Print a copy for each student. As part of an assignment in which students write compositions or reports, ask them to prepare a draft for an editing workshop. Have students in groups of three take turns reading their drafts aloud to the other two group members. The student who is reading starts by stating the topic and purpose of the piece and mentioning any parts of the work that he or she would like comments on. The students who are listening note any places where they have problems understanding or following.
Students then rewrite the piece in response to their editors' suggestions.
Suggested Assessment Strategies To check on students' ability to evaluate their own and others' work, work with them to develop a set of evaluation criteria for an assignment. Create an evaluation sheet with columns for self-, peer, and teacher ratings. Include space for students to add comments. Have each student staple the sheet to the assignment, exchange with another student for the peer assessment, and then do a self-assessment. Copyright 1999 All Rights Reserved.