July 24, 2009 Peer Critiques

- a formalized, critical reading of a passage Critique - a formalized, critical reading of a passage

Why should I care about peer critiques? It is your opportunity to help a fellow student become a better writer! Everybody can help his/her peer become a better writer!

A Basic Peer critique will . . . Determine what the writer is saying and how well he/she says it. Point out any issues that are overlooked. Ask the author if he/she has considered all the implications that can be drawn from his/ her written analysis.

Your role as a peer reviewer: Ask questions Make suggestions Report on what is confusing and why Offer encouragement Give writers a new way to see their drafts so that they can revise effectively By helping others you will become a better writer yourself.

Is the paper convincing? Why or why not?

The stages of a peer review: Summarize briefly what you think the writer is saying in his/her paper. Briefly discuss what the writer did well in his/her draft. Address specific areas of concern. Conclude with three changes that you think will significantly improve the draft’s effectiveness.

Guidelines for Peer Review:

What is your over all impression? What are the main strengths and weaknesses? What might be confusing to the reader? What is the most important thing the writer says in the entire draft? What will readers want to know more about?

Does the draft meet the assignment requirements?

Introduction and Title Is the title fitting? Is the intro catchy? Does the opening make the reader want to continue reading? How else might the draft begin?

Thesis Identify the thesis of the paper. Evaluate the effectiveness. Is it specific enough? Why or why not? Does the thesis set up a structure for the paper? Provide a suggestion for the writer to improve the thesis, if it is weak.

Audience How does the draft interest and appeal to its intended audience? Did the author take into account an audience at all?

Structure Does the structure follow the structure set forth in the introduction? Does the structure support the thesis? Do the body paragraphs support the structure? Is the structure logical?

Major points Are there any points that need to be described more/less fully? Are there any points that are either confusing or boring? Any areas that should be eliminated? Why? How well is each major point supported?

Organization and Flow Is the writing easy to follow? Are the ideas presented in an order that will make sense to the readers? Does the author use transitions?

Paragraphs Which paragraphs are clearest and most interesting? Which paragraphs need further development?

Sentences Are any sentences particularly well written? Are any sentences weak? Confusing? Awkward? Boring? Are the sentences varied in length and structure? Are the sentence openings varied?

Source Materials Examine the use of the source material. Discuss whether or not the sources are used appropriately and integrated effectively. If the writer can improve his or her use of sources, what would you recommend he or she do? If you think it would help the writer, revise one sentence so show the writer how to better introduce, integrate, and comment on source material. Check both parenthetical citations and works cited list to see that they follow MLA guidelines.

Remember to see if the writer is adhering to the academic writing standards!

Academic Writing Requirements: Do not use 1st and 2nd person pronouns. Do not use contractions. Do not use slang. Capitalize correctly Spell Check Avoid using the “to be” verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been). Use strong and vivid verbs! Be direct and confident. Use transitional words and phrases

Peer Critique Assignment: To complete this assignment: Compose a critique of your peers draft. You will introduce the draft, summarize the authors main points, assess and respond to the authors presentation, and offer conclusions about the effectiveness of the analysis. Remember to speak as specifically as possible about the draft, quoting from it when necessary. Each critique will be 400 - 500 words in length. For this assignment, you will critique TWO essays.

Draft 1.1 Reminders (Due by 11:59 pm tonight!) As you write, follow the Guidelines for Writing Analyses on page 115 of your textbook. At least 2 of your sources must come from Ch. 10 in your textbook. You must have 5 sources total. Although this is an initial draft, it should be carefully edited and written in a professional tone. Please use MLA format for both your in-text citations and your list of works cited in this draft. Your draft should be 1200 words in length. You need to avoid the following topics: Text Message Language, Abortion, Politics, Cloning, The Death Penalty, and Stem Cell Research. Instead, try to write about language from the perspective of your field of interest. Find something interesting in your field (about the language of your field) and research and write about it.

Additional reminders for draft 1.1 1200 – 1500 words Must have 5 sources (at least 2 from Ch. 10) Must use MLA parenthetical citations and works cited. Must focus on language and your area of interest.