Lesson Five: Peer Review

Aim: How can we review our classmates' reports?

Materials: Computers with word processing programs, a computer with a projector.

Instructional Objectives: Students will be able to publish their reports on the classroom website and decorate them with clip art; students will have the opportunity to review their classmates' reports.

Do Now: Go to Ben & Jerry's website and list three things you like about it. Keep these in mind when you post your reports on the classroom website and add graphics to make them more attractive.

Motivation: Teacher demonstrates how graphics may be used to augment posted reports.

Homework Review: The students exchange report drafts with a classmate. They note the good qualities of the report; ask questions about unclear sentences or sections; point out any errors that should be corrected; and make other suggestions that might improve the report.

Development: 

1. The students word process their final drafts using the spell check and the grammar check functions. If they notice that they have overused words, they should go to the thesaurus to try to find alternative words for variety.
   
2. They should make sure that they have at least a 250-word report and that they have included information from the text and from the charts.
   
3. If they haven't done so already, they should make some reference to the fact that the report is being read by their business teacher. For example, they may write: "As a business teacher you may find it interesting." Or : "As a student in a business class, I was interested to learn that.."
   
   
4. After they are satisfied, the students should save their report as a web document and post it to their own website or the class website.
   
   
5. Finally, they should make sure that attractive graphics accompany the report. Links to quoted material from the Ben & Jerry's website would also augment the document for electronic publication.
   
   
6. Copies of the reports are printed out without the students' names on them. These are randomly distributed to the class. If a student receives his or her own paper, they are returned for redistribution.
   
   
7. The students are directed to answer the following questions and grade the report. 

1. Content
   
   1. What do you like about this piece? Is the purpose clear?
   2. What questions do you have?
   3. Should any details, words, ideas, sections be added?
   4. Should anything be omitted?

2. Organization
   
   1. Does the order make sense? Is the piece easy to follow?
   2. Are the paragraphs indented and organized by keeping
      related ideas together?
   3. Should the sequence be rearranged?
      
3. Style
   
   1. Does the writing show how the reader thinks and feels about the topic?
   2. Do the sentences begin in different ways?
   3. Should any word or section be replaced?
   4. Does the writing "show" and not just "tell"?
      
4. Editing
   
   1. Does the writer use correct punctuation, spelling and capitalization?
   2. Is the writing easy to read? Does the writer use standard English?