why fireflies flash, as signals between males and females. Paragraph 4: adds a surprising case, a female who copies another species. Paragraph 5: returns to the opening scene. Draft 1 reached the why only in its last three sentences; Draft 2 announces it in its first paragraph ("every flash is a message") and gives it paragraphs 3 and 4, so the whole article serves the plan's purpose, "to explain why fireflies flash." Rubric: full credit gives an accurate phrase for each paragraph and a reasoned comparison with evidence; partial credit gives the outline or the comparison.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
In his feedback on Draft 1 (Text 3), Mr. Ruiz says nothing about grammar or spelling. Explain why a teacher might leave editing for later, using Teo's drafts as evidence.
Model answer: Draft 1 needed a new focus and a new structure, and much of it, such as the larvae paragraph, did not survive into Draft 2. Editing those sentences first would have been wasted work. Revising first and editing after (Text 5) puts the writer's time where it changes the reader's experience, which is what "as needed" means. Rubric: full credit explains the order and cites a change between the drafts; partial credit explains the order without evidence.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
Edit this sentence. Correct both errors and name the rule for each: "The female firefly waits in the grass, when she sees a male's pattern, she answers with a flash of her's."
Model answer: "The female firefly waits in the grass. When she sees a male's pattern, she answers with a flash of her own." First, the original joins two independent clauses with only a comma (a comma splice); a period or a semicolon fixes it. Second, the possessive pronoun hers never takes an apostrophe; "a flash of hers" or "her own flash" is correct. Rubric: full credit fixes both errors and names both rules; partial credit fixes both without the rules, or one with its rule.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
A ninth grader's argument that the school should add a robotics elective has three strong reasons, but the curriculum committee that will read it writes back: "We don't know what students would do in this class." Which CCRA.W.5 strategy does the draft need, and what should the student do? Explain why editing would not help.
Model answer: It needs revising: the student should add development, such as a short description of what students would build and learn in a typical unit, placed early, before the reasons. The committee's question is about missing content for this audience, not about errors, so an editing pass would leave the gap in place. Rubric: full credit names revising (adding development) with a specific plan and explains why editing would not help; partial credit names the strategy without a plan.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
A tenth grader's history essay draft retells the events of the building of the Erie Canal in order. Her teacher writes, "What is your claim?" Describe a plan for the next draft that uses two CCRA.W.5 strategies, and explain why each is needed.
Model answer: First, planning again: she should write a one-sentence claim about the canal, such as how it changed trade between the Midwest and New York City, and choose which events support it. Second, rewriting: because the draft is organized as a timeline, she should draft again with each paragraph built around a reason that supports the claim, keeping accurate details from the first draft. Editing would come last. Rubric: full credit names two fitting strategies and explains why the draft needs each; partial credit names two strategies with one explanation.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
Name one detail from Draft 1, other than the larvae paragraph, that Teo left out of Draft 2, and one detail that Draft 2 adds. For each, explain whether the change helps the plan's purpose.
Model answer: Left out: "Some of them do not light up at all" (Draft 1, paragraph 1). Cutting it helps, because a fact about fireflies that never flash does not explain why fireflies flash. Added: "A firefly turns its light on and off by controlling how much air reaches the light organ" (Draft 2, paragraph 2). It helps, because it explains how a firefly can flash a pattern at all, which the why depends on. Other good choices: the family name Lampyridae (left out) and the female who copies another species (added). Rubric: full credit gives one accurate detail of each kind and judges each against the purpose; partial credit gives the details without the judgment.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does CCRA.W.5 mean?
It means students should be able to make their writing stronger by planning before they draft and by revising, editing, rewriting or trying a new approach afterward, choosing the strategy the draft needs. It describes the process of writing, while CCRA.W.4 describes the quality of the finished piece.
What is the difference between revising and editing?
Revising changes the content and structure of a piece: what it says, what it leaves out and in what order. Editing corrects conventions: grammar, usage, spelling, capitalization and punctuation. Revising usually comes first, so that time is not spent correcting sentences that will be cut.
What does "trying a new approach" mean in CCRA.W.5?
It means finding a different way into the piece instead of patching the old one: a new opening, a new structure, a new form, such as a story instead of a letter, or a new angle on the topic. Writers try a new approach when a draft's basic plan is not working.
How does CCRA.W.5 change from grade 6 to grade 12?
In grades 6-8, the grade-level standards (W.6.5, W.7.5, W.8.5) expect students to revise with some guidance and support from peers and adults, and grades 7 and 8 add a focus on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. In grades 9-12 (W.9-10.5, W.11-12.5), the guidance clause drops away and the focus becomes what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
Does every piece of writing need several drafts under CCRA.W.5?
No. The standard says "as needed." A short reminder may need only a quick edit, while a research paper may need a new plan and several drafts. The skill is judging what a piece needs and doing that.
How do teachers assess CCRA.W.5 if it is about the writing process?
They usually look at the evidence the process leaves: plans, drafts, revision plans, reflections and the changes between drafts. A revision memo in which a student explains what changed and why is a common tool. Comparing a first and a final draft shows whether revision went beyond editing.
What is a reverse outline?
It is an outline made after drafting, with one line per paragraph saying what that paragraph actually does. Comparing it with the plan or the purpose shows paragraphs that wander, repeat or are missing. It is a quick way to decide what a draft needs before revising.
How can students give useful peer feedback?
Useful feedback is specific and describes a reader's experience: where the reader got lost, what the reader understood, what the reader wanted more of. It names a place in the draft. General praise or "fix your grammar" gives the writer nothing to act on.
Is spell check or a grammar checker enough for editing?
No. These tools catch many errors but miss others, such as a correctly spelled word that is the wrong word (there for their). Reading slowly, and aloud, and checking one kind of error per pass catch what the tools miss. Using technology to produce writing belongs to CCRA.W.6.
How does CCRA.W.5 apply to lab reports and history papers?
Through WHST.6-8.5, WHST.9-10.5 and WHST.11-12.5, which carry the same expectations into history, science and technical subjects. A lab report conclusion may need revising so that it says whether the data support the hypothesis; a history paper may need a new plan built around a claim instead of a timeline.
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Related Standards
11 standards
These are the grade-level standards that carry anchor CCRA.W.5 in grades 6-12, plus closely related anchors.
Grades 6-8
W.6.5Grade-band standard
Grade 6: with support, strengthen writing by planning, revising and editing
