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English 1002-004

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Capital Comm. College's Guide to Grammar and Writing

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Strunk's Elements of Style

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Sloth Guide to In-Text Citation

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RESPONSE GUIDE, GROUP WORKSHOPS

download this guide in Word

Please read these instructions carefully; your completion of responses for your peers will make up a significant portion of the points you receive for participating in this group workshop. Here’s what I’d like you to do: 

1. You can complete these instructions in Word if you like, or you can print a hard copy and respond by hand.
2. Read through each essay once, making yourself an outline of the major points the writer is making. This outline doesn’t need to be detailed, but I will ask you to walk me through the points each writer makes.
3. On the outline, put a star by the strongest point—not necessarily the one you most agree with, but the one you feel the writer has best proven with evidence.
4. Put a circle by the point you feel needs the most work. Make a note about why.
5. Underline the points which seem to represent the other side.
6. Go through and mark off source material, bracketing off where a source begins and where it ends. Make notes in the margins if it’s difficult to tell.
7. At the end of the outline, write a letter to the writer, and do the following:
   1. Answer any questions or respond to anything the writer has asked you to in his/her email.
   2. Describe what you think the writer needs to do next: what information he/she needs to gather, what points need to be further proven, what organizational problems he/she needs to pay attention to.
   3. Indicate who you perceive the audience to be and what you think the author’s purpose is in writing the essay to them (If I’m writing about stem cell research and my audience is the President and his supporters, am I trying to convince them to change their minds? Am I urging them to remain opposed to stem cell research?)
   4. Point out any other points you think the author should raise (think about how people from different perspectives might view the issue, what questions or objections they might raise).
   5. Give any final advice or comments.
8. If you responded electronically, email each writer’s essay with your outline and comments to all of your group members and to me before you come to your conference.
9. If you responded by hand, bring the writer’s essay and your comments with you to the workshop; you’ll give it to the writer when we’re finished.