When pages are done and almost ready to go to the publisher, we do a “round robin” editing party. I build it right into the calendar for two days (so we’re not rushed).

INSTRUCTION CARDS

Make a copy of the file onto your Google Drive (be sure to save it somewhere you can find it later!)
Swap out any of the highlighted sections with info for your theme or publication specifications
There are a few empty boxes if you have other things to add
Print that baby out! I use colored cardstock to make it more fun, but def not necessary! I’m just verrrry extra. 😉
Consider laminating them, because you can use them over and over. If you create them with generic rules that aren’t year-specific, you can use them for YEARS.
Have fun cutting it up with your fancy paper cutter.
At the door when kiddos come in, they pick a card at random.

THIS IS HOW WE DO IT

Each card has a letter at the top and a category. Then it lists what to look for on each spread. Each person is JUST looking for their card’s category. Even if there is a glaring error, they cannot comment about it, unless it’s their category (this keeps things organized).
Some are more work than others, so I just make sure the same person doesn’t get the “hard” one again. We have a larrrrrge school with roughly 8 billion students 😉 so we break up the name check category in 2-3 alpha-split sections, or by grade level.
We arrange all the desks in a circle and everyone brings their printed spread.
I provide sticky notes, pens, candy/chips (aka motivation), and we staple a blank (color coded depending on deadline because I’m extra like that!) sheet of paper on top of their spread. I set the timer for 3 minutes. Everyone starts with someone else’s spread, and we rotate around the circle.
On the spread itself, they write “A1, A2, A3” in the areas needing corrections. On the blank sheet, they write descriptions for each correction. This saves space from writing the actual corrections all over the spread, as 20+ people are going to be looking at it and it can get a little messy.

The kids begin to really SCRUTINIZE each other’s spreads (in a constructive way) which is awesome (saves me time!) and can get pretty hilarious… the silly mistakes are the best!

HELPFUL TOOLS

If you don’t have a personal laminator and paper cutter, do yourself a favor and snatch one up ASAP. WARNING: May lead to laminating obsession and Organized Adviser cannot be held responsible. 😉

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