Peer Review

What is it?

Why do it?

Response Tools

A practice session

Our first peer review assignment

More about peer review

What is it?

Peer review occurs when one person reads the writing of another and gives feedback. The review can be focused (looking at the writing for organization or for conventions only) or it can be general (looking at the writing for its overall strengths and weaknesses). Feedback can be verbal or written. Email is a great tool to use for peer review. When a student publishes his or her writing on the web, others can email him or her with their comments. A communication between the two, between reader and writer, can continue with email very easily.

Why do it?

One main problem writers face when beginning the revision process is that they have trouble gaining an objective perspective. It's hard to see our own writing as it really is. Instead, because we know how we want it to be, we tend to unconsciously make logical connections where there are none, we read sentences as complete or meaningful even if they confuse others, and we fill in the places where words or connections are missing.

So, when someone who does not know what our intentions were reads our writing, he or she can give an honest opinion. She may say, "This is a really interesting idea, but here, in your third paragraph, I don't know what you are trying to say. What is this part supposed to mean?" This advice can help writers improve the clarity and meaning of their writing.

Peer review is the first step in audience feedback. When we publish our work on the web, this feedback can come from anywhere. Publishing on the web also gives writers the motivation they need to make sure their writing makes sense.

Response Tools

From NCTE

Using Six Traits

A practice session

This project was created by two Teachers College student teachers: Tracy Higashi and Lee Spilberg. They created a great peer review project. Thanks to Ted Nellen for this link.

Our first peer review assignment

Follow these directions carefully. 

• Send an email to your cyber partner telling him or her which piece of writing you'd like reviewed. Be clear about where to find it. Also, tell your cyber partner which three traits you'd like him or her to assess for you. Do not choose presentation. CyberJournal entries are not eligible for peer review.
• When you get your email from your cyber partner, make sure you have the proper materials at hand (either on paper or on your computer desktop): 1. the correct rubric--choose either narrative or informative [Go to the rubrics] and 2. response tools, either NCTE or using six traits (see above).
• Open a new Word document and save it as "peer review" on your H:/ drive.
• Read your cyber partner's writing. Now read it again. 
• In your peer review document in Word, begin writing your response. First, write this: I am reviewing your piece titled, "put title here." Then, respond in general using the response tools. When you make comments about the writing, be sure you give examples from the writing that show what you mean. You can copy and paste these right from the web page into the Word document. Use quotation marks around passages that you take from the writer's piece. Write in paragraphs. 
• Using the correct rubric, score the piece of writing for the three traits your cyber partner requested. You can simply make a list. Example: ideas/content--3; conventions--2; organization--3. Be sure you believe in the scoring before you commit to it.
• Take this seriously. You will want a fair peer response for your writing, so take care that you do a good job with what your cyber partner has written. 
• Proofread your own work. Save the Word document often. 
• Then, when you have done your best work, send the Word document as an attachment to your cyber partner. Subject line: peer review. Send a copy to me. 
• After you have read your peer review and your cyber partner has read his or hers from you, write back. In this email, you can do any of the following: 1. thank him/her for the review and for (refer to something specific that you appreciated), 2. ask him/her to explain further or clarify something he/she said that you aren't sure about, 3. ask for further help with something you are struggling with or ask for suggestions about what you could do to improve (something specific not general). Also, send a copy of this email to me. Subject line: talking back
• Any further conversations that you have with your cyber partner about your writing and this peer review experience are encouraged but are not required.
• Peer Review Assessment Tool (pdf file)

Which Rubric to use?
Use the narrative rubric for the letter from a character or the novel summary.
Use the informative rubric for everything else.
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More about peer review

From Ted Nellen

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