Paper Evaluation Exercise |
In this exercise, you'll be working in groups to read and evaluate a set of papers according to the grading criteria for this course. Many people feel uncomfortable when beginning to participate in rough draft workshops, but this exercise will not only give you some practice in thinking about what makes a paper stronger or weaker, but should also give you some faith in your ability to judge. We'll be working in groups of three or four people today, so once you've downloaded the papers you'll be reading, please print only one copy of the papers per group, or read off the screen to save paper.
Download the Papers |
First, please log into the common English 101 course site in Blackboard,
where you'll find a Microsoft Word file containing four sample papers under Course Documents. These are actual student papers written for the first paper assignment in a section of one of my composition courses a year or two ago. Be sure to click on the link above and reread the assignment before reading the papers.
Individually Rank the Papers |
Your group should first begin with each member reading the papers individually, and then individually ranking them in order from strongest to weakest. Be sure to use the evaluation rubric for the first paper and to think about the assignment carefully as you read. Remember: it is not at all uncommon for a paper to be about something you are not personally interested in, or something you disagree with, but for you to still be able to judge it an outstanding paper.
As a Group, Rank the Papers |
Once you've got your papers ordered, the members of the group should compare notes. Did most members rank the papers in the same order? Why or why not? Now, as a group, rank the papers again, and then review the Criteria for Evaluating College-Level Writing. By the end of class, each member in the group needs to be able to articulate very precisely what makes each paper successful, and what weaknesses each paper has.
This page copyright 2000-2007 by Lisa Hammond | last update 11 July 2005