Peer Critiques

For Today:

Class Lecture and Discussion: What is a Peer Critique?

Raider Writer assignment is to critique two other 1302 students’ Draft 1.1s.

Due Tuesday, Feb. 28th by midnight! Small Group Work

Are the comments you made on your prep assignments SPECIFIC and DIRECTIVE? If not, how can you improve them?

Prep Assignment for Next Class BA 5

After you have read the draft provided, please respond to each of the following prompts as specifically as possible, using detailed examples and selected passages from the draft you have read to illustrate your points and validate claims about that draft. The minimum length of the critique is 300-500 words. You will critique TWO literature reviews.

1. What is the author’s thesis statement, which helps to guide the reader for the purpose of the literature review? Is the purpose of the review clear from reading the first paragraph? In other words, can you tell if the review shows what research has been done on a given topic? Or has the author chosen to compose the literature review to explain to readers why certain ideas or theories concerning a topic are being challenged or re-examined by researchers? If the author does not give a clear purpose, what does the purpose seem to be?

2. How has the author chosen to organize the research that he or she is reviewing? How well does this structure work? Does the author synthesize the research, showing how various researchers fit together, rather than just summarizing sources? Is there another way to organize the information?

3. Examine the use of the source material. Discuss whether the sources are relevant and reliable, as well as whether they are used appropriately and effectively integrated. Explain to the writer how selecting or integrating sources in a different way might improve the review, providing examples of revised versions of introducing, integrating, and commenting on source materials.

Peer Critique 1.1a and 1.1b:

MY ADDITION TO ASSIGNMENT INSTRUTIONS: Q & A Format is not allowed! You must write your Peer Critiques in essay format. Essay Format

Intro and Summary Body paragraph(s) Conclusion

Should speak in second person You

Use a professional tone!

Be respectful of each others’ efforts.

DO NOT just give praise. 90% of the critique should be constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement.

Format for Peer Critique:

Go to “Turn in/Manage Writing”

Scroll down to “Peer Critique”

Click “Submit Now”

Will see draft to critique in box above instructions

You will do this twice by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m.!

Accessing Drafts to Critique:

Why should you complete peer critiques, anyway?

To start, peer review has many benefits, including: The ability to get feedback on your writing

before the instructor sees it The ability to see your own strengths and

weaknesses after reading and responding to another paper

A greater sense of audience – it is not just your instructor reading your work!

The chance to learn new information from your peers about the subject you may also be writing on

The opportunity for feedback, feedback, and more feedback!

However, while the benefits of peer critique are plentiful, sometimes peer review doesn’t work as well as it could.

Why is this the case?

Something to consider…“In a national survey of 560 teachers of writing and 715 of

their students, Sarah W. Freedman found that many teachers grieved over the use of peer review groups because they had difficulty getting students to respond effectively to one another's writing. Vague comments proliferate.”

The students, too, complained about the writing responses, saying that their peers rarely offered substantial help with their writing. The result is that such vague comments rarely translate into effective revisions, and this is unfortunate because when students receive concrete suggestions for revisions, they do revise with the suggestions in mind.”

Sources:Freedman, S. (1985): The Role of Response in Acquisition of Written Language, Berkeley: California UPZiv, N. (1983): "Peer Groups in the Composition Classroom: A Case Study," Conference on College

Composition and Communication, Detroit, March 17-19.

What might be considered “useless” or “vague”

feedback?“I liked it.”

“I liked your paper. It was really good.”

“I didn’t like your thesis.”

As a peer critiquer, you can't just say, "I liked it," or "I didn't like it." Instead, you want to give the writer information that will really help to improve what the writer has written.

What is also important to remember is that while you should not be harsh or personal, you should be honest. Saying something works when it really does not will not help anyone.

There are, in general, three types of peer review comments:

- Vague Comments- General, but Useful Comments- Specific, Directive Comments

In order to make effective comments on a peer review, you want to make SPECIFIC, DIRECTIVE comments.

Most Effectiv

e

Least Effectiv

e

Vague Comments:Comments that are full of generalities,

providing little or no specific direction for revision and/or comments that simply praise or disagree with the writing

Example:“Try to revise the whole second page” or “I liked

it” or “I do not really like this part”

Think about it: what do comments like this really tell a person about their paper that will help them REVISE?

General, but Useful CommentsComments that are too general but may provide some

direction for revision

Example: “I don’t like your introduction. Maybe describe the topic of public writing better.”

A general, but useful comment is slightly better than a vague comment because it narrows what works (or does not work) to a specific area of the paper, as well as offering a specific suggestion. We can take this a step further, however, by providing a specific, directive comment.

Note that this comment points

to a specific place in the paper (the

introduction)

Note that this comment offers a

suggestion for improvement

A Specific, Directive CommentComments that not only point out a specific problem area

of the paper, but also offer the writer a reason why the change is needed and a specific direction for revision.

Example: “I do not think the introduction fully describes the topic of public writing in a way all readers will understand, which is necessary if you are going to fully analyze the topic in the next few paragraphs . Maybe you could use a quote that really defines public writing from a source, or you could expand on your first two sentences (which I have underlined in your paper).”

Note that this comment points out a specific spot for improvement (the

introduction) and states what exactly is wrong with it

Note that this comment offers two suggestions for improvement, and that

the peer reviewer underlined the sentences that the writer could work on

Note that this comment tells the writer why the change is needed

For the peer review comment below, analyze whether or not the comment is effective in helping

the writer. What type of comment is it (vague, general but useful, or specific –directive)? If it is

effective, what makes it so? If it is not, what is the comment missing? What could the peer reviewer

add to make the comment more effective?

“I like your topic sentence, but it does not mix well with the rest of the paragraph.”

For the peer review comment below, analyze whether or not the comment is effective in helping the writer. What type of comment is it (vague, general but useful, or

specific –directive)? If it is effective, what makes it so? If it is not, what is the comment missing? What could the peer reviewer add to make the comment more effective?

“Your thesis statement needs to be more specific in regard to the advertisements you will be talking about in the paper, because it is important that the reader knows what to expect in the following paragraphs.”

For the peer review comment below, analyze whether or not the comment is effective in helping the writer. What

type of comment is it (vague, general but useful, or specific –directive)? If it is effective, what makes it so? If it is not, what is the comment missing? What could the peer

reviewer add to make the comment more effective?

“Maybe you should fix your conclusion.”

For the peer review comment below, analyze whether or not the comment is effective in helping the writer. What type of comment is it (vague, general but useful, or

specific –directive)? If it is effective, what makes it so? If it is not, what is the comment missing? What could the peer reviewer add to make the comment more effective?

“I feel like your conclusion is not descriptive enough yet, and this paper should leave the reader with something to remember about San Diego if it is truly a travel ethnography. Maybe you could end with a quote from the musician you talked about in your last paragraph, or maybe use more of the second-person narrative you used in your introduction. I think something like that would be more descriptive and more memorable.”

Small Group Work:

Take out your Prep Assignments. In groups of three, work through each of your

prep assignments. Are the comments you made on your prep

assignments SPECIFIC and DIRECTIVE? If not, how can you improve them?

Record your revised comments on the same sheet that your Prep Assignment is printed on.

I will pick these up at the end of class, and your participation grade will be based on (1) whether you followed instructions on the prep assignment and (2) whether you made effective revisions to your prep assignment during this group activity.

Free Write Prompt (10mins) What is a literature review?

What is discussed in a literature review? What is your topic? How did you come to this

topic? Is it something you’re interested in? Is it something related to your major?

Did you have trouble finding scholarly sources? What types of searches did you run to find

sources? What types of databases did you use?

What are you still having trouble with? What are you worried about with the grading of the Draft 1.1s?

For Next Class:

Reading 7 – on the syllabus This is also a long (boring) read. So break it up into small

chunks.

Prep Assignment for BA5 BA5 is focused on how well you integrate source

material into your writing. So, your Prep Assignment will involve you pulling out quotes from a sample Draft 1.1 and evaluating how well they are integrated.