1. Open your peer’s paper in Microsoft Word, and at the top, click on the “Review” tab. There
you will see an “Insert Comment” button. Read your peer’s paper and use the “Insert
comment” button to add comments in the margin. If you are using Word 2010 or higher, you
will need to make sure you have the “All Markup” link clicked, which is also in the “Review”
tab.

2. Comment on anything you feel needs work, but also give them positive feedback as well. If
you need a guide for how much commenting to do, shoot for at least one comment per
paragraph. The best comments are actually in the form of questions that occur to you as you
read. For example, if you read a paragraph and really would like more detail, instead of
commenting “Add more detail here,” a more helpful comment would be “Can you provide
more details here? Where was he from? What does he look like?” etc.
PART THREE – COMPLETING REVIEW QUESTIONS

3. When you have finished commenting in the margins, copy the Workshop Review Questions
below and paste them at the very end of your peer’s paper. Then answer the questions
thoroughly. Please think of the writer as your audience. That would mean speaking to them
directly, using “you” (i.e. “you have wonderful metaphors here).

WORKSHOP REVIEW QUESTIONS

Purpose of the Writing:

What, in your opinion, was the purpose of this piece of writing? What idea, feeling, ideology, etc. was this writer hoping to convey?

How successful do you believe the writer was at achieving this purpose and why?

What aspects of the piece do you really like?

How could the piece improve overall?

What word would you use to describe how this piece affected you as a reader? Were you persuaded, affected, annoyed, angered, or nostalgic? Did you feel entertained? Engaged? Explain why you felt this way.

All non-fiction writing should work toward making a social or cultural impact or provide some insight into being human. How well does this piece do at providing readers with something interesting, evocative, or insightful to think about?

Story-Related Issues:

Dialogue: How well does it blend well with the writing? Are the dialogue lines “normal” or too “forced”? Would you actually overhear people talking like that?

Characters: (Keep in mind that “characters” are not limited to human beings but can also be animals or places). How well-developed are the characters? Can you imagine them being actual people?

Scenes and Scene Transitions: How well do scenes transition? Can you tell when the scenes change? Can you keep track of the time//location throughout the story?

Pace: What is the pace like in this piece? Are there parts of the story that are “too slow” and could perhaps be more exciting or cut? Is there too much action and not enough “thinking time” in the piece? Be sure to be specific and let the writer know exactly what parts you a referring to.