At the top of the document you will be responding to, be sure to write your name. Everything you write in response to the author's writing should be written in the text of the essay. Make sure the author can easily find your comments--write them in the margins or on the backs of the pages.


From this drafting process, the author is hoping to be able to improve her/his writing for a better essay (and hopefully, then, a better grade).

Remember to give her/him as many responses and suggestions as possible to she/he can accomplish that.

Answer the questions below, being as specific as possible about your reactions, and offer suggestions.

1. Read the thesis. Stop reading and write what you EXPECT will be the topic and purpose of the essay. Write your response after first paragraph. Who is the audience and were there needs met? (you may need to ask the author who the reader is supposed to be-remember you need to know what THEY would know before you will be able to judge whether their needs are met in the intro and throughout the essay.)

2. Now, finish reading to the paper. Were your expectations met? If not, what do you now think the topic, purpose and audience are now?

3. Is the thesis sentence itself a strong statement (not a quote from someone else, not a question, etc)? does it give a purpose for the essay/topic? Does it address the process that will be discussed? Make sure there is a very specific statement at the beginning of the essay that will be supported through the essay.

4. Mark the examples you find(could be whole paragraphs or just single sentences). At the end of each example, evaluate its usefulness or strength in supporting the essay by adding a comment.

5. Mark the helpful hints and first aids you find. How many are there? Are they appropriate for the audience's needs? Are they detailed enough for the audience to follow and use? If this is a "how it was done" paper rather than a "how to," there should still be helpful hints and first aids describing the problems that occurred when the process was completed.

6. What did you like best about the essay? Add a comment about what you liked about it

7. What did you like the least about the essay? Add a comment about what could be improved about it.

8. Did anything in the essay surprise you? Be specific!

9. What TWO features of the essay most need improvement? Mark them and add a comment/suggestion about what/how they could be improved. Remember that just marking a problem area without explanation won't help the author fix the problem.