English I Pre-AP—Odyssey Analytical Synthesis Essay – Peer Editing Checklist
This essay was written by: ______
The title of the essay is: ______(an interesting title is required)
My name (the editor) is: ______
Assignment: You need to read through the following questions and answer YES or NO about the person’s paper you are editing. Check your paper and make sure you have accurately complied with all requirements.
If you have any questions, consult the assignment sheet, the Basics of Writing packet, and all of your research handouts. Everything counts, so go through each question carefully and answer honestly. Your grade and another person’s grade depend on it. (EX: If you tell your partner that their margins are perfect, and they are in fact too large, you AND the writer will lose 5 points on your final copy). And yes, you are allowed to mark on their paper, as it is a rough draft.
First read through the entire rough draft. MARK ANY GLARING ERRORS! It should be obvious that the final copy has been proofread.
Step 1: CONVENTIONS: This is where you will look at the parts of the essay to make sure it follows the guidelines set forth. ANSWER YES OR NO. Highlight any and all glaring errors.
1. ______Does it follow ALL MLA requirements? (margins, heading, header, tabs, font, double spaced) -- look at assignment sheet and/or a ruler if you are unsure. Essays will lose points if margins are incorrect.
2. ______Is the title of the paper interesting and does it fit the paper? Reminder: Do not place quotes around the title of your paper! Do not underline or italicize or bold the title of your paper! Just plain, 12 point font!
3. ______Are there ANY misspelled words?
4. ______Are there any numbers NOT written out (ex: “1” is incorrect. “One” is correct)?
5. ______Are there any capitalization errors?
6. ______Are there any syntax (sentence structure) errors / run-ons / fragments)?
Step 2: ORGANIZATION / CONTENT (REFLECTIVE STRUCTURE):
1. ______Does the paper make sense?
2. ______Is it obvious that the essay is about Odysseus and how he is/is not an effective leader?
3. ______Is there a clear INTRODUCTION? Does it set the tone for the entire paper?
4. ______Is there a thesis statementthat has both a purpose and the reasons to support that purpose? In other words, does the thesis both a.) establish whether or not Odysseus’s leadership is effective, and b.) supply the criteria from the Mandela article (paraphrased, not quoted) that the writer uses to make that judgment?
5. ______Do the topic sentences introduce the information in their paragraphs? Are the topic sentences DIRECTLY tied to a reason cited in the thesis?
6. ______Do the paragraphs have at least three concrete details?
7. ______Are all concrete details accompanied by an appropriate MLA citation [ex. (Od. 9.148)]?
8. ______Do the paragraphs have at least two commentary sentences for each concrete detail?
9. ______Does all commentary/analysis answer the questions how and why?
10. ______Does each commentary sentence relate either to the concrete detail or the topic/thesis sentence?
11. ______Do all of the sentences in each paragraph support/explain the topic sentence?
12. ______Does the writer have a concluding sentence at the end of each body paragraph?
13. ______Are the paragraphs logically and smoothly connected with transitions?
14. ______Does the conclusion paragraph bring the paper to a logical conclusion?
15. ______Is there a “best” paragraph? Which one is it and why? ______
Step 3: WRITER’S VOICE/ WORD CHOICE & FOCUS/COHERENCE & DEV. OF IDEAS -- You must look at specific sentences and specific words to figure out if they are as well-written as they could be.
1. ______Do any ideas seem vague or confusing? What can the writer explain more thoroughly that would help the reader? The writer should choose details that are interesting, important and informative. ______
2. ______Are the verbs VARIED? Highlight/underline the first 15 verbs you see to make sure.
3. ______Circle all be verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been). A WRITER MAY HAVE NO MORE THAN FIVE BE VERBS IN THE ENTIRE ESSAY (Quotations from the text do not count in this total).
4. ______Put a square around all instances of first or second person (I, we, our, you, your).
5. ______Cross out all contractions (don’t, won’t).
6. ______Do sentences vary in length and style?
7. ______Is the writer’s voice obvious to you? Is it obvious to you that the writer cares about the message?
***Find FIVE places in the essay that could be elevated with better vocabulary (write the changes on their paper, and highlight them).
***Rate the author’s use of tone, diction, imagery, and syntax throughout the essay (with 1 being the weakest and 5 the strongest)
Tone: 12345
Diction12345
Syntax12345