Workshop Response Guide for Wikipedia Fact Check Essay
Reading your partner’s paper:
Read the draft through once without making any marks. After you are done, write1-2 sentences of a “first impression” of the paper, including what you think its main idea is, what the strongest part is, and what needs the most improvement. Then, after a break, reread the draft carefully, making ONLY the following marks. Draw a check mark near sentences that you feel are particularly effective. Draw a squiggly line under awkwardly phrased sentences and phrases whose meanings are unclear. Write marginal notes to your partner about anything that confuses you.
Brief Responses: Answer the questions on the Wikipedia Fact Check Essay Checklist for your partner.
Giving Positive Feedback: After another break, re-read the draft a third time. What do you see as the strength(s) of the paper at this stage?
Defining Ideas: In your own words, what is this paper about? What is its idea? Don’t assume that the writer knows what his or her own essay is about. Mistrust the stated thesis, if there is one, and look at what the essay actually does.