Peer Workshop
You will be revising each word document by answering the 4 assigned questions. These questions are available in each word document. Please type 30 words for each question. Thank you. The ppt is for your references to understand the assignment.
Peer Workshopping
Definition of Peer Workshop
A Peer Workshop is an activity where you exchange work with your peers in your class and offer each other feedback.
Most of you will have done this previously.
The main idea of a Peer Workshop is to get other perspectives on your work.
However, Peer Workshops are for suggestions and opinions. You are NOT grading each other. Thats my job.
Think about Peer Workshops as an opportunity to give advice.
Types of Errors
Local Errors
Local errors are small, things that only effect a localized part of the paper.
Examples of some local errors:
Grammar
Punctuation
Sentence Structure
Mechanics
Formatting
Global Errors
Global errors are large and effect the entirety of the paper.
Examples of some global errors:
Organization and Flow
Following the Prompt
Clarity
Creativity
Engagement with the Audience
What to Comment On
Global Errors First
Since global errors effect the entirety of the paper, these should be the first things you comment on and look for.
These are more difficult for students to comment on sometimes, but think about yourself as a reader, not a teacher.
Respond as you read. Is it clear? Are you having problems with understanding something?
Local Errors- Do Not Ignore
While local errors are not as detrimental to the content of a paper, they are much easier for students to comment on.
Try not to point out every instance of a repeated error. Once is enough.
Think about what is going to be the most helpful and what you would like feedback on.
Positive vs. Critical Comments
Many students are unsure about whether to give positive or critical comments or both.
The answer is both. You should react like a reader and respond as a friend.
Give advice that you would want to receive.
This means that only giving positive comments is just as unhelpful as giving all critical comments.
Think of this as a partnership where you are a reader who wants to help the author get the best grade possible. What would you tell this person about what works and about what doesnt in order to help boost their grade?
Workshopping on Blackboard
Because were using Blackboard, we will be doing our Peer Workshops there via a program called Turnitin.
You already submitted your drafts there.
As of now, the Peer Review window is open.
You should be assigned one paper automatically and then you will pick two others of your choice.
You should be able to comment directly on the paper, however, there are also four questions to answer to help guide you.
The Questions
Here are the four questions so you are prepared. You will answer these for each paper you review:
In your opinion, what is the biggest strength of this paper?
What global errors do you see in this paper?
What local errors do you see in this paper?
What is your overall opinion of this paper?
Thats It!
Thats basically all there is.
Your reviews are due by Friday.
Make sure you also have read Straubs piece to give you even more advice on what it means to be a good peer reviewer.
As always, if you run into problems, please email me or visit my Zoom Office Hours!
Good luck! Peer Workshop #1
ASSIGNED QUESTIONS
1.In your opinion, what is the biggest strength of this paper?
2.What global errors do you see in this paper?
3.What local errors do you see in this paper?
4. What is your overall opinion of this paper? ASSIGNED QUESTIONS
1.In your opinion, what is the biggest strength of this paper?
2.What global errors do you see in this paper?
3.What local errors do you see in this paper?
4.What is your overall opinion of this paper?
Rough draft
There have been many events in my eighteen years of life that have made me the
reader and writer that I am today. There have been two major events in my life that I remember
every time I am writing that motivate me to read and write to the best of my ability each and
every time. Throughout my schooling years of kindergarten through eighth grade I found myself
not being so interested and unmotivated to write my essays for school. I remember that I would
get an assignment that had to do with writing and I would make the biggest ugh face and I felt so
mad that I did not want to do it. What made me even more mad was that they made us write
paragraphs just for questions and I actually took the time to figure out why they would put us in
what I thought was torture. Then, one day which I remember was my freshman year of high
school which all lead up to this first major event that lead me up to being a good reader and
writer was that I got an assignment to do an essay about the story we were reading in my English
nine class which was To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I remember I made a face and
signed and I told myself I did not want to do it. But, I know that I had to do it because it was
gonna help me pass my final that we were gonna do the week after that. So, I sat down at my
moms kitchen table and did the assignment. I knew that the essay was not good. I rushed it
hours before it was due and I turned it in the next day. When my teacher had graded the
assignment I had gotten a 68.9%. It dropped my grade so much I started to cry because I was
scared I was not gonna pass the class because we were so close to finals. The next day after that I
went up to my teacher and asked her what I could do to raise my grade she told me to correct my
essay and make it better to up my points a bit. That same day I went home and went straight to
my bed, put on some music and I actually took the time to read into my story and I ended up
loving it so much that I read the whole book and corrected my essay. When I got it back I had
gotten a B on it. I was so happy that my grade went up and I realized that I actually loved to
write and read. When the final came around I passed with a 89% because I read the book and
actually paid attention. Those two weeks motivated me to not give up. After that all my essays
were starting to get better and better and my teachers started to compliment my writing and
reading when I had to present things in class. The second major event happened my junior year
of high school in my English eleven class when we were given a task to complete a five
paragraph essay in the r.a.c.e.r format. The essay was about college. I don’t quite remember what
our topic was. But, doing that format helped me so much and still helps me now with my essays
or whatever it is that I am writing. The format r.a.c.e.r stands for restate the question, answer the
question, cite evidence to support your answer, explain, and relate to your life, world, or other
text. They made us write every essay like this eleventh and twelfth grade of high school and I
passed all my essays with a five out of 6. I usually wrote my best on the left side of my bed it
was not the most comfortable place like Gay stated but it was the place I focused more and
wrote my best. Surrounding myself with good music helped me as well it made me expand my
thinking. If I have no music it is like I have a blank canvas in my brain and I dont get any ideas
so my writing comes out horrible and not ready to turn in. The moral of this essay is to always
listen to your teachers. Most of them want what is best for you. Once you complete something
you didnt want to do youll think like dang that was it and there wont be as much pressure on
your shoulders. ASSIGNED QUESTIONS
1.In your opinion, what is the biggest strength of this paper?
2.What global errors do you see in this paper?
3.What local errors do you see in this paper?
4.What is your overall opinion of this paper?
Writing Identity
My literacy history has been a very rocky road. I was born in Riverside however my
family and I moved to Mexico and lived there for 2 years meaning Spanish was my first
language. When we came back I only spoke Spanish so it was very difficult to understand my
teachers especially doing assignments that required me to write. Something that impacted me and
made me determined to develop my literacy was a spelling bee contest. Mostly everyone around
me was practicing the worksheet filled with words I was not yet to comprehend or pronounce.
This worksheet was broken down into 3 parts of difficulty and I couldnt get past level 1 without
needing help. I was too embarrassed to ask for help because I felt ashamed I couldnt spell out
the word butterflies which was the easiest as my classmates said. This event pushed me to
expand my vocabulary and I started to read books with my brother’s friend and she would stop
and make me spell out the words until I said it correctly. I also had trouble with pronunciation
which I am still struggling with despite knowing the definition. Just like in the autobiography
Learning to Read written by Malcolm X, I would go to the library and check out books so I can
expand my vocabulary and also learn new words. Malcolm X stated Id never realized so many
many words existed! I didnt know which words I needed to learn (120). When Malcolm was
beginning to expand his usage of words he started to understand the book and the storyline and
not just bits and pieces. I related to this due to me reading and expanding my knowledge of
words and I also began to understand what my assignments and teachers asked from me. I started
to practice the spelling bee paper a while later and I proceeded to level two which encouraged
me to keep going. In fifth grade I needed to write a story about a topic I do not recall but I just
kept writing and using details to describe objects and some words I used were above my grade
level and I realized that practicing and reading weekly really improved my writing skills as well.
Fast forward to my freshman year in highschool where I was able to read and write in
English just as any other student would be which was great until I realized I was so focused on
improving in English I began to fall behind in my writing in Spanish. I spoke mostly Spanish at
home but when it came to writing I couldnt even text my mom which was frustrating at times.
This led me to pick Spanish Speakers 1 as one of my classes. There was plenty I didnt know and
it made me feel like I did when I was trying to improve my English. Like Malcom X once did I
wrote sentences repeatedly and studied them until I understood why the words were written that
way. Once I passed that class I went into Spanish Speakers 11 and repeated the steps again but
this time it was different since we had to speak Spanish the whole class period which made me
speak with confidence. This made me realize that I was able to write and read both languages
well enough. In the article How to Tame a Wild Tongue, by Anzaldua, Gloria, states …-a
language with terms that are neither espanol ni ingles, but both. We speak a patios, a forked
tongue, a variation of two languages (3). Writing is a big part of life since it is an everyday task
from texting to writing an essay for school. I write almost every day and everyday I learn a new
word that I didnt before and this expands my writing skills. I may always have trouble with
pronouncing words in both languages but I do my best to improve this and improve my literacy
skills so in the future I can write a whole essay about a reading without having to use google for
help. These events have taught me that there will always be something that holds us back but
what we do about it is what matters.
