UWRT 1103

Ashley Marcum, Instructor

Peer Review QuestionsLiteracy Memoir
Directions: Respond to the following questions thoroughly, respectfully, and constructively. Please write your full responses in black
text to these questions in this document and save your revised document as Last Name PRQs (Peer Review Questions for Last
Name.) For example, my PRQs for Johnny Appleseed would be named MarcumPRQsAppleseed. Please indicate on your paper your
name and the name of the author that you are responding to. Note, you should also make revision suggestions, comments, and
responses on the paper itself using the review tool in Word. You are working together to improve each others writing: be sure that
the kinds of responses you are giving are the kinds of responses you would like to receive on your paper. Everyone appreciates both
praise and constructive criticism.

Ben Lee:
1. Read the first paragraph of the essay and then stop. In a sentence or two, describe what you expect the author to say in this
essay. Who and what is this paper going to focus on? Underline the sentence(s) that give you the main idea of the essay. This story
is going to be about books he read as a child and how they impacted his life.
2. Finish reading the entire essay. Respond in the margins with your first reactions as a reader. Briefly summarize the essay (2-3
sentences). Then summarize each paragraph in a sentence or less. Where does the author get off track? Where does the author
stay focused? If you are having a hard time summarizing the paragraphs, then something in the paragraph may be undermining the
focus. The ending, although without a conclusion, was a great way to finish. Him showing how his writing was his strong suit, even
enough to put his mother into tears. He shows how he was a very strong reader even to the point it would hurt him. He makes a
reference to his grandfather, who was one of his literary sponsors and how he motivated him to become more academic. He also
points out that he is a strong writer and so much so, he made his mother cry tears of joy. Most of the time he stays on topic, he
never truly gets off topic. He gives a good focus onto his grandfather which helps out his argument about reading and where that
passion came from.
PG1- his introduction telling us where his story is going to take us.
PG2- his father and Doctor Seuss had opened his imagination up, and pushed him to explore the world of reading.
PG3- The Magic Treehouse series even further expanding his imagination, while also encouraging him to expand his knowledge into
history.
PG4- how his papaw became one of his literary sponsors.
PG5-in fifth grade he was scolded for reading, and how it had affected him. Being scolded allowed other children to make fun of him
and he had stopped reading exponentially and opened books sparingly.
PG6- how writing was always a strong suite for him, even so much a poem he wrote put his mother to tears.

3. In the introduction, how well does the author begin the story? What does the author do to keep the readers reading, ie. a hook or
reason to be drawn in? What could he/she do to draw the reader in more? Does the introduction lead up to a thesis sentence or an
indication of where the rest of the essay is going? Does the conclusion do more that restate the main points of the essay? Does it
point to how literacy will impact them in the future? If the conclusion is not satisfying, what would you do to make it more
engaging? He has a hook but a stronger one could be used more efficiently. His introduction did provided a good route on where the
rest of the story was going and how events in his life would affect him. His conclusion wasnt yet written, but I do believe it will be a
good one.
4. Does the author share three or four key literacy events and give their significance or show how the event illustrates something
about literacy? Does the author make useful connections between their literacy events and at least three of the readings we have
discussed in class? Highlight the sections of the essay where you feel the author is able to critically reflect on the cultures within
which the literacy event/s occur. The author gives more than 3 Key events on how they had changed his life. Although more than 3
he shows that 3 events arent enough to show how things had changed you, there are so many points in our life that define us it is
very difficult to only choose three.
5. Does the organization of the paper make sense? How has the author structured the essay? Do they alternate paragraphs
switching between personal experience and scholarly ideas about literacy? Is it structured all around a personal narrative? If so,
what suggestions do you have for helping the author break from this pattern? If the structure seems either confusing or strong
indicate where you see this. How would you improve it? His organization flowed very well, it highlights all of his reading events
together and then shifts into his writing. He shifts ideas between paragraphs smoothly and consistently throughout. His writing style
if very crisp and easy to follow while not suffering from over-simplification of structure.
6. Does the author consider the audience? Indicate how the author could address the audience better or where the author does a
good job of considering the audience. He tells us how events changed us, and you can almost picture the events in his life and how
they can correspond to your own.
7. List two things you think the author does a good job on. List two things you think the author should work on. Make at least one
suggestion for how she/he might go about improving each of those aspects of the essay. Good visualization, and good structure. He
lacks a good hook, and his essay may be too short at the end.
8. List two things you would like to hear more about. What does the author not deal with as much or as well as youd like? Explain
what and why you think these elements are important enough to include.
I would like to hear more about other writings he had done, and more reasons why he was so good at writing. It is important
because in literacy there are only two key things: Reading, and Writing, one is covered very well while one is lacking.

Rubric for Project #1: Ben Lee

Category
Assignme
nt
Requireme
nts
20 points

Creativity
20 points

Rhetorical
Strategies
20 points

Organizati
on
20 points

Academic
Correctnes
s
20 points

4
Exceeds requirements
for the assignment.
Clearly addresses the
prompt by choosing
important literacy
events and relating
those events while
being a critical observer
noting the cultural,
political, etc factors
Demonstrates originality
and
mastery of the
objectives or material.
The vignettes contain
many creative details
and/or descriptions
that contribute to the
reader's enjoyment.
The author has really
Addresses audience,
purpose, and voice with
expertise through the
savvy use of rhetorical
strategies. Engages
audience with vibrant
details and storytelling.
Any multimodal
components are wellintegrated and integral
to the story.
One idea or scene
follows another in a
logical sequence with
strong transitions.

3
Meets all
requirements for the
assignment. Clearly
addresses the
prompt by sharing
some literacy events.
Includes significant
reflection on those
experiences.

1
Meets some, but not
all, of the requirements
for the assignment.
Tells a couple literacy
event stories, but does
not develop the story
completely. Parts are
missing or unclear.
Critical reflection is
seriously lacking as is
Demonstrates a partial
understanding of the
objectives or material.
The vignettes contain
one or two creative
details, but they
distract from the story.
The author does not
seem to have used
much imagination.
Addresses some aspects
of
audience, purpose,
and voice, and/or
inconsistently uses
rhetorical strategies.
Does not fully
engage, audience.
Any multimodal
components are only
partially or vaguely
Is a hard to follow. The
sequence of events
may be mixed-up or
unclear.

0
Does not meet the
requirements of the
assignment. Discusses
the topic generally.

Demonstrates aboveaverage
insight and a thorough
understanding of the
objectives or material.
The vignettes contain a
few creative details
and/or descriptions
that contribute to the
reader's enjoyment.
Addresses audience,
purpose, and voice
well with the
appropriate use of
specific rhetorical
strategies. Engages
audience with strong
details. Any
multimodal
components are
relevant to the story.
One idea or scene may
seem out of place.
Clear transitions are
used.

2
Meets most of the
requirements for the
assignment. Addresses
the prompt by
describing several
important literacy
events in your life.
May not adequately
focus the story on
critical reflection and
Demonstrates a basic
understanding of the
objectives or material,
but often relies on
generic or predictable
techniques. The stories
contain a few creative
details and/or
descriptions. The
author has tried to use
Addresses most aspects
of
audience, purpose, and
voice with rhetoricallyappropriate strategies.
Engages audience with
some details. Any
multimodal
components are poorly
integrated or may be
more decorative than
Is a little hard to follow.
The
transitions are
sometimes not clear.

Contains no errors in
grammar, spelling, or
mechanics. Format is
extremely polished and
professional. Title is
creative, sparks
interest and is related
to the story and topic.

Contains only minor

errors in
grammar, spelling, or
mechanics. Format is
polished and shows
your effort. Title is
related to the story
and topic.

Contains several minor

errors
in grammar, spelling,
or mechanics. Format
is clean and
consistent. Title is
present, but is
general or

Contains one or two

major
errors in grammar,
spelling, or mechanics.
Format is inconsistent
or not appropriate.
Title is present, but
does not seem related

Contains several major

errors
in grammar, spelling,
or mechanics. Format
shows no attention to
appearance. Includes
no title.

Demonstrates little
understanding of the
objectives or material.
There is little evidence
of creativity in the
story.

Fails to address
audience,
purpose, and/or voice
and/or uses rhetorical
strategies incompletely
or incorrectly. Does not
engage or build
interest in the reader.
Any multimodal
components are
irrelevant or distract
Ideas and scenes seem
to be
randomly arranged.