Some Possibilities for the First Workshop

Workshop: Paper #1

Trade papers with one another; go somewhere quiet. First read the paper out loud to each other and let the writer hear his/her paper read to him/her. If s/he does not like what it sounds like, let him/her ask the reader to mark the places that s/he does not like, so the writer can fix those spots later.
Then separate and answer the following questions without re-reading the paper to find the answers. If you do not know the answers, just write that down. It is not your fault, but it will indicate to the writer that the paper needs further clarification. That, in itself, will be helpful to the writer.


1. In your own words, what is the purpose of this paper? What does it set out to do?




2. Why is there a need for this particular paper? Why should I care about this subject?



3. Do you think the writer needs to narrow his/her idea? In other words, do you think the writer provides the reader with enough specific focus so that we really know what the writer is talking about (what things would be included in the thesis and what things would not, what examples would work and what examples would not).



4. If the paper has enough focus, then provide the writer with another idea that would work for an additional paragraph and two specific examples that the writer could include to illustrate that idea.



If the paper does not have enough focus, give the writer a few hints of some ways s/he might begin to think about focusing his/her paper.





5. Who is the target audience of the paper? Who is the paper aimed at, and how do you know?



6. What evidence does the writer’s paper give you that makes you believe the writer is knowledgeable enough to undertake this paper? Does he or she demonstrate knowledge of the subject? How so? Explain.



7. What could the writer do to make the paper more unique and memorable to the reader?



8. What is the weakest thing about this paper?


9. Any suggestions for how this weakness can be overcome?