Revising “work” essays

English10 Composition
Assignment Date: Tue, Oct 24, 2006

1. Get in your editing groups, so that you all remember who is in your group.

2. Go to the essays written by each member of your group. Read their essays and make comments on each essay in your group.

Use this as a guide.

1. Can you tell clearly what the essay’s main idea is? Can you summarize it in a single sentence?

Let the writer know what you think the main idea is, and how well the idea is developed. In other words, is the essay focused on a single idea (is it unified?) and is it developed enough so that the idea is compelling? Is the writing vivid, rich with sensory details? Can you see and hear the world the writer is talking about?

2. Read each paragraph separately. Does each paragraph have a topic sentence that clearly supports the essay’s main idea?

Does everything in the paragraph support the topic sentence? In other words, is every paragraph unified?

Is there enough specific detail to support the topic sentence? In other words, is the paragraph well-developed.

Every person in class should make at least three thoughtful comments on at least three classmates’ essays.