Final Project
Final Project: Before-and-After Revision Portfolio
Revise one piece from CWP 221 or CWP 222 (an excerpt of about 1,000–2,500 words, or about 4–10 handwritten pages) through every level of editing. Submit your original and revised versions side by side with a revision memo and a style sheet that show your process. Handwritten work is fully acceptable. You are graded on your revision skills, never on the content of your story or how much you share.
Requirements
- BEFORE: a clean copy of the original excerpt, unchanged
- AFTER: the fully revised excerpt, neatly written or typed
- Your reverse outline and evidence of at least one structural change (cut, move, or expand)
- A revised opening and ending
- Evidence of line editing: clutter cut, strong verbs, and active voice where fitting, with your voice kept
- Correctly punctuated and paragraphed dialogue (or three to six lines added where none existed)
- A style sheet with at least ten entries, and a copy free of common grammar and punctuation errors
- A one- to two-page revision memo describing changes at each level of editing, feedback you used or set aside, and what you learned, plus your completed Self-Editing Checklist
Timeline
- Module 1: choose the piece; file the BEFORE copy
- Module 2: feedback log
- Modules 3–4: structural revision, new opening and ending
- Modules 5–6: line edit and dialogue pass
- Module 7: copyedit and style sheet
- Module 8: checklist, final proofread, revision memo, submission, and optional sharing
Grading Rubrics
Grading Rubrics
Every rubric uses the same four levels. Your instructor will mark the level that best matches your work for each row and add a short comment.
Module Assignment Rubric
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completeness | Every required part is done | Most required parts are done | About half the parts are done | Little of the assignment is done |
| Accuracy & Skill | Skills applied correctly with no significant errors | Minor errors that do not affect the result | Several errors that affect the result | Major errors throughout |
| Professional Quality | Neat, clear, and ready for an employer to see | Clear with small issues | Hard to follow in places | Unclear or disorganized |
| Effort & Growth | Went beyond the minimum or clearly improved | Solid, consistent effort | Minimal effort | Little evidence of effort |
Total possible: 16 points.
Reflection Journal Rubric
Journals are graded on effort and reflection, never on spelling, grammar, or the details of a personal story.
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completion | Responds fully to every part of the prompt | Responds to most of the prompt | Responds to part of the prompt | Entry missing or one line |
| Connection to Lesson | Clearly applies the week's skill or idea | Mentions the lesson | Vague link to the lesson | No link to the lesson |
| Faith Reflection | Thoughtfully engages the Scripture or faith theme | Engages the faith theme | Brief mention of faith theme | Does not address the faith theme |
| Personal Application | Names a specific next step or change | Names a general next step | Next step is unclear | No next step |
Total possible: 16 points.
Participation Rubric
Scored at the end of each module. Average the eight scores for the Attendance & Participation grade.
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance & Punctuality | Present and on time for the full session | Present; late or left early once | Missed part of the session more than once | Absent without make-up work |
| Preparation | Completed assignment and brought workbook every time | Usually prepared | Sometimes prepared | Rarely prepared |
| Engagement | Contributes thoughtfully and draws others in | Contributes regularly | Contributes when asked | Seldom contributes, even when invited |
| Respect & Covenant | Models the classroom covenant for others | Follows the covenant consistently | Needs occasional reminders | Needs frequent reminders |
Total possible: 16 points.
Final Project Rubric: Before-and-After Revision Portfolio
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completeness | BEFORE, AFTER, reverse outline, style sheet, memo, and checklist all included | One item missing or thin | Two or three items missing | Most items missing |
| Big-Picture Revision | Clear structural changes; strong opening and ending; pacing improved | Some structural change; opening or ending improved | Minor changes only | No visible big-picture revision |
| Sentence & Dialogue Craft | Clutter cut, strong verbs, active voice, correct dialogue; voice kept | Mostly strong with a few lapses | Some improvement; many lapses | Little line-level revision |
| Accuracy & Consistency | Few or no errors; style sheet applied consistently | A few minor errors | Several errors or inconsistencies | Many errors; no style sheet |
| Revision Memo & Reflection | Clear memo covering every level and feedback, with thoughtful reflection | Clear memo with most levels | Brief or vague memo | Missing memo |
Total possible: 20 points.
Quick Guide
Editing & Revision Quick Guide
Keep this guide with your important papers after release.
The Four Levels of Editing
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Developmental | Focus, structure, pacing: what to cut, move, or expand |
| Line | Sentences: clutter, strong verbs, active voice, voice |
| Copyediting | Grammar, punctuation, spelling, consistency |
| Proofreading | Final check for typos and small errors |
Three-Part Feedback
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| What's working | One specific strength |
| What I wondered | One genuine reader's question |
| One suggestion | One small, specific idea about the writing |
Clutter to Cut
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| due to the fact that | because |
| at this point in time | now |
| in order to | to |
| made a decision | decided |
| each and every / whole entire | each / whole |
| really, very, just, basically | cut or choose a stronger word |
Dialogue Punctuation
- ☐ “Eat first,” she said. (comma inside the quotation mark)
- ☐ She said, “Eat first.” (comma after the tag; capital letter)
- ☐ “Where are you going?” Mama asked. (question mark inside; tag lowercase)
- ☐ “Come here,” she whispered, “and look.” (interrupted sentence)
- ☐ “I'm proud of you.” Grandma smiled. (action beat is its own sentence)
- ☐ New speaker, new paragraph
Sound-Alikes and Apostrophes
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| its / it's | its = belonging to it; it's = it is or it has |
| their / there / they're | their = belonging to them; there = place; they're = they are |
| grandmother's / grandparents' | one owner / more than one owner |
| plates (not plate's) | No apostrophe for plurals |
Run-Ons and Fragments
Comma splice: I was tired, I kept going. Fix it with a period, a semicolon, a comma plus and/but/so, or a word like because.
Fragment: Because she loved to feed people. Attach it to a nearby sentence or complete it. Use a fragment only on purpose.
Self-Editing Checklist
- ☐ Focus: every section serves the main point
- ☐ Structure and pacing: key moment has room
- ☐ Opening invites; ending lands
- ☐ Clutter cut; strong verbs; active voice; my voice kept
- ☐ Dialogue punctuated and paragraphed
- ☐ Commas, apostrophes, sound-alikes, run-ons, fragments
- ☐ Matches my style sheet
- ☐ Final proofread: slowly, aloud, on paper
My Style Sheet
Names and titles: ______________________________
Places: ______________________________
Spellings and words: ______________________________
Numbers: ______________________________
Capitalization and hyphens: ______________________________
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.— Philippians 1:6 (KJV)
Final Exam
- 1.
John 15:2 teaches that the fruitful branch is purged so that:
- 2.
Which list puts the levels of editing in the best order?
- 3.
Which feedback follows the critique circle norms?
- 4.
Proverbs 27:17 says:
- 5.
A reverse outline is:
- 6.
Good pacing usually:
- 7.
Which opening is strongest?
- 8.
Which is the best revision of At this point in time, I am really very grateful?
- 9.
Which sentence is in active voice?
- 10.
Which dialogue is punctuated correctly?
- 11.
When the speaker changes in dialogue, a writer should:
- 12.
Which sentence is correct?
- 13.
Which is a fragment?
- 14.
A style sheet is used to:
- 15.
Passive voice is useful when the actor is unknown or when a writer chooses to protect someone's privacy.
- 16.
During feedback, it is appropriate to ask about a writer's past or case.
- 17.
An editor suggests changes, and the author decides.
- 18.
Spell check catches every error, including correctly spelled wrong words.
- 19.
Correct this sentence and name the error: Grandma didn't mind, she said a full house was a blessed house.
- 20.
Explain how John 15:2 describes the work of revision.