Peer Critique:  ILS Film

Please read your peer’s draft and answer the following questions thoughtfully and thoroughly on a separate sheet of paper.  USE COMPLETE SENTENCES.  Simple “yes” and “no” answers are not acceptable.  Your response must be typed.  This is not a test to see if you have done things “correctly”; rather, this is an opportunity for you to receive responses and feedback about what you have written from a reader who is familiar with the goals of this assignment. 
After you have finished with your response, make sure your name is on the critique you have written.  You will then give it back to the author, and the author will read it and make necessary revisions. 

Please upload a copy to the appropriate folder in Ulearn as well.

 I will look for the name on your sheet and give the appropriate person credit for completing the critique.

1.Does the essay begin with an interesting title and a catchy lead-in?  How might the author improve these?

2.Does the title reflect the entire content of the essay and mention the title of the film, and the director as well as the theme (or main idea) that is examined? How might these be improved?

3.Does the essay focus on a single, clearly defined interpretation of the film (a theme or main idea)? Identify the essay’s primary claim (thesis).

4.  Does the intro clearly preview the entire content of the paper? Why or Why not? How might this be improved?

5.Because most readers will probably have different interpretations of a film, does the writer show which film elements (set design, camera shots, costuming, lighting, themes, etc.) prompted their response to the film?  Do they identify the specific scene from the film that prompted their response early on in the essay and provide a brief summary and explanation of the significance of the film's overall theme to this scene? 

6. Identify at least one paragraph in which the supporting evidence is strong.  Then identify at least one paragraph in which the writer makes assertions without sufficient supporting evidence (Remember supporting evidence will be quotes from the text to support general statements).

7.Does the author use the present tense throughout the essay to relate the events of the film's plot?  Identify any verbs that are in the past tense.  

8.Are there any areas in the draft where the author merely gives a plot summary (recounts the event of the film without offering their own interpretation of its meaning?  Identify these).

9.  Is the content of each paragraph clearly connected to the theme of the scene that is identified in the introduction?  How might the author improve this?

10.Is the essay well organized? How might the author improve the organization of the paper? What transitions might be added to aid the flow of the paper and make it clear? Explain. 

11.How does the conclusion bring the audience to the acceptable ending? How does the ending of the paper relate to the claim and the support?

12.How does the conclusion bring the audience to the acceptable ending?  Does the conclusion summarize the main points made in the body of the paper and restate the claim made in the intro?

13.  When read together, do the intro and conclusion form one idea?  Do the essay's title, intro and conclusion form one idea when considered together?

14.Does the paper convince you? Why or why not? What does the paper still need?

15.Note:  the language in this essay must be formal and academic.  Does the author use appropriate language? Cite examples of inappropriate language, such as slang or informal expressions (“I,” personal pronouns, or contractions).   

16.  Has the author appropriately introduced sources in their text, used in-text citations for information from outside sources, used signal phrases, and included a works cited page?

16.Revision plan.  List three key changes that the writer should make during the revision.

17.Add any editing suggestions you might notice while you’re reading.