Tips for proofreading and catching major errors:

  • Review the major error handout to make sure you understand the most significant problems you’re looking for.  Also, take a look at the editing section on pp. 59-64 of Bedford.

  • Read the essay out loud with a pencil in your hand and mark awkward sections.

  • Read the draft backwards at both the word level (to catch spelling errors) and the sentence level (to catch grammatical errors).

  • Read the draft through several times with at least an hour in between readings.

  • If you’re using a word processor, you’re more likely to catch errors reading from a hard copy than if just reading from the screen.

  • If you’re using a word processor, use the spell-checker, but remember that it won’t catch misspellings like from/form, two and to.

  • Lightly mark sentences that you’re unsure of, and ask me about them in class next time.

Students who don't pass this essay generally haven’t spent enough time proofreading

 Portfolio Items (LABEL ALL PARTS OF YOUR PORTFOLIO CLEARLY.)

Left Side

Right Side

1. Pre-writing/invention (bottom) 

1. Final draft (bottom)

2. Labeled drafts with earlier drafts nearer the bottom.

2. Writing goals (click for copy)

3 Labeled Peer Review sheets stapled to drafts that were reviewed.

3. Self- and Unit evaluation (top)

4. Conference Summary (top)

 

  • Writing Goals:  See handout.

  • Self-evaluation: Write a paragraph or two on problems you found in early drafts of your essay and how you solved them.  Write another  paragraph or two explaining how the sample essays (student and professional) we read influenced your essay. What strategies or techniques did you adapt from those essays?  

  • Unit Evaluation: Answer these questions: 1. What was the most helpful part of the instruction/teaching for this unit?  2. What would have made the instruction better? 3. Other comments or suggestions?

  • Conferences Summary:  Write a few sentences describing what we talked about in your conference.  Include the time and date of our meeting.  If you missed your conference, say so on the conference summary. 

 Penalties

  • If you do not provide copies of your draft for group members to evaluate.  I will automatically deduct one letter grade from your final essay.  If you do not complete peer reviews for your teammates, your essay grade will automatically drop two letter grades.

  • I will randomly select one peer-review that you’ve completed from one of your classmate’s portfolios.  You will receive a ten-point quiz grade based on the quality and comprehensiveness of your response.

  • See syllabus for other guidelines.

COMMON PROBLEMS:  As we discussed in class, the most common problem is with significance:  some essays either don't make the significance clear in the essay, or they try to tag it on the end with a Hallmark Card type of finish.  See the revision sheet for help here or ask me.  The other content problem is varying the pace and making the story engaging.  Again the revision sheet can help here.  Finally, major errors sometimes hurt essays that are otherwise quite good--PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD!!!