Instructions for Peer Review of Essay 2
Read your peer’s essay carefully and then write the author a letter in which you respond to all of the following questions:
1. Has the author given enough information so that a student would understand the prose the author is analyzing and why it is worth analyzing? What else is needed to give a fuller understanding of the prose style?
2. Has the author focused his or her paper around a single, major point? What is it? Has the author supported his or her major point with abundant and specific evidence? Where could more evidence be offered? What kind of evidence is needed? Does the author include sufficient quotations from the specific essays? Does the author explain how the evidence offered supports his or her claims?
3. What do you think of the tone of this paper? How would you describe the tone? Does it seem appropriate for the specified rhetorical situation?
4. How does the author organize the paper? Do you see any paragraphs that should be combined with other paragraphs or moved to a different location? Do you see an organizational pattern that would work better?
5. Do you see any sentences that are tangled, repetitive, or ungrammatical? Do you see sentences that seem very well written--that is, sentences that use descriptive language and effective structure?
6. What is the best thing about this essay? What in the essay most needs improvement?
On behalf of your peers, I want to thank you for doing a thorough and thoughtful peer review!