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.
Charles Swinson responding to James Nance.
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.
I expect the author to say more about what makes each person unique. I also expect more examples on how someone would be
unique from another. I believe that this paper is going to focus on the individual and their complexities.
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.
My first reactions as a reader was that I felt like I shared a lot of similarities with the author in terms of how I view reading and
writing and how they should not really be graded in the traditional sense because of how everyone is unique. The essay was mainly
about how the author views people as unique and how everyone has their own different culture. The essay also went into detail
about how the author views his own experiences with writing. The first paragraph is about how the author sees everyone as
different with their own unique story to tell about literacy. The second paragraph is about how different views on literacy can clash
with each other like Eastern and Western views on literacy. The third paragraph is about the connection between uniqueness and
dialect. The fourth paragraph is about how political biases can affect your writing and how others see your writing. The fifth
paragraph is about the authors personal upbringing. The sixth paragraph is about how the author did not like reading. The seventh
paragraph is about how the author was good at writing, but still was not enthusiastic about writing. The eighth paragraph is about
how much and why the author liked writing his college application essays. The ninth paragraph is about how the author used his
grandma for advice on essays. The tenth paragraph is about how the author was happy with writing stories of his own. The
eleventh paragraph is about how the author got no enjoyment in writing papers in high school. The twelfth paragraph is about the
author never seeming to have the time to read. The thirteenth paragraph is about how the author liked to read much more when he
was younger. The fourteenth paragraph is about the passion the author had in reading Harry Potter books and how he questions
why he does not have that passion any more. The fifteenth paragraph is about how much the author liked the Magic School Bus
book series. The sixteenth paragraph is about how the author uses respect for his conversations. The seventeenth and last

paragraph is about how people use literacy techniques every day. The author does not get off track and stays focused on literacy
the whole essay.
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?
The author begins the story well by engaging the audience and giving them some information about a word. The author uses the
word sonder as a device to give people who have never heard the word before, a new word to know and he uses that word to
basically describe his whole essay. He could draw the reader in more by going into more detail about specific literacy events in his
life. I do believe that the introduction leads up to the thesis statement and shows where the rest of the essay is going. The
conclusion relates to the main points of the essay in terms of talking about different forms of literacy and how to use literacy. It talks
more about how literacy has affected the past and the author personally. I found the conclusion satisfying.
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.
Yes, the author shares four key literacy events talks about how they relate to literacy overall. The author also connects the literacy
events with three of the readings we have discovered in class.
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?
Yes, I believe the organization of the paper makes sense. The author has structured it in a way where he first describes the topic of
his essay and then later connects it to multiple stories. I do believe that the author alternated between personal experience and
scholarly ideas about literacy because he would talk about his own personal experiences in one paragraph and then talk about his
opinions on literacy in another.
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.
The author does consider the audience. The author does a good job of considering the audience with the first sentence when he
says if you look up, making the reader feel as if the author is talking directly to him/her.
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.
I think the author does a good job at explaining his own views on literacy and I think he also does a good job at showing the contrast
in Eastern and Western teaching strategies. I think the author should work on the paragraphs that were too short. I think he could

fix this by combining two of those short paragraphs that are compatible with one another. I also think that he could be a little more
specific with his literacy events. He could fix this just by adding in an extra sentence or two.
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 his literacy events and other books that he liked/likes to read. The author does not talk enough
about ways that writers are unique. It is not that big of a deal, maybe just add examples of different types of writing styles.

Rubric for Project #1: Literacy Memoir

Category
Assignme
nt
Requireme
nts
20 points

Creativity
20 points

Rhetorical
Strategies
20 points

Organizati
on
20 points

Academic
Correctnes
s
20 points

UWRT
Ashley Marcum

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
authoraudience,
has really
Addresses

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.

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.

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.
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
Fall 2015

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 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,

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.