1. Peer Edit with Perfection! Tutorial

2. Peer Editing is Fun!
Working with your classmates to help improve their writing can be lots of fun. But first, you have to learn what it means to “peer edit” and how to do it!

3. What is Peer Editing?
A peer is someone your own age.
Editing means making suggestions, comments, compliments, and changes to writing.
Peer editing means working with someone your own age – usually someone in your class – to help improve, revise, and edit his or her writing.

4. 3 Steps to Peer Editing Step 1 – Compliments Step 2 – Suggestions
There are three important steps to remember when you are peer editing another student’s writing.
Step 1 – Compliments
Step 2 – Suggestions
Step 3 - Corrections

5. The first rule of peer editing is to STAY POSITIVE!
STEP 1 Compliments
The first rule of peer editing is to STAY POSITIVE!
Remember, you’re helping to change someone else’s work. Think about how you would feel if someone were telling you what needed to be improved in your own writing…

6. Always start your peer editing with compliments!
STEP 1 Compliments
Always start your peer editing with compliments!
Tell the writer what you think he or she did well:
I really loved your topic
I think you used a lot of good details
I liked when you used the word ______
My favorite part was ________ because…
This was really fun to read because…
I liked the way you_________…

7. STEP 1 Compliments
Read the paragraph on the next slide. Record three compliments about the paragraph that you would tell the author if you were peer editing this paper.

8. STEP 1 Compliments
We where all over my aunts house when my dog Riley was running around like crazy. He was chasing me around in circles. all of a suden I look and riley he was in the pool! swimming in my aunts pool. I couldn’t believe my eyes that the dog was in the pool. I dashed to the pool and jumpd in and swan over to Riley and pulled him to the steps. He got out and shook all over us like a sprinkler on a hot day. I was glad riley was o.k. and that I saved him.

9. Remember – stay positive and be specific!
STEP 2 Suggestions
Making suggestions means giving the author some specific ideas about how to make his or her writing better.
Remember – stay positive and be specific!
Instead of, “It didn’t make sense,” say, “If you add more details after this sentence, it would be more clear.”
Instead of, “Your word choice was boring,” say, “Instead of using the word good, maybe you can use the word exceptional.”

10. Here are some areas that you may want to make suggestions about:
STEP 2 Suggestions
Here are some areas that you may want to make suggestions about:
Word choice – Did the author choose interesting words?
Using details (for example, seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling)
Organization – Can you understand what the author is trying to say? Is it in the correct sequence?
Sentences – Are the sentences too long or too short?
Topic – Does the author stick to the topic or talk about other things that don’t really fit?

11. STEP 2 Suggestions
Read the paragraph on the next slide again. Record three suggestions about the paragraph that you would tell the author if you were peer editing this paper.

12. STEP 2 Suggestions
We where all over my aunts house when my dog Riley was running around like crazy. He was chasing me around in circles. all of a suden I look and riley he was in the pool! swimming in my aunts pool. I couldn’t believe my eyes that the dog was in the pool. I dashed to the pool and jumpd in and swan over to Riley and pulled him to the steps. He got out and shook all over us like a sprinkler on a hot day. I was glad riley was o.k. and that I saved him.

13. The third step in the peer editing process is making corrections.
STEP 3 Corrections
The third step in the peer editing process is making corrections.
Corrections means checking your peer’s paper for:
Spelling mistakes
Grammar mistakes
Missing punctuation
Incomplete or run-on sentences

14. STEP 3 Corrections
Read through the paragraph again. What would you tell this person to help them fix their writing without overwhelming them?

15. What about compliments for this piece
What about compliments for this piece? Assume it’s for our current assignment.
It was a dreary and drafty evening, and the hunger that tore into my soul sent me in a stupor to my vehicle. I gotta get food. The thought reverberated throughout my starved mind as I began the tumultuous journey to the Bell of Tacos. A ravenous monster had overcome me, its language a slurring of tummy grumbles and anguish. Food was all I could think of.

16. What about suggestions?
It was a dreary and drafty evening, and the hunger that tore into my soul sent me in a stupor to my vehicle. I gotta get food. The thought reverberated throughout my starved mind as I began the tumultuous journey to the Bell of Tacos. A ravenous monster had overcome me, its language a slurring of tummy grumbles and anguish. Food was all I could think of.

17. Staying in a Gothic mindset
While that assignment would probably get a good grade, it would get marked down on vocabulary. Words like “gotta” and “tummy” don’t belong in a Gothic piece of writing.
Be cognizant of this as you read your partner’s work.

18. Things to Remember…
Stay positive – Try to make suggestions and corrections in a positive way.
Be specific – Give the author specific ideas on how to improve his or her writing.
Complete all 3 steps – compliments, suggestions, and corrections.
Copyright 2004 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved.
ReadWriteThink materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.
Images copyright Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

19. But Ms. Heath, I’m not a good writer.
Pish posh. First, I disagree. You may not have a lot of practice, which means your skill set might not be where you want, but all of you have great ideas.
With that being said…

20. You judge writing ALL the time.
Don’t believe me? All of you have opinions on T.V. shows and movies. Guess what? All of that starts with a script. It starts with writing! Regardless your own shortcomings in the craft of writing, you’ve spent significant time bashing or praising various visual stories.

21. Keep the mindset that you are a reader, not an editor.
Regardless your writing abilities, you still have valuable input to give other writers. You can express what works for you and what doesn’t, and what needs to be changed to make the story more effective. Feedback is subjective, but is typically always helpful.

22. Feedback I’ve received for my flash fiction pieces
''Eleanor & Harry'' by Mallory Heath -   WHAT THE JUDGES LIKED ABOUT YOUR STORY - {1812}  I enjoyed this story about Eleanor Roosevelt, especially the exchange of dialogue between her and Harry. The subtle dislike and competition between them was skillfully portrayed through their actions and dialogue. Well done!  {1797}  This is a really interesting moment in history you've chosen. I love what you've done with Eleanor Roosevelt. She was so smart and so assertive, and Truman was as simple as Truman was. I like how their dialogue played.  {1742}  I'm a sucker for political history and this hit all the right notes. It was factual, felt very perfectly timed as far as the pace and dramatic beats go, and it remains interesting through out with dialogue that reads like a play. Well done! 

23. What the judges felt needed work
{1812} Suggest a sub-title be added to determine the year and location of the story. This is common practice for Historical Fiction. To improve the opening, try moving the first line of dialogue "Eleanor" to follow after the second paragraph. This will allow the opening to set the scene and draw readers into the story before introducing dialogue. This change also closes the gap between Harry's acknowledgement and Eleanor's response. Instead of "My eyes continue to scrutinize the floor" suggest you drop continue which sounds too close to the previous paragraph that starts with "My finger continues". The ending is okay, but perhaps not quite in character for a strong woman like Eleanor who wouldn't admit to Harry that he could potentially rain on her parade. It might be more in character for her to say something like "It's a woman's prerogative, Harry, to change her mind." And with a toss of her head, she walks away.

24. Oh there’s more.
{1797} In the beginning, there were places where I had trouble imagining who was speaking because there wasn't enough details given about who had been in the hospital room before whom. The confusion clears up eventually, but adding details about the speaker will help avoid confusion altogether.
I know you've made Eleanor smart and savage for a reason, but part of her aggressiveness conflicts with her opening sentiments that she hated Georgia for taking her husband from her. We need more clarification on why she's sad for her loss because she doesn't seem sad; she seems eager to improve her title. It would be nice to see her humanity as well as her capability and learn why, in the face of what seems to be an open marriage, she would be saddened by his death.

25. And always remember that feedback is subjective.
Last judge {1742}- There is little not to like here and little to suggest. It is written so skillfully with every word and description working like a cog to keep this story turning like clockwork. Honestly, don't change anything!

26. The original start of my novel:
1. Therapy Dust lined each blade of the psychiatric ward’s fan. The rotations spun slowly enough so that the girl who sat below them saw each strip of gray orbit above her. Briefly, she wondered what stories had been told here. Had other patients sat where she was, hoping that their own secrets could be dusted and shined, cleared of debris and presented as lessons learned? Everything in the office was white and smelled of disinfectant; what confessions were disclosed here that only Clorox could purge clean? A door to her left opened. The sounds of footsteps and the rustling of paper caused her to roll her eyes and sigh.

27. Feedback from Sharon Draper-
“Why are you already telling me where she is?”
“I don’t even know what this girl looks like.”
“Why do I care about her?”
“You’re giving everything away and still not telling me anything.”

28. Revision
1. The End of the Beginning The handcuffs continued to bite into her wrists. She tried her best to sit still, given that the metal had already rubbed against her skin enough to break the surface. The leather sofa made the backs of her arms sweat, even though goosebumps broke across her skin only a moment ago. How long are they planning on keeping me in here? First fear, then grief, tried to float into her thoughts again. She forcefully shoved them down, locking them away with guilt, and stupidity, and all the other worthless emotions that kept rising to the surface. They were waves, but she was the ocean. Her eyes scanned the room again.

29. A Piece of Writing is Truly Never Finished.
There’s just a due date/deadline. You can ALWAYS be improving your writing. I want to see you working throughout the duration of our writing day.
The only way to improve your writing is to WRITE. And read. And then write more.
And prolific writing skills equate to better jobs. (Because it means you can effectively communicate.) Just saying. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯