ROUGH DRAFT WORKSHOP GUIDELINES
DIRECTIONS:
Please take time and care in responding, using complete sentences. Make sure to write about 3-5 sentences in response to each section; you should be addressing all questions within a given section with specific answers. “The thesis answers the prompt,” or “The essay looks organized to me,” are NOT specific answers—for example, if the essay is that organized, then you should be able to tell me what specifically is so organized about it. Use concrete examples.
And remember--your tips and advice are significantly more beneficial to your classmate than giving them the thumbs up. So please, don't be afraid to be constructively critical.
Questions:
1) Does the writer have a strong hook for the introduction? If not, suggest one. Does the writer introduce their topic clearly and succinctly, providing the necessary historical, cultural, and plot background information? Give one or two suggestions for improvement in this area (do not skip).
2) Does the essay’s thesis seem to be undeveloped or too broad, or is it just specific enough to argue in an 4-6 page paper? Many any necessary suggestions for clarification and more specificity as well (do not skip). Lastly, please remember that the thesis needs to address the prompt.
3) Please note any places in the essay where further clarifying details could be added. This is something everyone in the class needs to work on. Is the writer clear about what they are analyzing? Do they discuss certain scenes in the novel in detail? Who are the characters involved, how are they defined, etc? Make sure historical context information is also provided.
4) Is the writer incorporating research from two extra scholarly sources into the essay (not .com sources or dictionary/encyclopedia sources)? Do the sources seem to be strong and ON TOPIC? Why or why not.
5) Does the writer have plenty of quotes from the novel and their outside sources in the essay? They should! Are those quotes strong quotes? Which quote is the strongest and which is the weakest? Suggest an ordering for the quotes that would help the writer work from their strongest point to their weakest (keeping in mind the importance of chronology/topic organization as well)—do not skip! Are the quotes smoothly integrated into the essay and not plopped?
6) Does the writer have sufficient analysis for their quotations? Remember, analysis is even more important than the quote itself. Make sure the writer is not simply explaining the quote in a summarizing fashion, but connecting it to its larger significance (relationship to their thesis). Make suggestions for improvement below, and be specific.
7) Is the essay organized? Do the body paragraphs seem to build logically upon one another? Give at least one suggestion for improving the organization of the essay. Starting at the beginning of the scene and then going forward from there is a good idea.
