Choose a focus you have taught
Read the draft with its audience and purpose in mind. Select one change the student can understand and attempt now. If the class has been learning how verbs create a picture, ask the writer to revisit a moment where the action is vague. Keep other useful teaching needs for a later conversation.
AERO’s review of writing instruction supports teaching the writing process with modelling, guided practice and feedback. The routine here is an example for teachers to adapt; it does not assume that a comment or an AI score teaches a new skill by itself.
Show what a useful change looks like
Begin with something the writer has achieved: the character has reached the shed and the reader knows the next action. Then explain the focus. “Make it more exciting” leaves too much to guess. A question such as “How could the verb show that Mia is trying to be quiet?” gives the student a decision.
Use a separate model sentence before returning to the student’s piece. Think aloud about the effect of two possible verbs. The example below offers one option; students should choose words that fit their own story.
Mia went into the shed.
Mia crept into the shed.
Ask what “crept” suggests about Mia’s movement. Would “rushed” create a different moment? Neither choice is automatically better without the surrounding story.
Let the student act and explain
Ask the student to revise one relevant sentence, read the surrounding passage and explain the choice. A precise verb can replace several vague words; a longer sentence is not automatically stronger. Check whether the change helps the reader understand the action.
If students cannot make a choice, return to a model or practise another example together. Give enough support to make the decision understandable, then ask for a fresh attempt in their own words.
Check what carries into the next task
Keep the original and revision so you can discuss the response to feedback. On a later piece, look for purposeful verb choices again and record the tools or support used. That gives you a separate view of independent application.
When using Writing Boost, read AI feedback beside the work and check any suggestion that misses the task or meaning. Learning revisions leave the original piece and its assessment scores unchanged. Use the student’s explanation and writing to decide what to teach next.
