1. Today’s goals Introduce strategies to improve our reflective writing
Introduce peer review techniques
Peer review the 1st draft of your reflective narrative essays

2. Class discussion- improving reflection
What examples of reflective writing have you included in your essays?
Find an example sentence that shows one of the stages of reflection?
What makes a good reflection vs. a poor reflection?

3. Class discussion- improving reflection
Improve your reflective comments by moving from “so what” to something specific and interesting, or from general comments to those that are specific and unique to your experience
Keep the information focused on your personal perspective
Tell readers YOUR story, that is unique to you, that is so specific that it could not apply to anyone else.
Use specific examples, anecdotes, and names to improve your reflection

4. Revised reflection examples
General: “Being in a car accident was a frightening experience”
Revised: “Wrapping my car aroudnm a telephone pole taught me what is most important in life: my family”
General: “My boyfriend is a great guy”
Revised: “My boyfriend has shown me that compromise is the key to a successful relationship”
General: “It is hard to go to work and school”
Revised: “Working my way though college has helped me improve my time management skills”
General: “My trip to the beach was a lot of fun”
Revised: “My trip to Huntington Beach helped me appreciate the beauty and fragility of nature”
Note: Adapted from Ideas & Aims p. 189

5. Class discussion- revising reflection
Look at the example reflective statement below. Based on your own experiences, write a few revised versions and be prepared to share those with the class.
“Music is important to me”

6. Group activity- revising reflection
In groups of 2-5 students
Revise the following reflective statements by making them more specific, detailed, and interesting. Be creative and use your own experiences if possible
It is fun to gan out in my backyard
Losing a loved one can be hard
Helping others makes me feel good
Everybody needs friends
Holidays are great family times
Attending college is challenging
Peer pressure is bad
I like going to the movies
Being sick or injured is no fun
(Special) Find and improve an example reflective sentence from one of your groupmates essay drafts. Write the original and revised version here.
Note: Adapted from Ideas and Aims p. 190

7. Intro to peer review What does peer review mean to you?
Have you done peer review activities before?
What type of revisions should we focus on for peer reviews?
What do we get out of doing peer reviews?

8. Intro to Peer Review Watch:
-“Otis College: Peer Writing Review Process”

9. Group Activity: WTR 1st draft analysis
Group up with one other student NOT in your unit 1 group
Exchange your essay drafts, read through your peers’ draft, and answer the following questions:
What media is being focused on in the essay?
What setting is first being described in the essay?
How many senses are used to describe the setting?
What is the dominant impression of the setting?
What major characters other than the writer are introduced? How would you describe their personality in your own words?
Has the writer begun to discuss their feelings and reactions as part of reflection (stage 2)? How does the writer feel about the experiences in the story thus far?
When finished, return these answers to your peer and discuss them.

10. Homework: WTR– 2nd Draft 750+ words
Should use concrete language and figurative language to describe at least two characters and settings
Should work through the first two stages of reflection
MLA format
Printed and brought to class