Peer Response

PURPOSE

• Does the draft fulfill the assignment?
• How does the draft accomplish its purpose?

TITLE AND INTRODUCTION

• Does the title tell readers what the draft is about?
• How does it capture the reader’s interest?
• What does the opening accomplish?
• Does it make the reader want to continue? Suggest at least one other way the draft might begin.

THESIS

• What main idea is stated in the thesis?
• Is the thesis the last sentence of the opening paragraph?
• Is it lively and specific and?
• Is it concise, yet thorough?

AUDIENCE

• Who is the specified audience?
• How does the draft interest and appeal to its audience?
• Is the language appropriate for the intended audience? Give at least 5 examples)

SUPPORTING POINTS

• List the main points and review them one by one. How does each one support the thesis?
• Which ones, if any, need to be explained more or less fully? Be specific.
• Do any seem confusing or boring?
• Do any make you want to know more?
• Should any other points be eliminated or added?
• How well is each point supported by evidence, examples, or details?

ORGANIZATION AND FLOW

• What order is used in presenting the main points? Does this order make sense to the reader?
• Would a different order work better? Why? Or Why not?
• Is the writing easy to follow? Why? Why not?

TRANSITIONS

• Are there effective transitions within sentences, between sentences, between paragraphs, and from one idea to the next? Underline the transitional words, phrases and sentences.
• Where would more transitions make this essay easier to read and to follow?
• Are any transitions used improperly? List them.

CONCLUSION

• Does the draft conclude in a memorable way, or does it seem to end abruptly or trail off into vagueness?
• How else might it end?
• Does it contain any irrelevant, trivial or new information? If so, what?

WRITER’S VOICE

• Describe the writer’s voice (formal, abrasive, gentle, conversational, authoritative, funny, mushy, critical, or something else)
• List some words or sentences that illustrate that voice.
• Is the voice effective for the audience?

PUBLIC RESONANCE

• What is the significance of this topic to the public? Why will they find it interesting?
• How has the writer illustrated that?

RHETORICAL TOOLS

• How many different strategies has the writer used to achieve his/her purpose? (Page XXIX, description, narration, illustration, comparison, contrast, definition, classification, allusions, figurative language)
• Which is the most effective for you?

FINAL THOUGHTS

• What are the main strengths of this draft?
• What are the main weaknesses of this draft?
• What might still be confusing to readers?
• What is the single most important statement in the draft?
• What will readers want to know more about?

EDITING FOR GRAMMAR

In groups, assign each member one of the following areas below. Mark the errors with the corresponding abbreviations.

Sp-Spelling (misspelled words, improper word usage, slang, confused words)

SVA-Subject-verb agreement (any disagreements in tense)

SS-Sentence structure (Fragments, comma splices, run-ons or awkwardly-worded sentences)

PA-Pronoun agreement (agreement of antecedents and any improper uses of YOU)

C or P-Capitalization and punctuation