Students can learn to be effective respondents to drafts—especially if they’re given a set of guidelines to encourage comments directed toward revision.  Ask writers to provide questions they want a partner to answer about their drafts. Then divide students in pairs, and tell them to use the following guidelines:

1. Summarize your partner’s draft, writing one sentence for each paragraph.
2. Explain how well do you think your partner has followed the assignment.
3. To what extent has your partner changed your feeling about the topic?
4. What is the strongest counterargument to the stance your partner takes—and to what extent does your partner address it?
5. What two features of the draft most need improvement (consider thesis development, quality of the argument, support, organization, paragraph development)?
6. What editing concerns need to be addressed, if any?
7. Reply to your partner’s questions.