UWRT 1103

Davis Powell reviewing Jake Tully

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.

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.

The essay will talk about different impactful events in his life that involved literacy and what he learned from those events.
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 author talks about different books he read throughout his life. He also goes into detail about what he learned from each event.
The first paragraph talks about his first memories of reading and writing. The second paragraph talks about what he is strong at in
writing and how teachers hold bias. The third paragraph the author talks about how the Chronicles of Narnia shaped his literacy and
led to his fiction addiction. The fourth paragraph he talks about his obsession with Harry Potter. The fifth paragraph the author
discusses how Josh Hamiltons book affected his life. In the sixth paragraph he talks about his brief obsession with mystery novels
and how it helped him connect with his grandfather. In the seventh paragraph he talked about writing an essay in high school about
his writing style. In the eighth paragraph he talks about writing college applications and how that shaped his literacy. In the ninth
paragraph he talks about how he wrote about his experience in a hospital and it made him feel better about it. In the tenth
paragraph he talks about how his writing has changed over time. In some parts the authors thoughts dont flow, such as the ones I
labeled in the paper. For the most part, the author stays on track though.
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 doesnt really have an introductory, he just kind of dives in to the story. The author doesnt do much to hook the reader.
He could ask a question at the beginning of the story to hook the reader. There is no thesis and no conclusion.
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 gives more than four key literacy events. He wrote an essay about D-Day and this made him realize that teachers
bias matters. His addiction to mystery books brought him closer to his grandfather. Writing about his experience in a hospital made
him feel better about it. Writing college application essays helped him become better at writing about himself.
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?
Somewhat, but it would be better if it went in more of a chronological order and flowed together better. It seems like the story is
bunch of random stories thrown together. No. Yes, it is structured all around a personal narrative. Id improve it by putting it in
chronological order.
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 doesnt really address the audience anywhere in the paper. In the section the author talks about applying to college he
could relate it to the audience because we all have applied to college.
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 drawing the reader and illustrating each event in his essay. I also think he did a good job putting a
lot of stories people can relate to in his essay. The author should work on his grammar. He also should work on making his story flow
together by putting the story in. He could put it in chronological or in a way so each story relates.
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 how Harry Potter affected his liking of other books in school. There seems to be not enough affect on
your literacy in this paragraph. Also, Id like to hear more about how teachers affected his writing because he doesnt give an
example of a teacher affecting his writing style.

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.