Writer’s Name: ______

Peer Editor’s Name: ______

“The Scarlet Ibis” Paragraph

Peer Editing

Complete the following as you check your partner’s paragraph.

Please mark any mistakes on the paragraph, as well.

The author’s purpose is to inform readers about ______

Organization

1. Does the Topic Sentence(s) include the complete title of the story in quotes? / “The Scarlet Ibis” / Yes / No
2. Does the Topic Sentence(s) include the author’s full name? / James Hurst / Yes / No
3. Does the Topic Sentence(s) clearly state ONE (1) author’s purpose? / Love/caring OR selfishness/pride / Yes / No
4. Does the Topic Sentence include important background about the story? / Background must include:
§  Main conflict
§  Main character(s) / Yes / No
5. Does the paragraph include TWO (2) quotes from the story? / Yes / No
6. After each quote, are there TWO (2) sentences of Commentary? / Yes / No
7. Does the paragraph end with a Concluding Sentence that wraps up the ideas of the whole paragraph? / Yes / No
8. Is the entire paragraph EIGHT (8) sentences? / Yes / No
Comments:

Concrete Details (Quotes)

1. Does the 1st Concrete Detail (quote) clearly support the author’s purpose the writer is focused on? / All quotes must be on topic.
A quote that doesn’t seem to fit with the paragraph’s topic (love or selfishness) is a major issue. / Yes / No
2. Does the 2nd Concrete Detail (quote) clearly support the author’s purpose the writer is focused on? / Yes / No
3. Do both quotes clearly come from a part of the story where the author is teaching a lesson about love or pride? / Yes / No
Comments:

Commentary

1. Does the Commentary after the 1st Concrete Detail clearly and completely explain how this quote proves selfishness or love? / There should be at least 2 sentences of Commentary after each quote.
The 2 sentences of Commentary should not be repetitive (should not repeat the exact same ideas). / Yes / No
2. Does the Commentary after the 2nd Concrete Detail clearly and completely explain how this quote proves selfishness or love? / Yes / No
3. Does the Commentary of this paragraph always stay on topic? / Yes / No
4. Does the Commentary of this paragraph analyze the quotes, not summarize them? / Commentary should never just repeat or summarize what the quote says. It should be explaining how the quote proves the ideas of the Topic Sentence. / Yes / No
Comments:

Parenthetical Documentation

1. Is the 1st quote (Concrete Detail) cited with Parenthetical Documentation? / “…But we still kept on with a tired doggedness. It was too late to turn back, for we had both wandered too far into a net of expectations” (Hurst 471). / Yes / No
2. Is the 2nd quote (Concrete Detail) cited with Parenthetical Documentation? / Yes / No
3. Is the author’s last name included in both citations? / (Hurst 471). / Yes / No
4. Is the page number (and no added words or abbreviations) included in both citations? / (Hurst 471).
NOT pg 471, #471, page 471, etc. / Yes / No
6. Is the Parenthetical Documentation always followed by a period? / “I should have already admitted defeat, but my pride wouldn’t let me” (Hurst 471). / Yes / No
7. Are both quotes cited with PROPER Parenthetical Documentation (no mistakes)? / “‘You can do it. Do you want to be different from everybody else when you start school?’” (Hurst 471).
“‘Oh yes you can, Doodle,’ I said. ‘All you got to do is try’” (Hurst 467). / Yes / No
Comments:

Formal Style

1. Does the writer ALWAYS stay in third-person? / No use of I, me, my, myself, we, our, us, you, your, yourself.
(First- or second-person is okay if it is in a quote.) / Yes / No
2. Does the writer NEVER use any casual language or slang? / No words that can be seen as slang or casual, informal, or unprofessional.
(Casual language and slang is only okay if it is in a quote.) / Yes / No
3. Does the writer NEVER use a contraction? / No can’t, he’s, aren’t, it’s, they’re, etc.
(Contractions are only okay if it is in a quote.) / Yes / No
4. Does the writer NEVER use a past tense verb? / The narrator worked with Doodle for years. = PAST L
The narrator works with Doodle for years. = PRESENT! J
(Past tense verbs are only okay if it is in a quote.) / Yes / No
Comments:

Conventions

1. Is the paragraph written in paragraph form? / §  The first line is indented.
§  All of the writing should make up one whole paragraph (no extra spaces anywhere). / Yes / No
2. Does the writer always put the story in quotes and capitalize correctly? / “The Scarlet Ibis” / Yes / No
3. Does the writer always spell the author’s name correctly and capitalize correctly? / James Hurst / Yes / No
4. Does the writer always spell character names correctly and capitalize correctly? / §  the narrator
§  Doodle
§  Old Woman Swamp
§  The South
§  World War I / Yes / No
5. Does the writer have an error-free paragraph? / To the best of your ability, double-check for errors in:
§  Spelling
§  Capitalization
§  Punctuation
§  Usage / Yes / No
Comments: