When teachers comment on your work, what do you do?
Learning how to use your teacher's comments to improve your writing skills
Does your teacher like to write a lot of comments on your writing assignments? Why do teachers do this?
Teachers write comments for several reasons.
- To point out your most common writing errors.
- Teachers typically look for your most common errors and highlight and comment on them. If you make a lot of AGREE (agreement) errors, you need to be more careful with subjects and verbs.
- Incorrect: "Many people lives in Chicago."
- Correct: "Many people live in Chicago."
- Teachers typically look for your most common errors and highlight and comment on them. If you make a lot of AGREE (agreement) errors, you need to be more careful with subjects and verbs.
- To show you a specific mistake, so you see it and look for it in the rest of your paper.
- Teachers won't correct all your mistakes. Their goal is for you to look at all of the paper for the same type of error.
- To help you know when to use a specific word or phrase.
- For example, if you use a dictionary, you will notice that it's good to say, "We watch TV" rather than "We see TV." They want you to use your growing vocabulary correctly.
Commenting on your paper allows teachers to teach you good writing skills, style, and form. Listen to them as you read their comments. Can you hear them talking to you? They want you to be the best writer you can be!
What do you do when you get your paper back?
- Review all of the comments your teacher makes.
- Do you understand them all? If you need help understanding what your teacher writes, meaning a comment is unclear, or you don't know why a specific word or phrase was highlighted. The best thing to do is…ask them what it means! Here are a few other things you can do as well:
- Send them an email.
- Make a comment on your Google doc or reply to the teacher's comment.
- Set up a time after class to talk to your teacher.
- Most importantly: Ask!
- Ask, "What do I need to do differently next time I write?"
- As you write, always check for errors you made in previous assignments. Then, correct them.
- Do you understand them all? If you need help understanding what your teacher writes, meaning a comment is unclear, or you don't know why a specific word or phrase was highlighted. The best thing to do is…ask them what it means! Here are a few other things you can do as well:
Remember that your teacher wants you to be able to find your own mistakes, and it starts with reading and understanding your teacher's comments.