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E7 E - Plan, draft, revise and improve

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Einleitung

Mini-description: Plan a short connected text, write a first draft, revise content, structure, linking, vocabulary and selected grammar, then create a stronger final version.

Level: Klasse 7 · E-Niveau · Englisch als erste Fremdsprache · Baden-Württemberg

You do not need a perfect first draft. Good writing grows through a process: plan → draft → revise → improve → use again.

Media start – Look, think, speak: What might the student be planning? Name three things a writer can change after a first draft.

I can ...

I can plan a short text for a clear purpose and audience.
I can draft a connected text of about 100–130 words.
I can revise ideas, order, linking and vocabulary.
I can check selected grammar, spelling and punctuation.
I can give and use short, useful feedback.
I can explain which changes made my text clearer.

What you already know

You already know basic sentence order, the Simple Past, common connectors such as and, but and because, and how to write a short paragraph.

Quick try: Tell a partner about one event from last week in three connected sentences. Use at least two linking words.

Notice: writing is a process

Look at the flow chart. Writing is not always a straight line. You can return to an earlier step when you notice a better idea.

Notice these five actions: plan – draft – revise – edit – share.

Think: Which action changes the message most? Which action mainly checks accuracy?

Listening and viewing: plan before you write

Watch selected parts of this lesson. Focus on audience, planning and clear paragraphs.

First viewing: What is one reason to think about your reader?

Second viewing: Note two planning tips.

Use it: Before your next text, write one sentence: My reader should understand that ...

Hint: Do not try to understand every word. Listen for repeated key words and examples.

Three voices: natural classroom talk

Read the short dialogue with three speakers. One learner closes the text and listens while the others read naturally.

Mila: My draft has all the facts, but it feels like a list.

Jonah: Maybe your order is okay, but the ideas need stronger links.

Sam: I would also add one detail about why the event mattered.

Mila: Good point. I can keep the facts and change how they connect.

Listening task: What two changes do Jonah and Sam suggest?

Speak: Give Mila one more useful suggestion.

Understand: compare two versions

Task: Read both texts. Do not translate every sentence. Find changes that make Version B clearer and more interesting.

Version A – first draft

Last Saturday our class went to a science centre. We arrived early. The first room was about space. It was interesting. I liked the robot show. We ate lunch. Then we did a challenge. Our group did not finish at first. We tried again and solved it. The trip was good.

Version B – revised draft

Last Saturday our class visited a science centre, and the day became more exciting than I expected. First, we explored a space room, where a robot show made us laugh. After lunch, our team tried a design challenge. We failed once, but we changed our plan and solved it on the second try. Because everyone shared ideas, the task felt like real teamwork. I would visit the centre again because I learned more by doing than by only reading.

Find: one stronger verb, two linking words, one added detail and one sentence that gives an opinion.

Notice: Revision is bigger than correcting spelling. First improve meaning and structure. Then edit smaller language points.

Vocabulary in context

Word	Meaning in this course	Example
plan	decide what you want to say	I plan three main ideas.
draft	a first version	My draft is not final.
revise	improve ideas and organisation	I revise the middle paragraph.
link	connect ideas	Because links reason and result.
audience	the people who will read	My audience is my class.
feedback	a response that helps you improve	The feedback is specific.
detail	exact information	Add one useful detail.
replace	use a better word or sentence	Replace good with a clearer word.

Try: Choose three words from the table and use them to explain your own writing process.

Pronunciation: clarity first

Say these words in short phrases: reVISE, imPROVE, FEEDback, AUdience.

Do not aim for a special accent. Aim for clear stress, understandable sounds and a natural sentence rhythm.

Pair check: Can your partner understand the word without seeing it?

Try: linking and functional grammar

The video shows how linking expressions guide a listener or reader. For this course, focus on simple, useful links.

Function	Useful words	Example
order	first, then, after that, finally	First, we planned the route.
contrast	but, although	We were tired, but we continued.
reason	because	I changed the ending because it was unclear.
result	so	The first idea was too long, so I shortened it.

Grammar target: Keep past events mainly in the Simple Past. Use a connector to show how ideas belong together.

Try: Join these ideas in two different ways: Our first plan failed. We tried a new idea.

Direct feedback: If your new sentence shows the relationship clearly, the connector is doing useful work.

E-lookout: Past Perfect

The Past Perfect is only an optional outlook here. Use it when one past action happened before another past action.

Form: had + past participle

Example: By the time we started the challenge, we had already explored the space room.

Controlled try: Complete one sentence: Before we wrote the final version, we had ...

Do not use the Past Perfect everywhere. In this course, clear Simple Past narration is more important.

Use: plan and draft

Writing mission: Write a connected text of about 100–130 words about a school event, a weekend activity, a small challenge or a fictional experience.

Step 1 – PLAN

Write only short notes:

purpose: What should the reader understand?
audience: Who is the text for?
content: Which three ideas matter most?
order: What comes first, next and last?

Step 2 – DRAFT

Write the whole text. Keep moving. Do not stop after every sentence to correct small mistakes.

Hint: Use a clear beginning, a connected middle and an ending that adds an opinion, result or reflection.

German help if needed: Beim ersten Entwurf zählt zuerst der Zusammenhang. Kleine Sprachfehler kannst Du später gezielt bearbeiten.

Communicate: speak and mediate

Pair discussion: Explain your plan in 30–45 seconds. Your partner may ask one follow-up question.

Perspective switch: Tell the same event from another viewpoint for three or four sentences. How does the focus change?

Mini-presentation: Present one revision decision: I changed ... because ...

Mediation: A German-speaking classmate says: Die Gruppe war zuerst unsicher, aber nach einem zweiten Versuch klappte die Aufgabe. Alle brachten eine Idee ein. Give the important message in natural English. You do not need a word-for-word translation.

Feedback: revise with a purpose

Use feedback to improve the text, not to replace your own decisions.

Reader feedback:

I understood ...
One strong link is ...
One place that could be clearer is ...
A useful detail you could add is ...

Revision code:

C = content · S = structure · L = linking · V = vocabulary · G = selected grammar

Mark at least one useful change in four of the five areas. You do not need to change something only because a partner suggests it.

Revise before you edit

Read your whole draft once without correcting.

Then ask:

Does every sentence help my purpose?
Is the order easy to follow?
Do linking words show the connections?
Can I replace vague words with clearer vocabulary?
Are my main verb forms consistent?

Only after that, check spelling, punctuation and selected grammar.

Direct feedback: A stronger final version should not only have fewer errors. It should also be easier to understand.

Improve: create Version 2

Write your improved version.

Then highlight or underline four changes and label them, for example: C, L, V, G.

Add one reflection sentence:

My most useful change was ... because ...

Challenge: Remove one sentence or phrase that does not help your main message.

Use again: mini-transfer

Choose a new situation: a short message to a school club, a mini review, a short story opening or a class blog text.

Plan for two minutes, write 60–80 words and use the same process again.

Transfer question: Which part of the writing process stays useful even when the text type changes?

Safe learning and responsible AI

Use fictional profiles in examples. Do not add private social-media data, real addresses or unnecessary personal details.

Recordings are voluntary and should stay private unless your teacher and school have clearly agreed on another safe use. Do not upload classmates' work, voices or images without permission.

If an AI tool is allowed by your school, use it only for limited feedback. Check whether its language matches your level and whether its suggestions are correct. Keep your own ideas and make the final decisions yourself. Do not send your text to an external AI service without permission.

Self-check: Can I do it?

I can plan three useful ideas before I write.
I can write a connected 100–130-word draft.
I can improve content and order before correcting small errors.
I can use linking words for order, contrast, reason and result.
I can use feedback without giving away control of my text.
I can explain one important improvement.

Next course: E7 E - Give and use feedback

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

What is the main purpose of planning before writing? (To choose and organise useful ideas) (!To correct every spelling mistake) (!To memorise the final text) (!To make every sentence longer)

What is a draft? (A first version of a text) (!A list of grammar rules) (!A final mark from a teacher) (!A dictionary entry)

What should you focus on first when revising? (Content and structure) (!Only handwriting) (!Only capital letters) (!Only the title font)

What does editing mainly check? (Language accuracy and punctuation) (!The writer's age) (!The reader's timetable) (!The number of pictures)

Which word can show contrast? (but) (!first) (!because) (!so)

Who is the audience of a text? (The people who will read it) (!The verbs in the text) (!The person who printed it) (!The words in the title)

What makes feedback useful? (It is specific and helps the writer improve) (!It rewrites the whole text) (!It only says good) (!It ignores the writer's purpose)

Which action is a real revision? (Moving an important sentence to a clearer place) (!Changing one full stop into another full stop) (!Counting all letters) (!Copying the draft without changes)

When can the Past Perfect be useful? (When one past action happened before another past action) (!Whenever a sentence has two nouns) (!Only for future plans) (!Instead of every Simple Past verb)

What shows successful improvement? (The final version is clearer and more connected) (!The final version is always much longer) (!Every sentence uses a difficult word) (!The writer accepts every suggestion)

Memory

Plan	Organise ideas before writing
Draft	First complete version
Revise	Improve meaning and order
Linking	Connect ideas clearly
Audience	Intended reader group
Feedback	Specific response for improvement

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Writing action
Plan	Choose purpose and order ideas
Draft	Write a complete first version
Revise	Improve content structure linking and vocabulary
Edit	Check selected grammar spelling and punctuation
Share	Present the improved text in an agreed safe setting

Kreuzworträtsel

Planning	What do you do before drafting when you choose and organise ideas?
Drafting	What is the act of writing a first complete version called?
Revision	What process improves content and organisation after drafting?
Audience	What word means the people a text is written for?
Linking	What word describes connecting ideas clearly?
Feedback	What response can help a writer improve a text?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

One-minute plan: Choose a simple topic and write purpose, audience and three key ideas.
Link hunt: Find five linking words in a short English text and explain their function.
Word upgrade: Replace five vague words such as good, nice or thing with clearer vocabulary.
Revision talk: Explain one change you would make to a short draft and give a reason.

Standard

Two-version text: Write 100–130 words, revise the text and keep both versions for comparison.
Reader test: Exchange texts with a partner and give two specific comments and one question.
Message mediation: Read a short German event note and communicate the key points in natural English.
Perspective switch: Rewrite one short scene from another person's viewpoint.

Schwer

Revision map: Mark your changes with C, S, L, V and G and explain which category improved the text most.
Cut and strengthen: Reduce a draft by about ten words without losing important information.
Controlled E-challenge: Add one correct Past Perfect sentence only where an earlier past event needs to be clear.
Mini writing conference: Present your planning and revision choices in a two-minute classroom conference.

Lernkontrolle

Purpose shift: Take the same event and plan one version for a friend and one for a school newsletter. Explain what would change.
Coherence test: Reorder five mixed sentences into a clear paragraph and justify your order with linking relationships.
Revision decision: Given a short draft, choose three changes that improve meaning before correcting surface errors. Explain why.
Feedback quality: Compare two feedback comments and explain which one gives the writer more usable information.
Vocabulary choice: Replace three vague expressions in a paragraph and explain how the new words change precision or tone.
Tense choice: Decide whether Simple Past or an optional Past Perfect form is needed in a short sequence of events and explain the time relationship.

Lernnachweis

For a successful learning record, show:

a short writing plan with purpose, audience and ordered ideas
a first draft of about 100–130 words
visible revision in content, structure, linking and vocabulary
a check of selected grammar, spelling and punctuation
at least one piece of feedback and your decision about how to use it
a final improved version
a short reflection explaining one important change

No public upload is required. A paper version or a private school-approved digital version is enough.

OERs zum Thema

Free media used in this course: Wikimedia Commons files on writing, mind mapping, the writing process, proofreading and peer review. The YouTube embeds are used as viewing material; no learner upload is required.

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