review – daniel

First, read your classmate’s essay through in its entirety before making any comments.

Don’t be afraid to share your true opinion of the piece with the writer, but remember to be courteous—provide constructivecriticism.

Remember, in order for each of you to receive helpful feedback, you much each give helpful feedback, so please take your time and give your classmate thoughtful, sincere responses.

Answer the revision questions (1-10) below either on your classmate’s essay, or on a separate sheet of paper.

Using your answers to the questions, construct a 1-2 page letter to your classmate. You will need to cover three points in your letter: the essays strengths, weaknesses, and your recommendations for revision.

Your letter should comment only on higher-order concerns such as thesis statement, development, organization, transitions, etc. Do not comment on lower-order concerns like grammar, spelling mistakes, or typographical errors.

Revision Questions:

Does the essay fulfill all requirements of the assignment? If not, what is lacking?

What seems to be the essay’s thesis statement (main point)?

Does the essay have a separate introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion?

How does the essay’s introduction draw you in and make you want to read the rest of the essay? If it doesn’t, suggest some ways the writer might make it more engaging.

Look at the topic sentence of each paragraph—does it reflect the main idea of the paragraph?

Indicate any areas where the writer seems to drift off topic. (Each sentence within a paragraph should further the main idea of that particular paragraph—and all main ideas should support the essay’s thesis.)

Do you feel that the writer provided sufficient evidence to support his or her main points?

Has the writer correctly used MLA format to set up the paper and to incorporate quoted material?

What effect do you think the writer wanted to have on you as an audience? Did the essay achieve that effect, and why or why not?

Does the essay have an interesting title?