Revising and Editing skills 1-3

Revising and Editing - Writing Skills 1-3

STAAR Revising and Editing Skills Lesson

Revising a Thesis Statement - Skill 1

A controlling idea, also called a thesis or position statement, reflects an essay's topic and the author's main idea about it. On the STAAR test, you will be asked to revise a thesis or position statement. A thesis statement is the controlling idea of an expository selection. A position statement is the author's main claim in an argumentative selection, expressing what the author wants the readers to think or do. Typically, you will be asked to choose a thesis or porition statement that has better wording an more strongly and clearly makes the author's central claim or point.

Fill in the Blank

A ________ _________ is the controlling idea of an expository selection.

Fill in the Blank

A _________ ___________ is the author's main claim in an argumentative selection, expressing what the author wants the readers to think or do.

Multiple Choice

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Open Ended

Reread the passage and think about the main idea. Study the information in the passage to figure out the controlling idea of the passage. What is the topic, and what is the main idea the author is trying to express about that topic. EXPLAIN IT IN THE SPACE BELOW.

Multiple Choice

Chris has not effectively stated the position he is taking in the paper. Which sentence should replace sentence 6 as a more effective thesis statement?

• Cooking can be fun!

• Students should join the Cooking Club in order to learn how to cook healthy food.

• Schools should change the school menu to combat childhood obesity.

• Students are not expected to cook fancy foods.

​Revising by Adding or Removing Details - skill 2

Some items on the STAAR test will ask you to revise an essay by adding supporting details to strengthen an idea or paragraph. Supporting details might be additional facts, examples, expert opinions, or quotations. You will have to figure out which details give the best, most relevant support. Sometimes you will have to analyze details to draw valid inferences that show how the details connect to the ideas in the paragraph.

Multiple Select

Supporting details might be ________.

Select all that apply.

• facts

• examples

• expert opinions

• quotations

• rumors

Multiple Choice

You will have to figure out which _______ give the best, most relevant support.

• details

• typos

• errors

• title

Fill in the Blank

Sometimes you will have to analyze details to draw valid __________ that show how the details connect to the ideas in the paragraph.

Multiple Choice

Click on the image to read the passage and question.

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Multiple Choice

Click on the image to read the passage and the question.

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​Revising by combining sentences - skill 3

Good writing includes a variety of different sentence structures. On the STAAR test, you will be asked to answer questions about revising sentences by combining them. There are many ways to combine sentences.

​Revising by combining sentences - skill 3

There are many ways to combine sentences. Here are some of the most common.
Turning a sentence into a phrase
ex. Movie-makers today use computer-generated imagery. This creates realistic effects.
Movie-makers today use computer-generated imagery to create realistic effects.

Making a compound verb
ex. Using computers, a science fiction filmmaker can create almost any setting. A filmmaker can fake almost any action.
Using computers, a science fiction filmmaker can create almost any setting and fake almost any action.

​Revising by combining sentences - skill 3

There are many ways to combine sentences. Here are some of the most common.

Using a comma plus a coordinating conjunction to join a sentence.
ex. Star Wars first came out in 1977. It is still worth seeing.
Star Wars first came out in 1977, but it is still worth seeing.

Turning one sentence into a subordinate clause.
ex. Star Wars featured ground-breaking special effects. It came out in 1977.
Star Wars, which came out in 1977, featured ground-breaking special effects.

Multiple Choice

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• D

Multiple Choice

Click on the image to read the passage and question.

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• D