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AFTER READING
OBJECTIVES
Genre Book or Story ReviewWriter’s Craft Support Your Opinion
Writing Trait Focus/Ideas
  • Identify the characteristics
    of a book or story review.
  • Write a book or story review supporting the opinions expressed.
  • Focus on focus/ideas.
  • Use a rubric.
ELL
Writing Support See the writing support activities in the ELL and Transition Handbook.
Traits of Good Writing
FOCUS/IDEAS The reviewer
briefly and clearly describes the book. He states his opinion and supports it with reasons.
ORGANIZATION/PARAGRAPHS
The review includes an introduction, body, and conclusion.
VOICE The reviewer is
informative and interested in
the subject.
WORD CHOICE The reviewer
includes specific information and uses adjectives to bring the writing to life (rosy, ugly, exciting).
SENTENCES Sentences are
varied in kind and length.
CONVENTIONS There is
excellent control and accuracy.
DAY 1
Teach and Model
DAY 2
Prepare to Write
DAY 3
Prewrite and Draft
DAY 4
Draft and Revise
DAY 5
Connect to Unit Writing
READING-WRITING CONNECTION
  • Sailing Home starts with a statement: Ours was a wonderful childhood. The author supports this statement in the pages that follow.
  • In a book or story review, the writer states an opinion and supports it with reasons.
  • Students will write a book or story review.
Target Skill
The author's purpose in a
book or story review is to give
his or her opinion about the
book or story.
Comprehension Skill
EXAMINE THE MODEL Display Writing Transparency 21A. Explain that it is a book review and read it aloud with the class. Discuss the model in terms of the writing traits listed to its left.
Writing Transparency
Writing Transparency 21A
with | without Answers
WRITER'S CRAFT
Support Your Opinion
Display Writing Transparency 21B.
  • Read aloud the information at the top.
  • Discuss with students how the reasons support the opinions in the examples.
  • Give students time to discuss each sentence in Exercise 1. For Exercise 2, brainstorm supporting sentences. Elicit a variety of reasons.
GUIDED WRITING Some students may need more help with supporting opinions. Work with them to think of other reasons that support the opinion that the John Ena was a great place to grow up.
Writing Transparency
Writing Transparency 21B
with | without Answers
READ THE WRITING PROMPT
Write a review of a book or story that you have read recently. Include a description of the book or story and your opinion of it. Explain why you liked or did not like it and whether or not you recommend it to others.
Drafting Tips
  • Inform your readers about the book. Assume that they have not read it.
  • Include specific details from the book or story.
  • State your opinion briefly and explain why you think this way.
GETTING STARTED
GETTING STARTED Students can do any of the following.
  • Create a chart with the headings I Liked, I Didn't Like, and Reasons. They should fill out this chart with opinions and supporting reasons about the book or story they are reviewing. Students should select the information that they think is most important to use in their reviews.
  • Get together with another student who is reviewing the same book or story. Partners can test their ideas on each other.
  • Complete the following prompt: The most important thing about [title of book or story] is . . .
EDITING/REVISING
CHECKLIST
  • Have I supported my opinion with strong reasons?
  • Is my tone interested and engaged?
  • Have I used adjectives and articles correctly and effectively?
  • Are multisyllabic words spelled correctly?
Revising Tips
Focus/Ideas
  • Make sure that the subject of the review is clear.
  • Separate facts from opinions.
  • Include details that will interest and persuade the reader.
PUBLISHING Videotape students reading their reviews in a classroom "television" studio. Some students may wish to revise their work later.
ASSESSMENT Use the scoring rubric to evaluate students' work.
Week 1
Book or Story Review 537g–537h
Week 2
Editorial 559g–559h
Week 3
Interview 581g–581h
Week 4
Letter of Acceptance 607g–607h
Week 5
Write Your Opinion 629g–629h
Persuasive Essay
PREVIEW THE UNIT PROMPT
Think of a place that you would
like to visit with your class. Write
an essay to persuade your teachers to help organize a field trip to this place. Use convincing reasons, facts, and examples.
APPLY
  • A persuasive essay tries to convince a reader to think or act a certain way. It uses facts, reasons, and examples to make a point.
  • A persuasive essay states the writer's opinion and supports it.
Writing Workshop   Book or Story Review
 
   
Close  
Scoring Rubric    Book or Story Review
Rubric 4 3 2 1
   Focus/Ideas
Story clearly described; well-supported opinions
Story clear; most opinions well supported
Facts and opinions sometimes confused
Facts and opinions confusing and unsupported
Organization/ Paragraphs
Ideas in logical
order; smooth flow
from fact to opinion
Ideas mostly in logical order; fairly smooth flow from fact to opinion
Order at times unclear; fact and opinion confused
Ideas hard to follow with no direction
Voice
Writer engaged and interested in story
Writer mostly engaged and interested
Little sense of writer's interest
Writer not engaged with story or
audience
Word Choice
Words selected to make ideas and opinions clear
Words fairly precise and clear
Words lacking precision
Imprecise or weak word choice throughout
Sentences
Fluent style from varied and rhythmic sentences
Generally smooth style; varied sentences
Awkward or wordy sentences with little variety
Fragments or incoherent
sentences
Conventions
Excellent control and accuracy
Good control; few serious errors
Weak control; some confusing errors
Serious errors; meaning obscured