"Responding--Really Responding--to Student Writing"
Citation: Straub, Richard. Responding-Really Responding-to Other Students’ Writing. The Subject is Writing 2nd Ed (pp. 136 – 146). Boynton/ Cock Publishers.
Richard Straub’s “ Responding Really Responding to Other Student Writings” teaches readers how to consider and understand the right ways of responding to other people writing’s. Straub takes his article from a different approach by separating his essay into parts conveying what each reader needs to have to be a successful responder. At the beginning he tries to get the responder an identity telling him/ her that he isn’t a editor, writer, or teacher, but a reader and only a reader. A Reader is portrayed in this essay as someone who doesn’t correct a paper for them or rewrite their sentences because once again Straub repetitively states that your identity is just a simple reader.
After identity had been define, Straub gives the reader a checklist that responders should keep in mind, so that they won’t stumble upon the state of confusion when reading a paper. Some of the few concepts that Straub states was when a reader looks over a paper he has to think what is the main purpose of this paper and what are the goals he/she wants to convey. Once that is discovered a reader can string his comments into the writing by providing questions to general examples and point out some areas where there needs more elaboration.
Likewise, Straub also provides strategies that teach responders the art of commenting. Comments come in various forms, but should only be put in two special places; which are in the margins and at the end of the essay. This provides writers with more advice and gives responders extra space to scribble down questions and ideas. Straub states that a comment should not be a simple statement made of “two or three words”, but a complex sentence made up or” seven or eight words.” These comments should not be short or sweet, but rather critical with a pinch of praise, so that the writer will feel like he is actually going somewhere with his paper. So when responding, Straub states that responders should ask questions to show that a point is unclear, give advice and make suggestions to a sentence or example. Responders should always balance themselves between criticizing and praise.
All in all after Straub gives his lesson of responding, he gives an example. This example showed how a responder included all the steps to be a good responder. He gave praise, but also criticized on key points. He considers the writers purpose and ask asked questions to areas that needed more specifications.
Richard Straub’s “ Responding Really Responding to Other Student Writings” teaches readers how to consider and understand the right ways of responding to other people writing’s. Straub takes his article from a different approach by separating his essay into parts conveying what each reader needs to have to be a successful responder. At the beginning he tries to get the responder an identity telling him/ her that he isn’t a editor, writer, or teacher, but a reader and only a reader. A Reader is portrayed in this essay as someone who doesn’t correct a paper for them or rewrite their sentences because once again Straub repetitively states that your identity is just a simple reader.
After identity had been define, Straub gives the reader a checklist that responders should keep in mind, so that they won’t stumble upon the state of confusion when reading a paper. Some of the few concepts that Straub states was when a reader looks over a paper he has to think what is the main purpose of this paper and what are the goals he/she wants to convey. Once that is discovered a reader can string his comments into the writing by providing questions to general examples and point out some areas where there needs more elaboration.
Likewise, Straub also provides strategies that teach responders the art of commenting. Comments come in various forms, but should only be put in two special places; which are in the margins and at the end of the essay. This provides writers with more advice and gives responders extra space to scribble down questions and ideas. Straub states that a comment should not be a simple statement made of “two or three words”, but a complex sentence made up or” seven or eight words.” These comments should not be short or sweet, but rather critical with a pinch of praise, so that the writer will feel like he is actually going somewhere with his paper. So when responding, Straub states that responders should ask questions to show that a point is unclear, give advice and make suggestions to a sentence or example. Responders should always balance themselves between criticizing and praise.
All in all after Straub gives his lesson of responding, he gives an example. This example showed how a responder included all the steps to be a good responder. He gave praise, but also criticized on key points. He considers the writers purpose and ask asked questions to areas that needed more specifications.