Sample Peer Response Worksheet 4

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Peer Response

Working in groups of 3 or 4, I want you to respond thoroughly and thoughtfully to each group member's paper. Budget your time well: you have two (maybe three) drafts to read, so try and read and comment on each one in about 35-40 minutes (that would leave your group about 30 minutes at the end of class to discuss the drafts).

To help you offer the most focused comments during our available time, please do the following:

1. Have each group member write down a list of 3-4 things they most want feedback on. These could be organizational questions, questions about a particular section of your draft, questions about an issue or topic you're discussing, etc. Pass this sheet on with your draft.
2. When you receive your classmate's draft, first read it through without writing comments on it (you can make some brief notes to yourself about items you may want to comment on). Then, using the author's questions and your notes to focus your efforts, prioritize your comments: try and write-on a separate sheet of paper-at least 3-4 comments that strike you as the most important/helpful advice you can give the writer.

As always, you can be of most help to the writer by offering suggestions about basics:

Thesis: What is the writer's thesis? Is the thesis clear? Specific? Relevant? Debatable? Original? Appropriate to the assignment?

Argument: If there is a section of the paper or a paragraph that does not have a strong/clear enough argument, point out to the write what issues s/he could be making about her/his evidence. Help the writer see how the evidence being discussed in this section relates back to the general topic/thesis of the paper.

Evidence and Explanation: Help the writer choose, present, and discuss her/his evidence effectively.

• Point out where evidence needs a stronger introduction (and what issue or idea would do that).
• Suggest additional or alternative evidence that might be used in a discussion.
• Point out when a piece of evidence is not being sufficiently/effectively discussed. What parts of the quoted passage merit discussion but are not being discussed?

Organization: What suggestions do you have about how the writer might better organize what s/he has already written, or about where the paper could/should go in the next revision?

When your group is finished with both written and oral comments, give all written comments to the writer and turn in a copy of the rough draft to me. I will return your rough drafts with my comments in the next class meeting.