Peer Review Prep

Which of these choices is the best example of a peer review comment?

• I'm confused by this paragraph.

• I think you should move this paragraph.

• I like it! Great job!

• You should have a paragraph break here.

Answer explanation

Peer reviews comments should come with a suggested solution. All of the other comments are vague or don't provide a specific problem or solution. This comment is not perfect, however.

How can we improve the comment, "There should be a paragraph break here."

• You switch topics after this sentence. There should be a paragraph break here.

• This paragraph is confusing. There should be a paragraph break here.

• I think it would be better if there was a paragraph break here.

• [No change necessary.]

Answer explanation

Note that this answer has a specific reason for why a change should be made.

Which of these choices is the best example of a peer review comment?

• This paragraph is confusing; I'm not sure what you're trying to say.

• Strong opening--very thought-provoking!

• Your thesis is unclear.

• Check your spelling.

Answer explanation

Peer review feedback isn't always negative things or criticism. In this case, this is a compliment. Note that it is the only comment that is specific in what the reviewer thinks of the writing. All of the other comments are vague, don't describe the problem, or are not actionable for the writer.

Read this paragraph and choose the most appropriate feedback comment:

"Some people might say its gross, but I love it! Its perfect on a chilly night, or on a night where you have basically no time to cook. I'm talking, of course, about hot dog soup! My grandma used to make it for us as kids. It was always so special to go to her house and eat hot dog soup and put on a good movie. Our favorite movies were the Air Bud movies--especially the soccer one because it had a bit of romance in it and I'm such a sucker for a romance. I don't care for the first movie too much because the climax is the original (abusive) owner of Air Bud, the dog, tries to come take him back, and just the thought of that makes me sad."

• Please make sure you're using the right "it's"

• The beginning is great--really sets the scene and gets the audience interested in what you're going to say.

• This paragraph is about two different things--the soup and the movie. I would take out the part about the movie and add more details about the soup.

• I love the Air Bud movies too!

Answer explanation

This piece of feedback correctly identified what changes needed to be made in the paragraph and gave a suggestion on what to do.

Read this paragraph and choose the most appropriate feedback comment:

The best night of my life was undoubtedly the night of September 12th, 2001. I know, I know, that sounds morbid, but I was 7 and living in Illinois at the time, so the events of the previous day we'ren't really on my radar, Okay? And anyway, we had had this trip planned for WEEKS. Leading up to the trip, I told everyone about it: my friends, my teachers, the lady in front of us at the grocery check-out. We were driving down allll the way to Florida to help my grandparents move in to their condo.

• So funny!

• Make sure to check your spelling and grammar, specifically we'ren't (weren't) and Okay (okay).

• I like your strong narrative voice!

• Oh, no! Right after 9/11! Yikes!

Answer explanation

Remember, we are not worried about grammar and spelling at this stage. This compliment is specific to the way the author wrote.

Please type the feedback you would give this paragraph.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who loved playdoh. She loved playdoh so much that she even wanted to eat it, but she knew she shouldn't. Still, mashing it around and making sculptures with it was not enough. She even had the scented kind. It smelled so good! She decided to trick her little brother into trying it and then she would see if she wanted to eat it after she saw his reaction. YUCK! It tasted terrible! What was she thinking??

Answer explanation

In this case, I'm looking for a response that identifies that we skip over her planning to trick her brother into eating the playdoh and her trying it herself. I might writing something like: "I like the strong narrative voice you are using, but I want to know more about the plan to get the little brother to try the playdoh first. We skip right to the little girl's reaction. Can you include her plan, how it worked out, and his reaction all leading up to her trying playdoh herself?"