Learning Target

Improve your essays through the magical process of peer review.

Inspiring Quote Time!

“When you read good writing, you hear the sound of another human being talking to you.”

Ask yourself whether or not you can hear yourself in your essay.

During peer review, see whether or not you can hear your partner’s voice in the essay.

Voice Spectrum

“Rome0 and Juli3t are mY iDols #YOLO .”

“I pondered the juxtaposition of Juliet’s

conundrum betwixt Paris and her rapscallion

Romeo and the plethora of animosity between

the bickering clans.”

Avoid Avoid

You’re hopefully

somewhere in here.

Find a Partner

Work with someone who is writing about the same essay prompt as you. (If you wrote about theme, feel free to work with someone who wrote about a different theme.)

Task One: First Draft Essay, First Draft ReadingPut that pen/pencil down!

Read your partner’s essay without making any comments. Don’t even ask them a question if a sentence makes absolutely no sense. Just read their essay.

Task Two: Getting the Ball Rolling

When you’re finished, write a specific response (on the back of their essay or something) to the following questions:

1. What is this piece about?2. What is the author trying to do? Were they

successful? How do you know?

Task Three: “No hunting!”

You are not there to be judgmental or make unkind remarks about your partner’s writing.1. Find specific things that you like and/or are

working well in the piece.2. Suggest how the writer might elaborate on

what has already been written.

Task Four: Read it again

This time, pen/pencil in hand! •Where could examples from the text help the essay? •What parts did you need to reread? What’s unclear?•What are some really solid parts of the essay? What

make them super solid?•What do you like about the piece?•What do you think needs to happen with the essay?

Task Five: Where do we go now?1. Get your essay back from your partner.2. Talk with your partner about what you plan on

doing with your essay now to make it even better.

3. Write at the top of your essay three specific things that you plan on doing to your essay to make it a stronger piece of writing.

Switch It Up!1. Find someone who wrote on a different prompt.2. Repeat steps!

•Read it (obviously).• “What is it about?” and “What is the author trying

to do?”•Read it again. What’s working? What can be

improved?•What’s the plan for the essay?

“This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals–sounds that say listen to this, it is important.” – Gary Provost

Homework

1. Enjoy the long, holiday weekend!2. Final Draft of Romeo and Juliet essay is due

when you come back on Tuesday, May 26!!!•Hang onto your first drafts and turn them in with

the final draft. •Also bring in rubrics to turn in with essays!