Revising for a Specific Problem
A 40-minute Grade 4 lesson on planning, revising and editing with guidance, focusing each revision on one named problem.
Revising for a Specific Problem is a free 40-minute Grade 4 English lesson plan for Common Core standard W.4.5 — plan, revise and edit, acting on feedback from others. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the meaning, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Grade 4
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- W.4.5
Grade 4 · Writing
W.4.5
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
Objective
Students will be able to name the single biggest problem in a draft from a list (unclear, unsupported, repetitive, out of order), revise the whole draft for that problem only, and record other problems for a later pass.
Students are successful when they can
- Names one problem from the list and writes it at the top of the draft.
- Makes every change in the pass about that problem, through the whole draft.
- Writes at least two other problems they noticed in a "LATER" box instead of fixing them.
What you need
- The "Dogs are the best pets" draft paragraph on chart paper
- Problem list card: unclear, unsupported, repetitive, out of order
- Sticky notes for the "LATER" box
- Students' own opinion or explanatory drafts
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — name the biggest problem
5 min- Show the draft: "Dogs are the best pets. Dogs are really, really good. They are loyal. My dog Max is the best dog. Cats are boring. Dogs can help people. Dogs are good. Also they need walks so you get exercise. Dogs are the best pets ever."
- Ask: "Using only the list, what is the single biggest problem?" Take answers. Most will say "repetitive" or "unsupported." Agree on unsupported: almost every sentence is a claim, and not one is proved.
- When someone names three problems at once, write all three in a box labeled "LATER" and say: "Good noticing. We keep them. We just do not fix them yet."
Teach — one pass, one problem
13 min- Write at the top of the draft: "PASS 1: unsupported." Read sentence by sentence, asking only one question each time: "Is this proved?"
- "They are loyal." Not proved. Revise: "They are loyal: my dog Max waits by the door every day at quarter past three until I get home."
- "Dogs can help people." Not proved. Revise: "Dogs can help people. Guide dogs are trained for around two years so they can lead people who are blind across busy roads."
- "Also they need walks so you get exercise." This one has its support built in. Leave it.
- As you go, think aloud about other problems you see and refuse to fix them: "Cats are boring — that is off-topic, but it is not an unsupported problem. LATER." "Dogs are good appears twice — repetitive. LATER." Write both on sticky notes in the LATER box.
- Explain why: a pass that tries to fix everything fixes nothing properly, because you keep changing which question you are asking.
- Now do PASS 2: repetitive. Take the LATER box as the agenda. Cut "Dogs are good." and "really, really good." Read the paragraph after each pass. The class should hear it improve in two different ways.
“You will see other problems. That is good — it means you are reading carefully. Write them in the LATER box and keep going. This pass has one job, and we finish that job before we start the next one.”
Guided practice — one pass on your own draft
12 min- Students reread their own draft and choose one problem from the list. They write "PASS 1: ___" at the top.
- They revise the whole draft for that problem only, using a colored pencil so every change is visible.
- Anything else they spot goes on a sticky note in their LATER box. Aim for at least two.
- Circulate and point at a change: "Which problem does this fix?" If the answer is not the one at the top of the page, ask them to move it to LATER.
“Point to this change. Which problem does it fix? If it is not the one at the top of your page, it goes in LATER.”
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the revising page. It gives a draft and names the problem to revise for, so the job is to stay on that problem.
- Then they list two problems they noticed and left, and choose which one would be pass 2.
Close
2 min- Take two students: each reads one sentence before and after their pass, then reads one sticky note from their LATER box.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Fixes a spelling, a period and a word choice in one sweep, but the unsupported claims stay.
Why: Fixing things as they are noticed feels efficient, and surface errors are the easiest things to see, so they get fixed first and the bigger problem never gets attention.
Fix: Ask them to write the pass name at the top, then point to each change and ask "Which problem does this fix?". Changes that do not match move to LATER, and the real problem gets the whole pass.
Names the problem as "it is bad" or "it is boring" instead of one from the list.
Why: The dissatisfaction is real, but they have no words for what is wrong, so they cannot pick a way to fix it.
Fix: Hand them the list card and ask them to test each problem on one sentence: "Is this unclear? Unsupported? Repeated? In the wrong place?" A named problem comes with a method — unsupported means "add proof."
Stops after one pass: supports every claim but leaves "Dogs are good" written twice.
Why: The named problem has gone, so the draft feels finished. Revising has been one event in their experience, not a cycle.
Fix: Treat the LATER box as the plan for pass 2. Read the paragraph aloud after pass 1 and ask what is still in the box — then they choose the next pass from it.
If they are not there yet
- Give the problem to revise for ("unsupported") and a list of three facts they could use as proof.
- Use half the draft: the first four sentences only.
- Provide a sentence frame for adding support: "___. For example, ___."
If they finish early
- Do three passes on the dog paragraph (unsupported, repetitive, out of order) and rank which pass improved it most, with one sentence of reason.
- Name a problem that is not on the list — such as "the ending is weak" or "too formal for a friend" — and write a one-line method for fixing it.
- Revise a partner's draft for the problem they named, using comments only, so the partner decides whether to accept each change.
Exit ticket
Revise for UNSUPPORTED claims only: "Recess should be longer. It would be good. Kids need to run. It would be good for everyone." Then write one problem you noticed and left.
What to look for: Proof added, e.g. "Kids need to run: we sit for two hours before recess." LATER: "It would be good" is repeated. Cutting the repeats but adding no proof means the student left the named problem — revisit pass naming.
Printable practice for W.4.5
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Plan, Revise, EditWrite on the lines. Use the checklist.
Questions about Revising for a Specific Problem
How long does the Revising for a Specific Problem lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Revising for a Specific Problem teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.5 — W.4.5, Writing for Grade 4: “With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.” In plain terms, plan, revise and edit, acting on feedback from others.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
The "Dogs are the best pets" draft paragraph on chart paper, problem list card: unclear, unsupported, repetitive, out of order, sticky notes for the "LATER" box, students' own opinion or explanatory drafts and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: fixes a spelling, a period and a word choice in one sweep, but the unsupported claims stay; names the problem as "it is bad" or "it is boring" instead of one from the list and stops after one pass: supports every claim but leaves "Dogs are good" written twice. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Revise for UNSUPPORTED claims only: "Recess should be longer. It would be good. Kids need to run. It would be good for everyone." Then write one problem you noticed and left.” Proof added, e.g. "Kids need to run: we sit for two hours before recess." LATER: "It would be good" is repeated. Cutting the repeats but adding no proof means the student left the named problem — revisit pass naming. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Revising for a Specific Problem?
Yes — 1 printable W.4.5 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Revising for a Specific Problem free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to W.4.5 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.