San Marcos, California 92096 http://csusm.edu/writing_center 760.750.4168
Commenting on Student Papers: Advice from Composition Instructors
Before you assign the paper: Spend time designing a good writing assignment. Good assignments are more likely to elicit good writing.
Devote time in class to generating ideas. Spending some time talking about potential responses to an assignment will help guide students who might otherwise be misreading the assignment. Talk to your students about the evaluation process. You may even invite them to generate the list of criteria for evaluating their work. Engaging the students in this process makes them more aware of the expectations of the assignment. Give students an opportunity to see both strong and weak sample responses to the assignment. Again, this will give students a clear idea of the expectations of the assignment which will help them as they begin writing.
While students are working on the paper: Engage students in the writing process. Don’t just ask for a single paper—make use of intermediary assignments like proposals, annotated bibliographies, rough drafts, etc. Students will get involved in writing the assignment early on, and you will be able to identify any student who may need extra guidance or advice.
Hold either one-on-one conferences or small group conferences with your students to discuss their progress with the assignment. This gives you a chance to see how students are progressing and to intervene if necessary. Intermediary deadlines, like a one-on-one conference, can also prevent procrastination (a common factor in poor writing). Use peer review groups. Students are often better at proofreading their peers’ papers than they are at proofreading their own. Allowing some class time for peer review also give you an opportunity to informally chat with students about their papers and answer any questions that come up. Refer students to the Writing Center. The Writing Center is a great place for students to get feedback on their writing at any stage in the process. Our consultants can help with anything from generating and organizing ideas to more detailed revision needs, such as clarity of sentences.
After the student turns the paper in: Remember that you are a reader, and your response should be just that—a “response.”
Don’t spend hours correcting every grammar/spelling error your see. Before you begin evaluating a paper, choose one or two key elements for the assignment and focus your comments on those. In your feedback, start with something positive, then move on your concerns with the paper. Even if the paper is written poorly, it’s important to comment on both what is working as well as what is
The California State University
Bakersfield • Channel Islands • Chico • Dominguez Hills • East Bay • Fresno • Fullerton • Humboldt • Long Beach • Los Angeles • Maritime Academy • Monterey Bay • Northridge • Pomona • Sacramento • San Bernardino • San Diego • San Francisco • San Jose • San Luis Obispo • San Marcos • Sonoma • Stanislaus
San Marcos, California 92096 http://csusm.edu/writing_center 760.750.4168
not working. At the same time, make sure your comments reflect the grade you are giving (tons of positive comments + “D” paper = a very confused student).
Quality is more important than quantity. Providing a few comments that focus on each student’s needs or challenges and that offer supportive and careful critique are far more useful than a laundry list of confusing shorthand and vague notes. Try to focus comments towards future writing. It’s pointless to offer a student advice for revising a paper that she/he won’t have a chance to revise. If it is a draft, or if you are allowing time for revision, direct your comments at ways to improve the paper (as opposed to pointing out where the paper fails). If it is a final draft, keep your comments short and simple. If you can, make suggestions that might be helpful for the student on a future paper for your class.
Dealing with grammar: You don’t need to be a grammar expert to grade a paper. In fact, most writing assignments outside of composition classes are designed to discern how well students are grasping the content of the course, to hear what they have to say, and to maintain a high level of communication in the course.
Don’t spend four hours correcting every grammar/spelling mistake you see. It is not your job to edit a student’s paper, nor is it conducive to learning for students to receive papers covered in such comments, especially if they won’t have an opportunity to revise. If a paper is difficult to read because of grammar, spelling, and syntax errors, consider one of the following strategies: o Correct one paragraph, and let the student know that there is a pattern of particular errors or types of errors, as noted in the first paragraph. o Instead of marking every error, mark an “X” in the margin next to the error, and let the student know what that “X” means. o Return the paper to the student, and tell her/him that you will grade it when the errors are gone. In each of these strategies, the errors or mistakes are pointed out, but not fixed for the student. This makes the student responsible for polishing their own papers. Once one paper is turned in and returned like this, students are more likely to proofread and polish their next paper.
This handout was adapted for the Writing Center at Cal State San Marcos from material gathered from a variety of sources, including but not limited to John C. Bean’s Engaging Ideas and composition faculty at various CSUs. The California State University
Bakersfield • Channel Islands • Chico • Dominguez Hills • East Bay • Fresno • Fullerton • Humboldt • Long Beach • Los Angeles • Maritime Academy • Monterey Bay • Northridge • Pomona • Sacramento • San Bernardino • San Diego • San Francisco • San Jose • San Luis Obispo • San Marcos • Sonoma • Stanislaus