Responding to Student Writers
First EditionNancy Sommers
©2013A brief instructor resource, Nancy Sommers’Responding to Student Writers offers a model for thinking about response as a dialogue between students and teachers — and for thinking about the benefits of responding to writers as well as to their writing.
Table of Contents
Contents
Note to fellow teachers
Introduction
Why comments matter
Considering a writer’s development
Seeing comments through students’ eyes
The call-and-response of commenting
1 Setting the scene for responding
Offering one lesson at a time
Understanding the purpose of comments
The dangers of overcommenting
Responding to rough versus final drafts
Finding the right tone
Developing a common language
Creating a link between classroom and comments
2 Engaging students in a dialogue about their writing
Establishing a role for students in the dialogue
Revising with comments
The Dear Reader letter
Making the most of comments
3 Writing marginal comments
Marginalia
Less is sometimes more
Developing a scale of concerns
4 Writing end comments
End comments on early drafts
End comments on final drafts
Taking students seriously
5 Managing the paper load
Focusing on student learning
Varying the purpose of comments
Varying the style of comments
Mentoring students to become thoughtful readers
Resisting the urge to correct grammar and punctuation errors
Finding a role for grading rubrics
6 A case study: One reader reading
Bibliography
Responding to student writers: Best practices