Understanding Peer Editing

• Working with classmates to improve their writing can be fun
• To have fun with peer editing you have to learn what it means

What is Peer Editing?

• A peer is someone your own age
• Editing means making suggestions, comments, compliments, and changes to writing
• Peer editing involves working with someone your own age, usually a classmate, to help improve, revise, and edit their writing

Three Steps to Peer Editing

• Step 1: Compliments
• Step 2: Suggestions
• Step 3: Corrections

Step 1: Compliments

• The first rule of peer editing is to stay positive
• When peer editing, remember you're helping to change someone else's work so consider how you would feel receiving feedback on your own writing
• Always start your peer editing with compliments
• Examples of compliments in peer editing include:
  • Praising the topic choice
  • Acknowledging good details
  • Highlighting a specific word usage

Paragraph for Compliments

• "We where all over my aunts house when my dog Riley was running around like crazy. He was chasing me around in circles. all of a suden I look and riley he was in the pool! swimming in my aunts pool. I couldn't believe my eyes that the dog was in the pool. I dashed to the pool and jumpd in and swan over to Riley and pulled him to the steps. He got out and shook all over us like a sprinkler on a hot day. I was glad riley was o.k. and that I saved him."

Step 2: Suggestions

• Making suggestions involves giving the author specific ideas on improving their writing
• It's important to stay positive and be specific when giving suggestions
• Instead of saying, "It didn't make sense," suggest, "If you add more details after this sentence, it would be more clear"
• Instead of saying, "Your word choice was boring," suggest, "Instead of using the word good, maybe you can use the word exceptional."
• Some areas to consider for suggestions:
  • Word choice: Are the words interesting?
  • Using details: Are there details relating to seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling?
  • Organization: Is it easy to understand and in the correct order?
  • Sentences: Are the sentences too long or too short?
  • Topic: Does the writing stick to the topic?

Paragraph for Suggestions

• "We where all over my aunts house when my dog Riley was running around like crazy. He was chasing me around in circles. all of a suden I look and riley he was in the pool! swimming in my aunts pool. I couldn't believe my eyes that the dog was in the pool. I dashed to the pool and jumpd in and swan over to Riley and pulled him to the steps. He got out and shook all over us like a sprinkler on a hot day. I was glad riley was o.k. and that I saved him."

Step 3: Corrections

• The third step in peer editing involves making corrections
• Corrections involve checking for:
  • Spelling mistakes
  • Grammar mistakes
  • Missing punctuation
  • Incomplete or run-on sentences
• Review the paragraph again and circle, underline, or use editing marks to correct errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar

Paragraph for Corrections

• "We where all over my aunts house when my dog Riley was running around like crazy. He was chasing me around in circles. all of a suden I look and riley he was in the pool! swimming in my aunts pool. I couldn't believe my eyes that the dog was in the pool. I dashed to the pool and jumpd in and swan over to Riley and pulled him to the steps. He got out and shook all over us like a sprinkler on a hot day. I was glad riley was o.k. and that I saved him."

Things to Remember

• Stay positive by framing suggestions and corrections positively
• Be specific when giving feedback
• Complete all three steps: Compliments, suggestions, and corrections