Peer Editing Guidelines for Op-Ed Assignment

Please spend 30 minutes reviewing your classmate's paper according to the following guidelines. If you finish early, do not stop editing. Take the extra time to go back over your comments and make sure they are clear. Then, pass this draft on to a second peer-reviewer in your group. Once you have finished, discuss peer-review comments with your classmate. Write all peer-review feedback on your classmate's draft.

I have based the following three feedback areas on the readings and exercises that I assigned for today. Respond to the following both in the body of your classmate's draft and on the blank back of the last page, if there is room (on a separate sheet of paper if there is no room).

Paragraphs—Draw a box around one paragraph in your classmate's paper. Underline the sentence that, in your view, best sums up the topic of the paragraph. Does the paragraph flow? How might your classmate change the paragraph to improve the flow of ideas (see topic W-4c in the Seagull Handbook)?

Second peer-reviewer: choose a different paragraph and do the same thing with it.
Objections (based on Exercise Two on p. 91 of They Say / I Say)—Does this draft of the op-ed anticipate and respond to any objections? Write "naysayer" in the margin next to one example of such an anticipation and response within the op-ed. Now, move on to one of the writer's own claims. Write an asterisk (*) next to this claim in the paper margin, and then, on the back, write another asterisk and write a possible objection to that claim in 1-3 sentences. In other words, become the naysayer.

Second peer-reviewer: Identify a second example of a "naysayer," if possible. Then, identify one of the writer's own claims, and a little "x" next to it in the margin. Articulate a second objection next to another "x" on the back of the last page in 1-3 sentences. This should be distinct from the objection that the first peer-reviewer has provided.
Significance (based on Exercise Two on p. 101 of They Say / I Say)—Does this draft of the op-ed indicate why it matters and whom it will matter to? Identify a sentence that answers this and write "significance" in the margin next to it. At the end, write one sentence in your own words that best answers the question "So what?" with respect to the topic. What makes this a topic worth examining? Why should anyone read an op-ed on this topic?

Second peer-reviewer: At the paper's end, write 1-2 sentences in your own words that define a group of people who in particular should care about this topic and the writer's stance on it.
Sign your classmate's draft after you have peer-reviewed it.

Please turn in one peer-reviewed draft of your op-ed along with the final draft on September 21st, 2017. When I grade the final draft, I expect some revisions in response to peer-review comments. I will look over peer-editing comments and give your peer reviewer credit for them when I grade the final drafts.