Student to Student Feedback-A Powerful Tool!

Since we are 3 weeks into the school year, students will be finalizing some writing projects soon.  I think it is so important for the kids to respond to each others writing.  There are so many reasons that I LOVE having the students respond to each other's work. Here is my list!

Benefits of Student to Student Feedback  

1.) Students gain another peer's insight. (They listen to their friends!)

2.) Students think of relevant ideas for improving their friend's work. (Often ideas that I wouldn't have thought of!)

3.) Student's feel important when they are making suggestions for their friend's writing. (AND will sometimes put more effort into their writing when they know someone else in the class will be looking at their work!)

4.) The students listen to each other. (Let's face it, sometimes they are sick of hearing what the teacher says!)  

5.) This strategy can reduce the teacher's workload. (Enough said!!!)

In the past I have used post it notes for the student's to write comments on their peer's work, but the post it note has EVOLVED into Student to Student Feedback Wheels. 

 

To begin, I go over a Peer Feedback Anchor Chart with my students so that they have an idea of what student feedback is and the different types.

  

Next we discuss how everything is not always perfect in their peer's writing, but when it IS, there are different ways to tell them.  So we brainstorm some possible positive comments.  Next, we discuss that many times there are things that their friend needs to change, add, delete, make better, and improve.  We talk about how this can be REALLY difficult, especially when you do not want to hurt your friend's feelings!  So, we discuss constructive ways for the students to tell their friends what they need to work on.  We also talk about how this gets EASIER the more that we do it and by offering constructive criticism the students will be helping their friend's writing AND grade in the future!  FINALLY, we discuss how authors often leave out details in their writing.  We list different questions stems that can help them ask questions about the writing they are reading.  We talk about how this can be the MOST important way for making their friend's writing the BEST it can be because this can really let the author know what they left out.  Once we have brainstormed all of these components on a chart, I give the students the following sentence frames chart that they can keep in their writing folder to help them when we are doing peer assessment.

 

To grab a copy of the wheel that the student's use (square version too!), click here!

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