Title: Revision and Peer Review
1Revision and Peer Review
2Revision Guidelines
- Revising your work is a VERY important part of
the writing process. - Every paper has the potential to be a fine piece
of writing, but only after being polished and
perfected. - After you have written a first draft and gotten
feedback from your peers, it is time to revise. - What exactly is revision? What am I expecting you
to do when you revise? - These guidelines will hopefully give you
direction as you revise your work.
3Part 1 What a Revision Is NOT
- A revision is NOT turning in an fresh copy of
your rough draft. - A revision is NOT only correcting one or two
grammar mistakes. - A revision is NOT adding one or two sentences
onto the end of your draft. - If you turn in a revision to me that does any of
these things, it is not a true revision, and you
will have points taken away from the "writing
process" section of your assignment grade.
4Taking Responsibility for Your Revisions
- Youas the writer of your essayare responsible
for your revisions. - Your peer group can give you suggestions, your
instructor can give you feedback, but it is your
responsibility to make the most of the revision
process. - You are in charge of choosing how (and if) to put
your groups feedback and your instructors
advice to work. - You are in charge of rewriting places in your
essay that you have decided need improvement even
if no one ends up commenting on them. - You are in charge of proofreading your essay for
grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It was not
your groups job or your instructors job to find
all of your errors.
5Part 2 What a Revision IS
- A revision MAKES CHANGES that require you to
delete, change, and add phrases and sentences
throughout the assignment. - In fact, a revision may require you to completely
rewrite large sections of your assignment. - A revision FIXES problems with details and
confusing sentences that your peers and your
instructor pointed out. - A revision ALSO corrects grammar and spelling
mistakes you found in your draft.
6Remember Narration and Reflection
- Think of the balance between narrative and
reflection in your essay as a camera that zooms
IN and OUT. - ZOOM IN when you include narrative. Tell the
story of your personal experiences. Use
description and detail. - ZOOM OUT when you are analyzing the significance
of the narrative you have described already and
how it connects to your outside sources and the
big picture ideas you are discussing. - In other words
- Zoom in to describe, Zoom out to analyze.
7Remember Detail/Description
- Write about things you SEE
- Dont ignore your senses. Engage your reading by
describing things. - Write about things you HEAR
- Detail and description. Make the reader feel like
they are in the moment with you. - Write about the things you FEEL
- Emotional reactions can reveal a lot about our
identities and the society we live in. - Write about WHAT HAPPENED
- Even small events can have great significance if
analyzed in detail. Think about how small events
impacted you in the long term and how similar
events impact people like you in our society.
8Workshops and Peer Editing
- How to get the most out of your Peer Review
9The Goals of Peer Editing
- Praise
- Suggestions
- Corrections
10Give Praise Accentuate the Positive!
- Always tell the author WHAT they are doing right
and WHY it works. - What is interesting in the essay or has
potential? - Help each other brainstorm ways to do more of
what works.
11Suggestions All About the Content
- Try to get at the IDEAS behind the paper.
- What are they trying to say? How can they say it
more clearly? - Give suggestions on
- Things that might make the point come across more
clearly or make the paper more engaging. - If you wish that there had been more detail here
or if the point of the essay had been clearer
sooner, point it out! - If you are confused, tell them! We are all inside
our own headsso we arent always aware that we
havent explained something enough.
12Corrections Proofreading and Editing
- Revision is not just about looking for grammar
errors or fixing typos. - In fact, it is not your job to proofread your
classmates papers for them. - However, it is very helpful to have a second part
of eyes catching those little mistakes we didnt
notice. - If you notice something, make a note of it and/or
explain it to the author, but dont focus ONLY
on proofreading.
13How to Give Constructive Criticism
- Emphasis on the word constructive
- Constructive means to build
- Many of us cringe when we hear the word
criticism applied to our writing. - However, constructive criticism has the purpose
of building us up as writers, making us better. - Getting advice from writers who are at the same
level and encountering some of the same
challenges can be a valuable experience.
141. Be kind, yet honest.
- Never tear down another writer, but dont
hesitate to point out passages that dont make
sense, logical fallacies, and other mistakes. - The author may not have caught them, and theyll
be grateful to you for pointing them out!
152. Give every essay in your peer group your focus
and attention
- This is one of the reasons I put you in groups of
threesmall enough to get to everyone. - Come to class prepared to read and think
analytically about your classmates essays. - Remember, your classmates are going to give their
attention to your essay its only fair that you
return the favor.
163. Everyone has something to offer.
- Dont be intimidated if you feel that youre
being asked to comment on a better writer. - You dont have to be a great writer to be a great
reader and give excellent feedback! - Dont forget, we comment on professional writers
all the time!
174. Actually write on the paper!
- If you think of something as you read, its
always a good idea to make a little note of it. - This doesnt mean you have to fill all the
margins as you peer edit, but even if you make a
small note, it will draw the authors attention to
that part of the paper, which almost always
results in better writing.
18Tips for taking criticism gratefully
191. Remember that your group is offering you
criticism in order to help you.
- Try not to be defensive, and be open to
suggestions.
2. Ask questions about your group members
comments.
- If you dont understand why a group member is
saying something, ask them to explain.
203. If a group member is being too vague
- Ask them to point to specific places in your
essay where they see problems.
4. Propose solutions to the problems your group
members see in your essay.
- Ask if these solutions would solve the problems.
21Short Break 10 MINS
- Return in 10 Minutes for Peer Review!
22Our Method for Peer Review
- Form groups of 4.
- In your Group of 4, decide who is going first.
- The student passes out their essay copies.
- Everyone reads/writes notes on the essay copy
they were given. - Everyone discusses the essay.
- Pass the essay copies back to the author.
- Start again with the next person and repeat steps
3-7.
23Remember Give Feedback in ALL 3 Categories!
- Praise Always mention what they are doing right
- Suggestions - This is discussing the problems in
the paper, give suggestions on how to improve. - Corrections This proofreading for grammar,
spelling, etc.
24IF YOU FINISH EARLYStart Your Revisions
- Open your textbooks to page 105.
- Read the questions on the Final Revision
Checklist and think about how they apply to your
essay. - Start making notes and corrections
- Rememberany work you get done now you dont have
to do when you get home!