The Writer's Craft Genre Study - Reviews & Critiques

We've started a genre study where we look at lots of reviews and critiques as a lens to view the craft of doing persuasive writing.

Part 1 - Deconstructing Reviews- Looking at Word Choice and Elements* We completed the following exercise two times. First, we read through "Whip It" from Spin Magazine. Next, the students had a variety of reviews to pick from and complete the chart on their own. The reviews and critiques were for albums and video games.

Persuasive Writing: Deconstructing Product

One of the main goals of this assignment is to make you metacognitively aware of the elements of product reviews so that you will be armed with the knowledge to decipher fact from opinion and bias. You will be using this knowledge to create your own review of a product.

(We completed the following chart. The one I used in class has boxes that don't translate to this blog.)
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Feature Detail Example from Review Analysis/ Commentary
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* Attention
Getter

* Introduction
of Speaker/Narrator/
Writer

* Background
Information

* Speaker’s
Personal
Commentary/
Opinion


* Comments
Dealing with the
Genre/
Elements of Style/
Product Specifics


* Comments
Dealing with the
Genre/
Elements of Style/
Product Specifics

* Comments/
Critique
About the item specifically
(as opposed to generalized comments)

* Conclusion/
Wrap-Up

* Notes on Style:

* Intended Audience:

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Next, we tried to see what kind of patterns emerged from this genre of writing. The students had eight mentor reviews and critiques to pick from and do the following:

Deconstructing Reviews: Finding the Form

The goal with this assignment is for you to become very aware of what elements are present in a review. Later you will have an opportunity to create a review of your own based on what you find.

Process Overview:
1. You will select a review;
2. You will read through the review once just to read it and see what is says.
3. Next, you will reread the review so that you can notice the writer’s craft and the form that the review takes.
4. You will create a graphic flowchart that reveals the components of that review.
5. You will view the flowcharts others create.
6. You’ll write your own review on a product of your choice.

There are four general types of things you will find in a review:
* Speaker’s personal comments;
* Comments about the genre and/or elements of style;
* Comments dealing specifically with the product, including specific details/stat.s/facts, etc.;
* Transitions between concepts.

Make a graphic representation of the elements of the review.
Code the elements by using consistent shapes and shades of colors. Within each shape you should quote the text so that the wording can be shared and considered when we look at the emerging patterns.

Personal Comments are done in squares and rectangles: (done in shades of green)
Personal story connection
Speaker introduction
Personal Response and/or connection to self or time period
Personal analysis

Category / Genre comments are in rounded rectangles and squares in shades of yellow:
Criteria for selection and/or inclusion
Introduction to genre / style / classification
Elements of style comments

Product Related Comments are in circles
And ovals with shades of pink:
Background
History of
Stat.s & Facts
Transitional between concepts

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Part 2: Distilling What We Have Noticed

Having read and examined at least six reviews, we are now armed with some knowledge of what is included in a review or critique. In order to make that information useful we need to organize it.

We began by making a list of all of the qualities that a reader notices when reading a review or critique. From there we did an "Always, Sometimes, Never" chart of those elements. Each pair of students had to contribute at least three items to the lists which were then put in their respective categories. Each class then created a rubric of the most essential elements. These rubrics will help guide the student's writing and be used to grade their written reviews/critiques.

Here are the results:

Period 5:

Ideas and Content =
* Must have tested/expereinced the product
- Write about the time you used it
* Include details about it

Structure =
* Include Title
* Must have paragraphs

Style =
* Personal Opinion
* Include the positive and the negative
- Persasion/ Bias

Conventions =
* Use Simple and complex sentences
* Remeber to use commas



Period 6:

Ideas and Content=
* Opinion
- Include positive and negative
- Must have personal experience with the topic
- Bias
* Description
- Include facts
- Use very specific details
- Include some background information

Structure =
- Use Paragraphs
Introduction
Body
Conclusion
- Transitions

Style =
* Highlight specifics
* Use a rating system

Conventions =
* Use a combination of simple and complex sentences
* Be thoughtful about punctuation, especially comma use.

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Part 3: Writing Your Own Review

Now that the students have each read at least six reviews and/or critiques, it is time to give it a try and write their own. I suggested that the students pick some product, place or activity that they have a strong (positive or negative) response to. The end product should look like a review/critique out of a magazine.