For this Peer Review Workshop, answer the following questions as you respond to your classmate’s Essay Rough Draft:
Provide thorough and thoughtful responses to the following questions. Yes and No answers are insufficient, so comment, explain, or offer suggestions for all responses. You may also write on the draft and mark grammar and punctuation mistakes.
(Content) Summarize the main idea of the draft briefly in your own words.
(Organization) Does the opening establish a clear starting point for the paper (a thesis, or at least a focused topic)? Would some other part of the draft make a better introduction?
(Voice) Does the paper conclude with a whimper or a shout? Is the conclusion merely repetitive, or does it synthesize ideas, suggest new directions of thought, re-evaluate the introductory statements?
(Structure) Has any significant aspect of the question/ main claim/ thesis been neglected?
(Analysis) Is there any point where the paper tends to fall from the level of analysis to the level of observation/ summary?
(Organization) How does the draft hold together? Which paragraphs don’t connect well with preceding or subsequent ones? Give specific examples:
(Organization, Evidence) Are there paragraphs that seem less coherent or less convincing than others? If so, choose one and explain how it might be clarified and/or better supported.
(Evidence) Select the best phrases, paragraphs, and/or ideas in the paper. Can they be exploited more thoroughly? How?
(Mechanics) Note problems with sentence structure, grammar, word choice, and other mechanical issues.
Respond to any questions/ concerns/ challenges the writer poses about her/his own draft.
