It's not necessary to grade or even read everything your students write!

• Some writing can be for the writer alone (e.g., log entries ó you just check them off).
• Some writing can be read and responded to by peers (a real audience).

 

• Try occasional writing conferences: 5-10 mins. face-to-face helps some students more than written comments that may require more of your time.

Feedback is most motivating to students before they write the final draft.
(because they have an opportunity to incorporate your suggestions)
 

When commenting on a draft:

• Try reading the whole paper before you write anything on it.
• Donít try to mark every error; students are overwhelmed by papers covered with comments and corrections (most canít deal with more than 3 types of errors at once).
• Consider typing comments on a separate page or criteria sheet, or attaching Post-It notes to relevant parts of the paper (clearer and neater than writing your comments).