Look at the four starter points on the board. Mentally tick what already fits your format, tweak the wording if needed, or add one criterion that matters for your piece—we will capture any added line on the board.

• The main idea is clear in the first moments (opening slide, first paragraph, first screen, or first clip).
• The sequence has a beginning, middle and end, even if some polish is still missing.
• Borrowed material is at least listed somewhere so nothing important is invisible later.
• You could hand the file to a partner and stay quiet while they look.

Work on your own Student Project. By the end of this step you need only (1) something a partner can open and follow cold and (2) three concrete jobs under the headings below. If time is short, stop polishing and write the list.

1. Open your draft and your research log the class way. If either is missing, recover it now or rebuild the minimum you need so you can still take part.
2. If you had to recover or rebuild, your showable target today is: clear opening + rough order + borrowed items listed. Put everything else under Still to build or fix and still join the partner read with whatever opens.
3. Run a quick self-check against the class criteria from the board. Fix the biggest gap first: unclear opening, missing middle, broken order, or a section only you understand because the explanation is still in your head.
4. By halfway through this step, stop building. Write the three headings even if the draft is thin. Concrete jobs beat a prettier opening you never list.
5. Make the draft showable rather than perfect. Add the missing link, caption, title, or bridging sentence that lets a stranger follow you. Leave final polish for later if time is tight.
6. On a short remaining-tasks list (same document or a fresh note saved the class way), write three headings: Still to build or fix, Still to credit or check, and Before referencing and packaging I still need: Under each, list concrete jobs, not vague hopes. Example: "add credit for the Pixabay clip on screen 3", not "tidy references".
7. Stop with the draft open and the list filled in. You will need both for the partner read next.

1. Hand over your draft only. Do not explain it. Do not point. Do not fill in gaps out loud.
2. If it is video or audio, watch or listen to the first 60–90 seconds only, then skim any titles or captions—do not play the whole piece.
3. As the reader, open the draft cold. Take a short, quiet look. Then tell your partner, in one sentence, what you understood the project to be about (topic, point of view, and who it seems to be for).
4. As the maker, listen without defending. On your remaining-tasks list, note match or miss: did that land as you meant, and where did it drift?
5. Name one sharper question: the place a cold reader got lost or guessed wrong.
6. Swap roles and repeat. Save your updated remaining-tasks list the class way before you close anything.

Before you finish, check:

• Your partner stated what they thought your draft was about without help from you.
• You noted the match or miss on your remaining-tasks list.
• You have one sharper question written down.
• Your list is saved the class way so the next checkpoint can use it.

Pull back together. Whose partner described a different topic, audience, or purpose from the one you meant? What will you change before referencing?