Peer Revision
Name one thing a peer should check when revising a classmate’s paragraph
Identify whether this is a complete sentence: “Running to the bus.”
What punctuation mark ends a question?
Name one good thing to do the evening before the Milestones test.
What is a “compliment” in peer revision? Give a short example you might tell a writer.
A compliment is a positive comment about something done well. Example: “I like how you described the setting — I could picture it.”
Rewrite this run-on sentence into two correct sentences: “The bell rang the students left their seats.”
Acceptable rewrites: “The bell rang. The students left their seats.” or “When the bell rang, the students left their seats.” or “The bell rang, and the students left their seats.”
Where should a comma go in this sentence: “After lunch we went outside to play.”
Correct sentence: “After lunch, we went outside to play.” (comma after introductory phrase)
Name one tool (feature) on the Milestones online platform you can use to mark a question to come back to.
Example tools: Flag / Mark for Review, Highlighter, Cross-off/Strikeout, Notepad, Calculator (if allowed).
When suggesting changes, what does the “two stars and a wish” method mean?
Two stars = two things the writer did well; a wish = one suggestion for improvement.
Choose the correct pronoun: “Everyone should bring ___ book to class.” (his or her / their)
Correct pronoun: “his or her” (for formal singular agreement) — many classrooms accept “their” in modern usage; follow teacher guidance.
Identify and correct the error: Its raining, so bring your umbrella.
Corrected: “It’s raining, so bring your umbrella.” (“It’s” = it is)
Explain how the “cross-off” or strikeout tool helps when you are choosing between multiple-choice answers.
The cross-off tool removes answers you have eliminated, making it easier to see remaining choices and reducing careless selection mistakes.
You read a classmate’s story and notice the ending feels rushed. Write one specific revision suggestion you could give.
Example suggestion: “Add one sentence that explains how the problem was solved so the ending feels complete.”
Combine these two sentences into one complex sentence using a subordinating conjunction: “The student studied for the test. She wanted to improve her score.”
Combined complex sentence: “Because she wanted to improve her score, the student studied for the test.”
Explain when to use quotation marks. Provide a short example showing correct punctuation with dialogue.
Use quotation marks to show exact words spoken. Example: Maria said, “I will bring the book.” (Comma before the opening quotation for dialogue)
Describe how you and a partner could use peer revision strategies (outside of the test) to practice using the same tools you’ll see on Milestones.
Practice idea: Partner reads passages aloud while the other practices highlighting key words and using cross-off on multiple-choice practice items; swap roles and give feedback using two stars and a wish.
A peer’s essay has repeated ideas in two paragraphs. Explain clearly how you would help them reorganize the ideas (mention paragraph-level change).
Example reorganization: Combine repeated idea into paragraph 2, then add a new supporting detail to paragraph 3 so each paragraph has its own main idea.
Read the paragraph below. Identify one unclear or awkward sentence. Rewrite it and explain briefly why your revision is better.
Paragraph: Sam loved to explore the woods behind his house he would spend hours looking for birds and bugs and sometimes he forgot to eat dinner. One evening he found a strange nest high in an oak tree, it had shiny pieces woven in. He climbed up the tree carefully but his foot slipped and he almost fell then he grabbed a branch and held on until he could get down.
Read the sentence below. Add or change punctuation and capitalization to correct it. Then explain in one short sentence why your changes are correct.
Sentence: on friday maria shouted “watch out” as the bicycle zoomed by but no one else heard her
On Friday, Maria shouted, “Watch out!” as the bicycle zoomed by, but no one else heard her.
A long reading question asks you to compare two paragraphs. Describe exactly how you would use the highlighter, notes, and cross-off tools together to find the best answer.
Step example: (1) Highlight the main idea in each paragraph and underline comparison words; (2) Use notes to write one-line summaries for each paragraph in the notepad; (3) Cross off answer choices that aren’t supported by highlighted evidence; (4) Choose the best supported answer.