Section 8: Double Trouble

HW, part 1 Read and annotate “Twin Study,” by Stacey Richter, using Perusall, which you can access from our Canvas site (and which you can download, if you like).

HW, part 2: Workshop Preparation Monday in class, you’ll get together with your writing partners to discuss each other’s essays.

Before Class

Use the online peer review application on Canvas to read your writing partners’ essays and write feedback.
  1. Before commenting an essay, it helps to read it through once to get a sense of what the writer is striving for
  2. Use the comment feature to provide feedback in the margins. For instance, you could indicate
    • Things you like (e.g. “well put,” “interesting idea”)
    • Places where you are unsure of the writer’s meaning (?)
    • Places where you think the writer should elaborate on a point (“expand,” “explain”)
    • Places where you’d like a concrete example to illustrate a general claim (“illustrate”)
  3. Use the rubric to offer suggestions about the specified elements of the essay
Canvas Tip Having trouble locating the essays you’ve been assigned to peer review?
  • If you click on English class page -> essay 1 peer review draft ->
    • You can only see one of the two essay you need to peer review
  • So you have to
    • Click on English class page -> course stream -> and look for peer reviews on the bottom
    • OR class page -> assignments -> essay 1 peer review draft

During Class

Before conversing with your writing partners, quickly read over their comments. Note any questions you have or remarks you’d like them to clarify.
  1. Take turns slowly reading each essay aloud. Writers should read their own essays to the group.
  2. After each paragraph, writers should pause to ask their partners’ reactions. Listeners should point out any places where they were puzzled and explain why
  3. After finishing an essay, as a group, discuss the most important things the writer could do to improve the essay