| As many of you may recall, about eight months ago we sent out a plea for help asking for people interested in volunteering to assist us in evaluating student reviews before they are posted on Flamingnet. Since the initial email, we have enlisted about 20 adults (mainly authors, teachers, and librarians) as Flamingnet "underwriters." An underwriter is the term we use for adults who help us evaluate our student reviews. Due to the increasing number of books we have been reviewing and the growing number of Flamingnet reviewers, we are once again looking for adult volunteers who would be willing to edit student reviews and give valuable feedback to our reviewers about writing.
Flamingnet student reviews are basically in two parts. A paragraph describing the plot and characters of the book and a paragraph detailing the student reviewer's opinion, with some specific comments about what they liked or disliked. Flamingnet reviews are similar to the comments posted about books on Amazon.com.
Underwriters edit student reviews on online (about one review every 1 - 2 weeks). When a review is submitted by a student, notification is sent to an underwriter by email with a link to the actual review. Upon following the link to the review, the underwriter reads the review and decides whether to accept or reject it. Accepted reviews, after minor editing, are posted to our website and blog, and follow-up emails are sent to the publisher, author, and student reviewer to tell them that the review was posted. Rejected reviews simply require an email back to the student reviewer asking them to edit the review with their adult sponsor. Underwriters also send specific suggestions back to the student reviewer on how to improve each rejected review. This feedback has been very beneficial for our students and helps improve their writing skills.
Our underwriters have found that working with our nationwide network of student reviewers is a very worthwhile and gratifying experience. The reviewers have also appreciated underwriter feedback and expertise, helping them to become better writers.
If you are interested in becoming a Flamingnet underwriter, please email us. We will appreciate your help!
Thank you.
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