Virginia SOL 12.W.3.B
The Standard
Use peer- and self-evaluation to edit writing for clarity and quality of information, addressing strengths and making suggestions regarding how writing might be improved.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students review their own writing and a peer’s writing for clear ideas, useful details, and overall effectiveness. They name strengths, give specific suggestions, and revise based on helpful feedback.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students identify clear strengths and specific places where ideas, details, or organization need work. They use that feedback to make purposeful revisions while keeping the writer’s meaning and voice.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat peer review as proofreading for spelling and punctuation only. They may give vague praise, rewrite the piece in their own voice, or suggest changes without explaining why.
How to Assess It
- Give students a short draft and ask them to mark one strength, identify one unclear or weak detail, and write one specific revision suggestion.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs printed drafts, green and yellow highlighters, and sticky notes to mark strong details, unclear passages, and specific revision suggestions.
Ask students to explain which single revision would most improve a draft’s clarity and support their choice with evidence from the text.
Play Feedback Sort by having teams classify sample comments as specific, vague, useful, or overly controlling, then improve the weak comments.
Have students review a college essay, workplace email, or public statement and suggest revisions for clarity, accuracy, and audience needs.
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Printable 12.W.3.B Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 12.W.3.B, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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