Tips for Writing Comments on Student Papers

1.  According to Lindemann, "the only appropriate purpose for comments on students' papers is to offer feedback and guide learning" (230).

2.  Comments should be used as a way to establish a relationship with the writer.  Therefore, the comments should make the students feel free to explore new topics without the fear of being attacked by a red (or blue or purple or green) pen (Lindemann 233).

3.  Use comments to help the students set goals for their writing, but make sure to only set a few manageable goals at a time (Lindemann 233).

4.  Focus on patterns of error instead of every single mistake.  Sometimes, students just miss an error in their paper; but if the same error is repeated numerous times, then you know that there is some misunderstanding that needs to be addressed.

5.  If a part of the paper does not work, discuss why it does not work.  This method gives students something to work from (Lindemann 238).

6.  Give specific praise.  "GOOD!"--good what??

7.  Ask questions that do not have a "yes" or "no" response.  For example, start the question with why, how, or what.  These questions make the students really think about their paper (Lindemann 240).

8.  Offer suggestions without doing the work for the student.

9.  Try to avoid shorthand.  While some of us grew up in the world of awk, wc, sp, and rep, many people did not.

10.  Also, try to avoid using bold, all caps, or exclamation points, unless for positive comments.  These items have a way of making a simple suggestion sound like a horrifying scream.

11.  Write an endnote at the end of the paper to summarize your comments.  Start with the positives, then address a few problems in the paper, some goals for the student, and specific strategies to help them on their way (Lindemann 241).

Lindemann, Erika.  A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers.  New York: Oxford UP, 2001.

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