Your purpose in writing this letter is to provide an honest and helpful response to your classmates' drafts and to suggest ways to make their writing better. Before beginning each letter, be sure to read the draft carefully. After you have done that, write a letter to your classmate explaining how this essay can be improved. Be VERY SPECIFIC and explain why you think these changes will be helpful to the reader. Begin your letter: Dear (classmate), and be sure to sign your name at the end. In your letter, respond to the following prompts and add any other ideas that you have. Remember that the focus of this letter is not on grammar and mechanics. Be considerate of your classmate's feelings. In order to give polite advice to your classmates, you can use indirect phrases like: It seems that ___, It appears that ___, I feel that ___, I have a question about ____, I don't understand ____, You could ____, It is my impression that ____, I suggest that ____,or I'm confused about _____. Bring two copies of each letter that you write. Your letter will be graded and is worth a maximum of 10 points.
1. In your own words, state what you think the author discovered
about writing or language or culture from the experience described in this
essay. Complete this sentence: "I think you discovered_______."
2. What questions do you have about this event or these events?
What other information would help you understand this event or these events
more completely?
3. Underline places in the essay where you think the author could
include more descriptive details. In your letter, explain why your
chose these parts to underline.
4. List what the author has done well in this draft.
There is a sample letter in your packet