Revise a Weak Example
Revise a Weak Example hands the class a flawed response and asks them to find and fix the problems together. TeacherHero builds it as a We Do with a worksheet, questions that lead students to each weakness, and the misconceptions the weak paragraph was written to surface, so students practise judging writing before producing their own.
Improve a weak response through guided revision.
Fix It Together
The We Do phase of a Grade 6 ELA lesson, as TeacherHero generated it. Planned for 9 minutes.
Teacher directions
- 0:00–0:45 — Distribute Student worksheet and read Story evidence. Explain that this example asks what Ada's silence lets us conclude, not the earlier model's question about how many duties she considers. All necessary evidence is on this page; students may also use their earlier notebook work.
- 0:45–2:00 — Read Article evidence. Clarify that 'This' and 'It' refer to narrowing attention toward danger. Ask students to contrast a fast physical threat with a difficult decision. Keep the focus on what the article explains, not diagnosing Ada.
- 2:00–3:00 — Read the fresh Response A. Have everyone circle unsupported or inaccurate statements. Check that students identify both the claim about lost resolve and the claim that narrowing helps Ada choose. Do not supply the repaired paragraph.
- 3:00–4:00 — Use a brief think-pair-share: students think of one repair, compare with a partner, and contribute three class suggestions using the printed speaking frame. Ask the questions below. Guide the first suggestion toward a supportable topic sentence; ask students to justify the next two with evidence.
- 4:00–7:30 — Complete Your repair with decreasing support. Invite wording for the topic sentence and record an agreed version. Students then fill the story explanation and the two article-explanation blanks, with teacher questions rather than dictated wording. Students finish the closing connection without another content prompt. There are exactly five blanks; the two quotations are already printed.
- 7:30–8:30 — Have everyone show their completed repair. Check for a cautious interpretation of silence, an accurate explanation of narrowing, and reasoning linking both texts. Aim for at least four out of five responses meeting these criteria. If needed, give a brief correction: 'Your evidence shows silence, but your sentence claims a lost decision. Replace that certainty with an explanation the evidence supports.' Allow students to revise.
- 8:30–9:00 — Read one defensible repair aloud and name its sentence roles. Explain that later independent writing will use a different evidence pairing and a different connection; students should carry forward the paragraph structure, not copy this conclusion.
Student directions
- Together with me: circle the weak paragraph's problems on Student worksheet.
- Give three suggestions using the speaking frame on this page.
Questions to ask
- What can Ada's silence tell us about her resolve? Begin with the speaking frame on Student worksheet.
- Why might narrowing be less helpful during Ada's difficult choice? Begin with the speaking frame on Student worksheet.
- How should the paragraph connect fear with Ada's obligation? Begin with the speaking frame on Student worksheet.
Misconceptions to expect
- Silence proves that Ada has given up. Correction: the story reports that she does not answer; that observation alone does not reveal a final decision.
- The article says narrowing is equally useful in every threatening situation. Correction: Paragraph 2 contrasts immediate physical danger with decisions that cannot be made quickly.
- An obligation disappears when someone feels afraid. Correction: Ada's promises remain part of the conflict; fear does not establish that she has abandoned either promise.
- Two quotations automatically make a connection. Correction: students must explain how the article helps them interpret the difficulty of Ada's situation while acknowledging what the story evidence leaves uncertain.
Frequently asked questions
Why revise a weak example instead of studying a strong one?
Both have a place, and they do different work. A strong model shows the target; a weak one asks students to spot what is missing, which is the judgment they need when rereading their own draft. TeacherHero places the strong model in I Do and the repair here.
Is the weak paragraph written by a student?
No. It is generated for the lesson, with its weaknesses chosen to match the misconceptions the teacher is likely to meet, such as treating a character's silence as proof of a decision. That keeps real student work out of it and makes every flaw worth discussing.
What do students do on the worksheet?
Circle the paragraph's problems and offer three suggestions using a speaking frame, with the teacher leading through prepared questions. The evidence they need is printed on the page, so the activity tests judgment rather than whether a student can find the right passage.
Strategies that pair with it
First Chart Row
We Do · Complete the first row of an organizer together.
See the exampleGuided Practice
We Do · Complete a parallel task with decreasing teacher support.
See the exampleHinge Questions
We Do · Pause at key decisions to check the whole class.
See the exampleShared Annotation
We Do · Annotate a new excerpt through sequenced teacher prompts.
See the exampleOne move out of six phases.
A TeacherHero lesson generates all six with your course, unit, week and text in context, so the We Do phase continues the one before it instead of starting over.
Explore a whole example lesson