In order to achieve full points under ‘Engagement/Participation' you need to be sure to address all of the Guided Response criteria for each peer response.
When responding to your peers in such a way that is directed to their initial posting, make it personal to them, not generic. Refer to a point they made in their post, ask deeper questions about a statement they made, relate an experience that you had that correlates to their post.
Be sure to address all of the Guided Response criteria for each peer response. Feel free to ask questions of them for clarification if needed or agree/disagree with their position (in a non-accusatory way) and back it up.
(This above is what the teacher expects when responding to peers. Below is the Guided Response criteria in which is very important an has to be addressed)
WHAT IS UNDERLINED IS IMPORTANT
Guided Response:
Review your classmates' posts.
Now imagine that you are going to write a nonfiction class book with your students.
1. Choose characteristics from your classmates' responses about nonfiction literature that you will include in your class book.
2. Justify why you believe it is important to include each of these characteristics in your class book.
PEER 1
I choose Russell Freedman and book is called "Give Me Liberty". Children will enjoy reading this book because it presents history in a fascinating way. I remember reading this book in school because the class had to recite a poem from this book. This informational book tells a story about some of the mast famous events about the American Revolution leading up to a Congressional Congress and the Declaration of Independence.
This book is not only informative, it is also entertaining. It is easy to follow narrative style that will keep children entertained and curious about what would happen past the Declaration of Independence. This book is organized in short stories which tells about a stage in the process of accomplishing independence, and ripe with completed with beautiful color pictures and side notes, but not so confusing that would pull attention away from the main story. The story of the Declaration of Independence made Russell Freedman a superstar in the world of children's nonfiction.
Chapter 8, gives an excellent characteristic on the writing and signing of this historic document. The initial document is reproduced along with the full text, this included the name of the signers. Photographs of painting, sketches and documents are stead separated throughout the book. Further resources include the table of contents, chronology of every events, selected bibliography, illustration credits and index.
Give Me Liberty is a story about the American Revolution and the writing of the Declaration of Independence. It is arranged into short stories that tell about a stage in the process of accomplishing independence, and enriched with beautiful color pictures and side notes, that is not so distracting that would pull the attention away from the main story. The end reading includes the text of the Declaration of Independence and information further study of the topic.
I can use this piece of literature in my classroom as a teaching tool to point out that the process of writing the Declaration wasn't so different in the way in which they write for instance drafting, revising and editing up to their final assignment is submitted. Have a discussion with the children about the text can serve as model to assist children into understanding that language is important, as well as form, if the writer beliefs the reader would attend to the significance of the content.
PEER 2
Author: Nic Bishop
Title: Frogs
Accuracy: According to Coats, "Accuracy is sometimes difficult to determine if you are not an expert in the field" (2013). This book is copyrighted from 2007, so it is not too old.
There may be some new discoveries about types of frogs, but this doesn't mean this book is not accurate about the books that are in this book. The information presented seems accurate of the limited things I know about frogs.
Organization: This book is pretty organized and flows well. There are a lot of facts and information presented in this book about frogs in an easy to understand way.
Design: Frogs has a lot of vivid and detailed pictures of frogs in different habitats. The book is inviting with a lot of action shots and pictures of different frogs in different settings.
Writing Style: Nic Bishop is able to present his information about frogs in a way that is easy to understand for children. It reminds me of the way that kids would share something they find interesting, but in a more organized manner.