In Legos and Editing and One-Minute Editing Check, I shared the idea of giving students a lens through which to edit their writing. Rainbow Editing is another strategy that helps them do that. The physical use of a different color of pencil for each convention gives students a concrete tool for a skill that often seems abstract for many.
In Nancy’s 4th grade class Rainbow Editing is one option that students have during writing workshop when they are either stuck, waiting for a teacher conference, or when they think they are finished with a piece of writing:
