Please see attached files also.

Touchstone 4: Informative Essay Revision

ASSIGNMENT: Review the in-text comments and summary feedback you received on your Touchstone 3 draft to deepen and extend your analysis of your topic. Submit a revision of your Touchstone 3 draft that reflects the feedback. Include a copy of your Touchstone 3 draft below the “Think About Your Writing” questions for this unit. 

A. Instructions

All writers revise their work as part of the writing process. For Touchstone 4, submit a revised version of your Touchstone 3 essay. The process of revising involves “re-thinking” your essay. Your revision should reflect your attention to the following:

• rhetorical situation
• focus
• organization
• flow
• style
• clarity

As you consider possible revisions, evaluate how your essay can be improved in each of the areas above. Focus your attention on the areas that would benefit most from revision. You can add, delete, or move text as you revise your essay.

Note the following revision guidelines:

• Do not draft a new essay. You must revise your Touchstone 3 draft.
• Allow time between drafts so that you can see your original work from a new perspective.
• Revision is different from editing and proofreading; however, be sure to edit and proofread your revised essay before you submit it.

Revise your Touchstone 3 essay using the revision strategies you learned in Unit 4. This revision should reflect significant changes from your first draft, and should incorporate the feedback you received on Touchstone 3.

B. Think About Your Writing

Include answers to all of the following reflection questions below your completed revision.

1. How much time did you spend revising your draft? Which revision strategies did you use, and which of them worked best for you? (2-3 sentences) Sophia says: A good revision takes time. This is your opportunity to re-think, re-arrange, and re-evaluate your writing. Which revision strategies did you use? Do you still agree with your thesis? Do you believe that your evidence supports your thesis, and that you have met the requirements of the assignment?

2. How did the revision process improve your essay? (2-3 sentences) Sophia says: Compare your draft to your revision. Have you added relevant details or removed irrelevant ones? Have you changed the order of details or paragraphs? Have you added transitions for better flow? In which ways is your revision better than your draft?

3. What did you learn about your writing process or yourself as a writer? (2-3 sentences) Sophia says: Think about the entire process of drafting and revising this essay. Did any part of the process surprise you or reveal something unexpected?

C. Revision Guidelines

DIRECTIONS: Refer to the checklist below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until your essay meets all of the guidelines. Print this checklist!

Editing and Revising

❒ Have you significantly revised your essay, making adjustments in areas that include organization, focus, and clarity?
❒ Have you made comprehensive changes in word choice, sentence variety, and style?
❒ Have you made revisions that are based on the feedback provided by your evaluator?

Essay Prompt: Image Analysis

❒ If you chose the image analysis prompt, have you revisited your analysis and interpretation of the image to ensure that you’ve done more than describe it?
❒ Have you revisited your conclusions about the audience and effectiveness of the ad?
❒ Did you include the image in your essay?
❒ Is your draft 800-1300 words long?

Essay Prompt: Extended Definition

❒ If you chose the extended definition prompt, did you make sure that your definition is unique, and doesn’t rely too heavily on the traditional definition?
❒ Did you revisit the examples and explanations that support your definition?
❒ Is your essay 800-1300 words in length?

Thesis

❒ Have you revised your thesis statement?
❒ Did you make sure that your thesis states the overall claim of the essay?
❒ Is your thesis one sentence that is located in the introductory paragraph?

Focus and Organization

❒ Have you reviewed your body paragraphs and made sure that each one has a clear topic sentence?
❒ Have you revisited your conclusion paragraph and concluding statement?
❒ Have you reviewed the sequence of your ideas?
❒ Have you improved your transitions to connect ideas between sentences and paragraphs?
❒ Have you improved the flow of your essay?
❒ Does your revision have a clear focus?
❒ Have you maintained a clear focus and included only relevant details?

Style and Tone

❒ Have you ensured that the tone of your essay is unbiased and informative?
❒ Have you informed the reader about your topic?
❒ Have you reconsidered your word choices?  

Conventions

❒ Have you checked your draft for grammatical errors?
❒ Have you used Spell-Check or another method to check spelling?
❒ Have you punctuated your essay correctly?

Before You Submit

❒ Have you included your name, date, and course at the top left of the page?
❒ Have you completed the “Think About Your Writing” questions?
❒ Is your essay between three and five pages (approximately 800-1300 words) in length?

G. Requirements

• Your essay should be three to five pages (approximately 800-1300 words) in length.
• Informative Guidelines and Topic Selection Guidelines must be followed or your submission will not be graded. 
• Double-space the draft, and use one-inch margins.
• Use an easy-to-read 12-point font. 
• All writing must be appropriate for an academic context. 
• Your draft and revision must be original and written for this assignment. 
• Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited. 
• Your submission must include your name, the name of the course, the date, and the title of your draft.
• Your submission must include, in the following order: your revised essay, your answers to the “Think About Your Writing” questions, and a copy of your original essay (from Touchstone 3).
• Submit only a single file only that contains all assignment components. 
• Acceptable file formats are .doc and .docx.