Set of questions students can work through independently (or as a class.) Students identify favorite sentences, places where more vigorous verbs are needed, "quicksand moments", and play the "believing/doubting game". Finally, they review the assignment against the rubric. This is good for teachers to look at also, as it explains the rationale for each exercise.
2. Paper copies
If you haven’t already, print out enough drafts for
everyone in your team to play along.
Give each exercise a try, even if they seem a little silly.
They are all to help you view new ways to approach the
paper and to approach giving feedback.
3. Favorite Sentence
1. Everyone: Look over your own piece and mark your
favorite sentence. [square brackets]
2. Swap papers with partner – look over the other paper
and mark a favorite sentence.
3. Discuss which sentences you picked in each and why.
(goals – careful re-reading,
encouraging feedback)
(5 minutes)
4. Vigorous Verbs
1. 1. On your own paper, pick a page that you feel is
“blah.” Mark it at the top. Trade drafts
2. Circle ALL the verbs (in partner’s draft, mon that
page).
3. Suggest stronger verbs (write them over the circled
ones) – You may find cues to them in other parts of the
sentence.
4. Trade back, discuss verb choices and why.
(goals – sharpen vocabulary, more direct
sentences)
(10-12 minutes)
5. Switch partners
Choose another partner for the next exercise, so you
have a fresh document to play with, and everyone gets
new ideas.
6. Quicksand Moment
1. Swap drafts and skim them.
2. When a part seems to stop you (confusing, unclear), mark it with an
asterisk or star.
3. When you each have identified at least one confusing part, read that part
aloud.
(You are reading partner’s draft aloud, not your own, and the writer first just listens)
4. The writer explains the points he or she intended to make, and the partner
writes them down.
Feel free to ask questions to help the writer clarify.
(goals – often the most difficult passage in a text may be
the most promising one, so instead of giving up on it,
focusing on it in conversational language can develop the
writer’s ideas.)
(10-12 minutes)
7. This next one is a little
complicated
If you’re in a foursome, partner up with whoever you
haven’t worked with before.
If there are only 3, then adapt and perhaps have 1
person read, 2 respond, in each level listed.
Also have someone set a timer (phone?) for 6 minutes
for these, as listed)
8. Believing and Doubting Game
(Sounding Board/Devil’s
Advocate)
1. Pick one student to go first. He or she reads his or her
OWN draft aloud, stopping after each paragraph for the
partner’s comments.
2. The partner is first a “sounding board” or “beleiver” – try
to draw the writer’s thoughts out. Request clarification. Try to
paraphrase an idea to see if you have it right. Ask questions
about which idea seems more important, or why the writer is
going in a certain direction.
(Writing Doesn’t Have To Be Lonely pp 30-31 explains this role.)
3. The timer will go off after 6 minutes. Switch drafts and
roles.
9. Continuing with Sounding Board
mode
The first writer is now the partner being the sounding
board. Again, 6 minutes in this role – writer reading
aloud, stopping after each paragraph for the Sounding
Board to interject.
10. Devil’s Advocate
5. Go back to the first draft. If you only got part way
through, you can continue from where you left off, or you
can start back at the beginning. Yep,more reading aloud.
6. The partner is now a Devil’s Advocate. After each
paragraph, criticize everything possible! Challenge the
writer’s ideas and expressions! Doubt everything. (Keep it
focused on the paper, not the person, but NO PRAISE.)
(Writing Doesn’t Have To Be Lonely pp 44-45 explains this
role.)
11. Continuing with Devil’s Advocate
mode
7. The timer will go off after 6 minutes. Switch drafts and
roles.
8. The first writer is now the partner being the devil’s
advocate. Again, 6 minutes in this role – writer reading
aloud, stopping after each paragraph for the devil’s
advocate to interject.
12. Rationale & timing
(Goals – Because the same critic
takes both separate roles in
reviewing, it’s clear it’s a “game,” and
nothing personal. This encourages
y’all to approach close readings of
texts in multiple ways.)
(about 25 minutes)
13. Rubric Review
1. Swap drafts and skim them. Go to ***Research
Central*** and get the main assignment sheet – look at
the Rubric on pages 2 and 3.
2. Put checkmarks in ones that you feel your partner has
done well on. Highlight the ones that still need work.
(Or on BlackBoard, respond to their draft with a clearly
marked list of which ones are GOOD and which NEED
WORK.
3. If time, talk through answers. If not, just give back
rubrics.
14. I don’t expect …
…that y’all will get through all of these in one lab. We’ll
continue with them week 10.
Try also revisiting them (perhaps at the Writing Center
with a Writing Tutor for a dedicated one-on-one
appointment) when your draft is more complete!
