English Language Arts · 6th Grade

Active learning ideas

Argumentative Writing: Peer Review and Revision

Active peer review and revision help students see their arguments through a reader’s eyes. Students clarify their thinking when they explain their work to others and respond to specific questions about clarity or evidence.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.5

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Peer Teaching
• 25 min · Pairs

Structured Protocol: Two Stars and a Targeted Question

Each reviewer identifies two specific strengths in the essay (citing the exact sentence) and writes one focused question that challenges the writer to clarify or strengthen a weak point. Writers then use the question as the anchor for their revision plan, explaining in writing how they will address it.

How do we provide specific and actionable feedback on a peer's argumentative essay?

Facilitation Tip

Introduce the Two Stars and a Targeted Question protocol with a modeled example before students practice in pairs.

What to look for

Provide students with a checklist focusing on claim, evidence, and reasoning. Students use the checklist to score a peer's essay on a scale of 1-4 for each category and write one specific suggestion for improvement for each section.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Whole Class

Gallery Walk: Color-Coded Feedback Round

Essays are posted on the walls or desks. Students rotate with two colored pens, underlining strong evidence in one color and circling unclear reasoning in another. After the walk, writers collect their marked drafts and tally which sections received the most attention as a guide for where to focus revision.

Analyze how peer feedback can strengthen the clarity and persuasiveness of an argument.

What to look for

After receiving feedback, ask students to write down the three most helpful comments they received and one specific revision they plan to make based on each comment.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Revision Decision Mapping

Students read all feedback received and individually categorize it as 'agree and will change,' 'agree but not sure how,' or 'disagree and here is why.' They then share their categorization with a partner before drafting a written revision plan with at least three specific changes they commit to making.

Design a revision plan based on feedback received from peers and teachers.

What to look for

Facilitate a whole-class discussion using the prompt: 'What is the difference between feedback that says 'This is confusing' and feedback that says 'Could you explain how this piece of evidence supports your claim on page 2?' Why is the second type more helpful for revision?'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 30 min · Pairs

Role Play: The Editor's Chair

One student reads a paragraph of their essay aloud while a peer plays the role of a skeptical reader and asks questions like 'How do you know that?' or 'What does that evidence actually prove?' The writer must respond verbally, then translate those spoken clarifications back into revised written sentences.

How do we provide specific and actionable feedback on a peer's argumentative essay?

What to look for

Provide students with a checklist focusing on claim, evidence, and reasoning. Students use the checklist to score a peer's essay on a scale of 1-4 for each category and write one specific suggestion for improvement for each section.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach feedback as a skill, not a favor. Model how to turn vague praise into concrete observations, such as ‘Your introduction clearly states your claim’ instead of ‘It was good.’ Use short, frequent practice with sentence stems so students internalize the language of revision.

By the end of these activities, students will give and receive feedback that is specific, balanced, and actionable. They will revise their essays to strengthen claims, organize evidence, and connect reasoning more effectively.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Two Stars and a Targeted Question, watch for students who default to general feedback like ‘I liked it’ instead of naming specific strengths.

  Model turning vague praise into specific observations such as ‘Your introduction clearly states your claim, which helps the reader understand your position right away.’ Provide sentence stems to guide students.

• During Gallery Walk: Color-Coded Feedback Round, watch for students who only mark errors and ignore what is working in the essay.

  Use the color-coded system to require students to identify one strength (green), one question (yellow), and one revision target (red) for each essay they review.

• During Role Play: The Editor's Chair, watch for students who accept all feedback without evaluating its usefulness for their argument.

  After receiving feedback in the role play, have writers categorize comments as ‘Use it,’ ‘Consider it,’ or ‘Discard it,’ and explain their reasoning to the editor.

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Methods used in this brief

• Peer Teaching
• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share
• Role Play