Rough Draft Workshop

Questions:

1) Does the writer have a strong hook for the introduction? If not, suggest one. Does the writer introduce their topic clearly and succinctly, providing the necessary historical and plot background information so that the reader is not confused about the topic at hand? Give one or two suggestions for improvement in this area (do not skip).

2) Does the essay’s thesis seem to be undeveloped or too broad, or is it just specific enough to argue in an 4-6 page paper? Does it have one to two sentences? Does it outline the main topics that will be discussed in the essay? Many any necessary suggestions for clarification and more specificity as well (do not skip). Lastly, please remember that the thesis needs to address the prompt. 

3) Please note any places in the essay where further clarifying details could be added. This is something everyone in the class needs to work on. Is the writer clear about why "_____" is the real monster? Do they use scenes and quotes from the book and sources to back up their ideas?  Make sure historical context information is also provided.

4) Is the writer incorporating research from scholarly sources into the essay (not .com sources or dictionary/encyclopedia sources)? Do the sources seem to be strong and ON TOPIC? Why or why not (do not skip)

5) Does the writer have strong quotes from the book (Frankenstein) that they intend to use in the essay? They should! Are those quotes “murder weapon” quotes? Which quote is the strongest and which is the weakest? Suggest an ordering for the quotes that would help the writer work from their strongest point to their weakest (keeping in mind the importance of chronology/topic organization as well)—do not skip! Are the quotes smoothly integrated into the essay and not plopped?

6) Does the writer have sufficient analysis for their quotations? Remember, analysis is even more important than the quote itself. Make sure the writer is not simply explaining the quote in a summarizing fashion, but connecting it to its larger significance (relationship to their thesis). Make suggestions for improvement below, and be specific (do not skip).

7) Is the essay organized? Do the body paragraphs seem to build logically upon one another? Give at least one suggestion for improving the organization of the essay (do not skip). Starting at the beginning of the scene and then going forward from there is a good idea.

8) Does the writer incorporate their monster thesis notes into the essay effectively? 

9) Does the writer use effective transitions when moving between paragraphs? See the next post on this blog for tips.