Reminder: Essay 2 Critiques Due Wednesday, 2/18

Don't forget that your critique of another classmate's Essay 2 first draft is due this Wednesday, 2/18. To remind you, the way I graded critiques for Essay 1 first drafts was simple: I gave you full credit for a reasonably complete critique, and that was that. This time, however, I will be more strict. So please make sure to write a thorough critique.

Now, to write a good critique, you don't necessarily have to rip your partner's draft to shreds in your comments, but you can definitely be thorough and incisive. For example, if you can't describe something specific that's going wrong, think instead of questions to ask your critique partner, to get him or her to consider some of their ideas more closely. Or point out an idea that can be interesting and, very simply, suggest that there's more that can be said, or that something specific is missing. Of course, you might want to go a bit further and make a few suggestions, too. 

And there's always one incredibly helpful thing: Tell your partner what they seem to you to be saying at the most important places in the essay. Reflecting a writer's argument back to him or her lets the writer know if his or her ideas got through, and just how they got through. And it gives you a great place to say, "But..." and then criticize a bit.

At any rate, though, the more you say and ask, the more I'll be likely to give you full credit for your critique.

Oh, and I have one more request: In your critique, don't bother with grammar. I'm finding that a lot of people simply tend to tell their critique partners, "Your essay isn't as good as it can be because it has grammar errors." But nobody so far has bothered to describe the grammar issues they see. And that's not helpful at all. So please, don't mention grammar in your critiques. Leave that to me.