In-Class, Sept. 21st: Peer Editing

Topic: Professional Peer Editing

Today, we are going to get together in our essay groups again.

STEP 1:
The groups will receive the rubrics and corrected essays from their peer editors.

STEP 2:
Each group will discuss the peer editors' comments and decide which ones to accept, and which ones to reject. The writer of each group will make the accepted changes to the group's essay.

STEP 3:
Each group will come before the class, pull up the group's essay on the smartboard, and explain to the class what changes were recommended, and what changes have been made. The group will talk about the (different?) grades it has received from the peer editors.

STEP 4:
The group will email the final, corrected essay to the instructor for a group grade.

STEP 5:
When each group has presented, give your peers' comments (rubrics, and corrected essays) to the instructor, so that the peer editors can receive credit for having done their homework! Peer editors: make sure you have written your name on the rubric you've created, and on the essay you've annotated!!!

HOMEWORK for Wednesday:
Go to this Read/Write/Think website that teaches a middle school class about peer editing. Read through the whole website, and learn about the THREE STEPS OF PEER EDITING:

• compliments,
  
• suggestions,
  
• and corrections.

As an exercise, edit the 4th grade essay that got 6 points, the essay that got 5 points, and the essay that got 2 points. Copy and paste the original essay text into a blank Word document. When you edit, apply the three steps. Write your corrections either in red, or with bold print, or with comment fields on the exiting paper, so that one can still see the original version. Remember to stay positive (you don't want to discourage the little kids by "bleeding on their papers"! However, they should also learn from their mistakes.).

Print out your peer editing sheets, and submit them to your instructor on Wednesday. You'll get them back a few days later to put them in your portfolio.

Info:
I've invited the Writing Center tutors to visit our class for one of the 4 unit essays we are going to write and peer-edit this semester. It is not clear yet WHEN the tutors will come, but we will be well prepared and know about peer editing and creating rubrics before they practice a sample tutoring session with us.

If you are sick or missing that presentation day for any other reason, there is only one way to make it up: by taking your own essay to one of our Writing Centers (e.g., in Morris Library or Trueblood), and undergoing a documented tutoring session of 50 minutes (with a written confirmation to me by your tutor).