Peer Review Guide for

Character Sketch Second Draft

Writer’s Name:______

Writer’s Response

Turn your story over and write the answers to the following questions on the back page:

  1. What changes have you made since your first draft and why?
  2. What is the best part of this story, what are you most proud of?
  3. What part of your story is the weakest, are you least happy with?
  4. Write down two problems things you want your reader to pay attention to.

Give the copy of your story with your answers to these questions to your peer reviewer.

______

Reader’s Response

Reader’s Name:______

Give the copy of your draft with the answers to your questions to your partner. This time, everyone in the group will read aloud. Make marks on your copy of your partner’s draft as he/she reads. All group members (except you) will offer a few comments after the oral reading.

  1. Read the story to yourself. Write down what you think the answers to the Writer’s response (1-3) would be.
  2. Read the “Writer’s Response”. Are the answers the same as yours? If not, explain why you interpreted the piece the way you did.
  3. Offer a suggestion to help with the writer’s response to 4.

Feel Free to Make Marks on the copy of the story as directed. You can write comments on a separate sheet or on the back of this sheet as needed. Use your “revision” tool (a red or green pen) and a hi-liter when directed.

  1. Read the title. What meanings does it evoke? Is the title appropriate to the story?Suggest an improvement to the title.
  2. Do you believe this character? Does she/he seem real? Does she/he have motivation, interests, dislikes, a personality? Mark sections of the story which make the character seem real. Hi-lite sections where the character does not seem real. Offer advice to improve these sections.
  3. Does the character show a complex personality? Main characters have more than one emotion, more than one attitude. Draw a line under and labelplaces where the character shows emotional change.
  4. Draw a starat places where the writer has used “good” characterization by “showing” the character.
  5. Draw [brackets] around the places where the writer has simply “told” about the character. Rewrite 2 of these places as a “show.”
  6. Comment on the “plot” of the story. Does it seem complete? Did the writer avoid deus ex machina? Offer suggestions on things to cut and change to make the story more effective.
  7. Use a triangle to indicate spelling, grammar, punctuation, and MLA format errors.
  8. Offer general comments, help and praise, where appropriate.
  9. Take a look at the character’s “resume.” What qualities appear in the story or in the resume which contradict one another? What qualities should appear in the story which do not?
  10. Discuss your comments and observations with your partner.

Keep your peer-reviewed copy. You must turn it in with your final draft.