LIBA102 Peer Response Sessions
Guidelines for
Peer Response:
- Be courteous and tactful. Although you will critique your
classmate’s draft, you should do so in an encouraging manner and avoid
“tearing apart” the essay or making insulting remarks. Provide
constructive criticism. Remember, you are trying to help your
classmate improve his/her writing!
- Be detailed and specific in providing revision suggestions.
For instance, if you suggest that the writer “add more supporting
examples,” give some suggestions as to the type of examples the writer
could use and point out specific places in the draft where examples
could be incorporated. Avoid vague responses, such as “add more
details,” “add a better introduction,” or “add a
conclusion”—specifically what kinds of details should the writer add,
and where should they be added? What techniques could the writer
use to make a more effective introduction? What specific ideas or
techniques should the writer use in the conclusion?
- Give as many revision suggestions as possible, even when the
draft is strong. Please, NO responses limited to “I like the
essay,” “it’s great,” or “don’t change anything.” You may point
out that the draft is strong as it is, but you should still provide
some suggestions for change. You never know when the suggestion
you provide might be exactly what the writer was looking for!
Procedures
for Peer Response:
(1) Bring two copies of your rough draft to class, and exchange your
draft with two other students.
(2) Take both of your classmates’ drafts home, read them, and mark
mechanical errors and awkward sentences on the drafts.
(3) For each draft, complete a series of Peer Response Questions.
On a sheet of paper, write, Peer Response, Reader: (insert your name),
and Writer: (insert the name of the author of the draft you’re
reading). On this sheet of paper, write answers to the Peer
Response Questions listed on the back of this handout.
(4) Bring your answers to the Peer Response Questions back to class on
the date indicated by the instructor, and return the drafts and your
answers to the students who wrote the drafts.
(5) When you receive the copies of your draft back, read carefully over
your classmates’ answers to the Peer Response Questions and examine the
errors and comments they marked on your draft. Consider
carefully which of your classmates’ revision suggestions you
agree/disagree with and why. Based on the peer responses, decide
what specific changes you intend to make in your revised
draft. Include the Peer Responses from your classmates when
you submit your first and final drafts of the writing project to the
instructor.
Peer
Response Questions
1. Read the instructions for the writing project the writer has chosen
(Project A, B, or C). Does the writer’s essay fulfill the
requirements for the specified writing project? If not, how
should the writer alter the essay to fulfill the assignment
requirements?
2. What are the specific strengths of this draft? What did you
like about the draft and why?
3. Comment on the introduction. Is it attractive and
attention-getting? Does it adequately forecast the essay’s
content? What other introductory paragraph techniques could you
recommend to improve the introduction?
4. Is the essay’s thesis clearly and effectively stated? What is
the essay’s central argument?
5. Does material in the body paragraphs adequately support the essay’s
thesis? Where might additional examples or content add to the
draft? What kinds of content does the writer need to add?
Are there plenty of specific examples from the literary works,
websites, or pop culture adaptations the writer is analyzing? For
instance, if the writer is discussing a painting, does the writer
describe the painting adequately and analyze specific features of the
picture in comparison to the literary original? Does the writer
quote passages or refer to specific scenes from the literary work to
support his/her assertions? Does any material need to be cut from
the body paragraphs?
6. Is each body paragraph unified around one central idea? Are
there any sentences in the body paragraphs that seem out of
place? If so, where else in the essay do these sentences
belong? Are any paragraphs too long (watch for paragraphs more
than half a page in length), and if so, where should the writer divide
the paragraphs? Do the body paragraphs follow a logical
progression, or do they seem out of order? Are transitions
between the paragraphs smooth and effective?
7. Comment on the essay’s conclusion. Does it effectively
summarize the main ideas of the essay? What other concluding
techniques could you recommend to improve the conclusion?
8. Comment on the essay’s style. Is the writer’s language
effective and appropriate? Are there any repetitious words or
ideas? Do the sentences exhibit a pleasing variety in word choice
and structure? Are any sentences too long and confusing or too short
and choppy?
9. Examine the research requirement for the writing assignment the
writer has chosen (A, B, or C). Does the essay fulfill the
research requirement, or does the writer need to incorporate materials
from additional research sources? Do the research sources used in
the essay seem reliable and well-chosen? Are materials from the
outside sources effectively integrated into the essay to support the
essay’s thesis, or do quotations and source materials seem randomly
inserted? Are all research materials followed by the correct
parenthetical citations? Are all sources listed correctly on the
Works Cited page? Mark any errors in format on the Works Cited
page.