Practice peer review

Today we will learn how to practice peer review. Reading and writing help us share our ideas with others.

Peer review is the process of reading and giving constructive feedback on a classmate's writing. As a reviewer: be specific ("Your thesis is unclear" is less helpful than "Your thesis doesn't state a reason why—try adding 'because...'"), focus on high-order concerns first (thesis, organization, evidence, reasoning), then lower-order concerns (grammar, spelling), and always explain why something is or isn't working. As a writer receiving feedback: listen without getting defensive, ask clarifying questions, evaluate feedback critically (you don't have to accept every suggestion), and use feedback to identify patterns. Peer review improves both the reviewed work and the reviewer's own writing skills—explaining problems to others deepens your own understanding.

Let's break this down step by step so it's easy to understand. Follow along with the examples, and don't worry if it takes some practice to get the hang of it!

Remember: Making mistakes is part of learning. If something is tricky, try again, look at the examples, or ask for help.