Kassidy Clark

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1102
February 10, 2016
RespondingReally Respondingto Other Students Writing by
Richard Straub
In the article RespondingReally Respondingto Other Students
Writing by Richard Straub, effective ways to respond to a peers essay are
discussed in great detail. Straub stresses that when reviewing a colleagues
essay, you should try to remain friendly. He states that you are not a teacher
or an editor, and that you should criticize the essay with the same tone that
you would have if you were holding a casual conversation with the author.
Straub also emphasizes that there are a few things to take into consideration
about the work and the author before reviewing the essay: the assignment,
the writers interests and aims, the work of the class, and the stage of
drafting. All of these things can really impact the writing and it is important
that they are considered when reviewing an essay.
Straub discussed a lot about comments. A good comment, according to
Straub, cannot be short and sweet. It is important to elaborate when
commenting on an essay and to go into detail about the parts of the paper
that you are critiquing. This will allow the writer to have a more thorough
understanding of what you are trying to convey and give them more
information to work with if the paper needs to be revised. It was also
stressed that the person commenting on the essay need not intrude on the
writers space. Shorter comments about specific pieces of the paper should

be kept strictly in the margins, while the final summary of what the reader
thought of the paper should be placed at the end. This is a good way to
ensure the writer that the goal of the reader is not to alter the paper, just to
provide the author with helpful comments.
I really enjoyed the entire opening paragraph of this essay. I felt that it
was a very good hook because it is something that I know I, as well as a lot
of other college students, can relate to. A specific quote that caught my
attention was But friends dont let friends think their writing is the best
thing since The Great Gatsby and they dont lead them to think that all is fine
and well when its not. I felt that this quote was humorous but still gave a
good point. When reading a friends essay, it is easy to say that you love the
paper and it is fabulous when, in reality, you know that there were some
things that could use some work. It is important to say these things!
I feel that this article was very beneficial. I know that when I go to the
small group conferences next week, I will be able to put these tools to good
use when I help critique others papers. I have always had a hard time with
peer review, but I feel that after reading this article, I feel that I have a
better grasp on what I am expected to do.