Peer Review Workshop ENG 113: Composition I

What Is a Peer Review Workshop?  You will be paired with a classmate  Read each narrative  Provide detailed feedback based on your critical reading of the story  A learning experience  One of the best ways to identify mistakes in your own writing is to read the writing of others  You get the opportunity to hear feedback directly from your audience  You will be paired with a classmate  Read each narrative  Provide detailed feedback based on your critical reading of the story  A learning experience  One of the best ways to identify mistakes in your own writing is to read the writing of others  You get the opportunity to hear feedback directly from your audience

Benefits of Peer Review  You “see” your writing through your audience’s eyes  Identify the strengths and weaknesses in your writing that you may not see yourself  You get good feedback  You must improve your paper for the final submission  You “see” your writing through your audience’s eyes  Identify the strengths and weaknesses in your writing that you may not see yourself  You get good feedback  You must improve your paper for the final submission

Challenges of Peer Review  The reviewer does not offer constructive criticism  Only positive = Great job!  Only negative = Awful!  Authors do not value their classmate’s opinion  Only the instructor “counts”  Reluctance to share work that is not “perfect” or “finished”  The reviewer does not offer constructive criticism  Only positive = Great job!  Only negative = Awful!  Authors do not value their classmate’s opinion  Only the instructor “counts”  Reluctance to share work that is not “perfect” or “finished”

Overcoming Peer Review Challenges  Provide constructive criticism that is useful for your classmate  Detailed  Specific  Gentle  Recognize that your classmates are your audience and their point of view matters  Be open to feedback  Peer review is beneficial to the reviewer as well as the author – you will both learn from each other  Remember that writing is a process. Revision is a very important part of that process.  Polish your writing  Fix errors  May never be “perfect,” but can get much closer  Provide constructive criticism that is useful for your classmate  Detailed  Specific  Gentle  Recognize that your classmates are your audience and their point of view matters  Be open to feedback  Peer review is beneficial to the reviewer as well as the author – you will both learn from each other  Remember that writing is a process. Revision is a very important part of that process.  Polish your writing  Fix errors  May never be “perfect,” but can get much closer

Peer Review Process  Put Your Name and In the Corner of the Paper  Introduce yourself and provide details about your story  What feedback would be particularly helpful  Engage in Critical Reading  Preview  Read  Reread  Put Your Name and In the Corner of the Paper  Introduce yourself and provide details about your story  What feedback would be particularly helpful  Engage in Critical Reading  Preview  Read  Reread

Introduce Yourself and Your Paper  Each author should take a moment to describe his/her essay?  What is the topic of the essay  What is the main idea/thesis of the essay?  What strategies did you use in your writing?  Were there any parts of the essay that were particularly challenging or that you are particularly proud of?  Do you have any specific feedback that you think would be helpful?  Each author should take a moment to describe his/her essay?  What is the topic of the essay  What is the main idea/thesis of the essay?  What strategies did you use in your writing?  Were there any parts of the essay that were particularly challenging or that you are particularly proud of?  Do you have any specific feedback that you think would be helpful?

Areas for Focus While Previewing, Reading, Rereading  Main Idea  Clear or unclear?  Details  Appropriate?  Too many or too few?  Organization  Well organized?  Voice  Strong or weak?  Main Idea  Clear or unclear?  Details  Appropriate?  Too many or too few?  Organization  Well organized?  Voice  Strong or weak?

Preview  Read through the paper once quickly  Get the “Big Picture”  See how the pieces fit together  As you read, mark passages and sentences you would like to return to, but avoid writing long comments  Read through the paper once quickly  Get the “Big Picture”  See how the pieces fit together  As you read, mark passages and sentences you would like to return to, but avoid writing long comments

Read  Read the paper again slowly  As you read, write detailed comments  Use the worksheet as a guide  What passages, sentences, or words are confusing?  What passages sentences or words are effective?  Pay special attention to the passages, sentences, or words you marked while previewing the paper  What about them drew your attention the first time?  Read the paper again slowly  As you read, write detailed comments  Use the worksheet as a guide  What passages, sentences, or words are confusing?  What passages sentences or words are effective?  Pay special attention to the passages, sentences, or words you marked while previewing the paper  What about them drew your attention the first time?

Reread  Read the paper one more time  Mark spelling and grammar errors  Think about how the author might revise the paper to fix the problems or emphasize the parts of the story that work well  On the back of the paper, provide detailed feedback listing the changes that you suggest for the paper with reasons why you think those changes should be made  Read the paper one more time  Mark spelling and grammar errors  Think about how the author might revise the paper to fix the problems or emphasize the parts of the story that work well  On the back of the paper, provide detailed feedback listing the changes that you suggest for the paper with reasons why you think those changes should be made

Discussion  Take turns discussing each paper  For each paper, the reviewer should share his/her impressions of the story and suggestions for changes and improvements  Some Suggestions  Peer Reviewer  Be detailed  Be specific  Be gentle  Author  Be open to feedback  Ask questions  Remember – it is your story, so you can choose which feedback to incorporate in the final draft  Take turns discussing each paper  For each paper, the reviewer should share his/her impressions of the story and suggestions for changes and improvements  Some Suggestions  Peer Reviewer  Be detailed  Be specific  Be gentle  Author  Be open to feedback  Ask questions  Remember – it is your story, so you can choose which feedback to incorporate in the final draft

Next Steps  Hand in your drafts and worksheets to me  I will also read the drafts and make comments and hand them back to you  Use the peer review feedback and my comments to make major revisions for the final portfolio.  Keep everything: you will need to hand in the rough draft and feedback worksheet with your final draft in your portfolio.  Your final portfolio should include  An introduction including at least one paragraph explaining the revisions that you made and/or why you did not make suggested changes  A fully revised essay with major changes based on the feedback  Hand in your drafts and worksheets to me  I will also read the drafts and make comments and hand them back to you  Use the peer review feedback and my comments to make major revisions for the final portfolio.  Keep everything: you will need to hand in the rough draft and feedback worksheet with your final draft in your portfolio.  Your final portfolio should include  An introduction including at least one paragraph explaining the revisions that you made and/or why you did not make suggested changes  A fully revised essay with major changes based on the feedback