A NOTE FROM THE CREATOR OF THIS RESOURCE:
I am so pleased that you have purchased this product, and I hope it proves
useful in your classroom.
Please, don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, and know
that feedback is always much appreciated! Remember to check out the
other products in my store!
yd
o
l
L
y
e
c
St a
Store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Stacey-Lloyd-8481
Email: Stacey_lloyd@ymail.com
!
© Stacey Lloyd 2014
Writing a Review
What’s in the Bag?
Having!chosen!a!random!object,!fill!the in!the!table!below.!Try!to!write!as!much!as!possible.!
What)is)your)object?)_______________________________________________________________________________________________________)
!
Describe%your%object.)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
(What!does!it!look!like?!Color?!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Shape?!Feel?!Size?)!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
What%is%the%purpose/% ______________________________________________________________________________________________________!
function%of%this%object?! ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
(What!is!it!used!for!and!how!
do!you!use!it?)!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
!
1)___________________________________________________________________________________________________!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Describe%three%positive% 2)___________________________________________________________________________________________________
aspects%of%this%object.%%
______________________________________________________________________________________________________!
3)___________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
!
1)___________________________________________________________________________________________________!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Describe%three%
negative%aspects%of%this% 2)___________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________!
object.%
3)___________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Would%you%buy%this%
object?%Why%or%why%
not?%
What%sort%of%person%
would%this%appeal%to?%%
(Age?!Gender?!Profession?!
Type!of!person?)%
!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Imagine%you%bought%
this%object%and%now%
have%to%write%a%review%
of%it.%Write%a%short%
paragraph%explaining%
whether%you%like%or%
dislike%this%object%and%
why.)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
!
© Stacey Lloyd 2014
Writing a Review
Giving Reasons for Your Opinions
Discuss!the!following!questions!with!a!partner.!Explain!your!opinion!to!them,!!
and!then!write!your!reasons!below.!
What was the last movie that you watched?
!
Jujutsu Kaisen 0
Rate it:
(color in)
!
Explain what you liked or disliked about it: ____________________________________________________________________!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It’s
a standalone story that connects to the
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
main
story (Jujutsu Kaisen 1, 2, etc). It’s
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
very
colorful in terms of animation and the
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
monsters
(curses) in some cases have a funny
look.
What was the last TV series that you watched? !
Chainsaw Man
Rate it:
(color in)
!
Explain what you liked or disliked about it: ____________________________________________________________________!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I
liked a lot the development that the
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
character
had in just one episode. Another
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
attribute
is the animation, it’s very
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
distinctive
and good looking.
What was the last restaurant you visited? !
Hong Moon
Rate it:
(color in)
!
Explain what you liked or disliked about it: ____________________________________________________________________!
I loved the combination of fried rice with
garlic chicken, also, the saltiness was on
point. I ended up eating a plate of chicken
and another of beef, 4 gyozas and two
mochis.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What was the last book that you read? !
Rate it:
The Body
(color in)
!
Explain what you liked or disliked about it: ____________________________________________________________________!
I
didn’t like most of the story at the
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
beg
inning because I didn’t see it
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
int
eresting, it was very boring and nonsense.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At
the end, the book gets a little sad,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
showing us how everyone continued their ©lif
Stacey Lloyd
e 2014
!
Writing a Review
What is a Review?
A%review%is%an%individual’s%response%to%a%work%of%art,%film,%book,%occasion,%etc.%The%reviewer%projects%
his/her%‘judgement’%of%what%they%are%reviewing.%The%reader%of%the%review%does%not%have%to%agree%with%the%
reviewer.%A%review%is,%as%a%result,%subjective.%Two%reviewers%may%respond%differently%to%the%same%thing.%
What is the purpose of a review?
A!review!is!written!to!give!the!opinion!and!thoughts!of!the!reviewer.!
Essentially,!a!review!should!be!written!to…!
" INFORM.! The! review! needs! to! tell! people! about! the! main!
information!of!the!film/book/event!etc.!!
" DESCRIBE.! The! review! should! describe! the! finer! details! of!
story!(if!it!is!a!film!or!book!review),!characters!and!some!of!the!
action!O!without!spoiling!the!plot!or!giving!too!much!away!!Or!
the!review!should!describe!the!details!of!the!event/place/thing!
they!are!reviewing.!!
" ANALYZE.! A! good! review! gives! an! opinion! of! what! is! being!
reviewed.!The!reviewer!with!share!their!personal!opinion!and!
critical!thoughts!–!both!good!and!bad.!!
" ADVISE.! The! review! should! tell! the!reader! whether! or! not! to!
go! and! see! the! film/read! the! book/visit! the! hotel/buy! the!
product!etc.!
Suggested Structure!
Introduction
!
!
!
Provide!relevant!
information,!such!as!the!
names!of!the!
actors/director/author/!
chef/make!or!model!etc.!!
!
Body
!
The!tone!and!style!of!your!review!will!depend!on!where!the!
review!is!found.!If!you!are!writing!a!review!for!a!newspaper,!your!
style!may!be!more!formal!than!if!you!are!writing!on!an!online!blog.!!
Similarly,!your!target#audience!will!determine!your!writing!
style.!For!example,!if!you!are!writing!a!review!of!a!laptop!on!an!
online!tech!blog,!you!will!use!a!lot!more!jargon!than!if!you!are!
writing!it!in!a!magazine!aimed!at!the!general!public.!!!
However,!a!review!should!be!subjective!and!personal,#as!you!
are!giving!your!own!views!and!opinions.!
Give!a!brief!summary!of!the!
plot/storyline/event!but!do#
not!give!away!the!ending!or!
any!surprises!!
!
!
You!must!have!an!opinion!
and!give!it.!It!should!be!clear!
whether!or!not!you!liked!
what!you!are!reviewing!and!
why!you!did!or!did!not!like!
it.!Make!sure!you!give!
reasons!to!explain!your!
opinion.!
!
What can you review?
!
Give!specific!examples!of!
outstanding!moments,!or!
any!specific!criticisms!you!
have.!!
!
Conclusion
!
Summarize!your!opinion.!
!
!
Give!a!recommendation!of!
whether!or!not!your!reader!
should!see/buy/listen!to!
what!you!are!reviewing.!!
!
Also!perhaps!recommend!
what!type!of!person!it!would!
appeal!to!most.!
Who writes reviews?
A! large! variety! of! people! write! reviews.! You!may! have! professional!
film!critics!writing!movie!reviews!in!newspapers,!but!you!could!have!
a!regular!housewife!writing!a!review!of!a!product!they!bought!on!a!
website!such!as!Amazon.!
Make!it!clear!what!it!is!you!
are!reviewing,!from!the!very!
start.!
!
!
What is the tone of a review?
Almost! anything!! People! write! reviews! of! movies,! books,! festivals,!
products,! companies,! institutions,! restaurants,! holiday! resorts,!
airlines…! essentially,! anything! that! people! might! be! interested! in!
viewing,!visiting,!owning!or!experiencing.!A!review!will!be!helpful!to!
them,! as! it! will! give! them! more! details,! and! help! them! decide!
whether!or!not!they!wish!to!spend!their!time/money!on!it.!
Your!opening!sentence!
should!captivate!your!reader!
–!so!make!it!interesting.!
!
© Stacey Lloyd 2014
Writing a Review
Examining a Review
##
MOVIE:!Shrek!(2001)!
RUN#TIME:#93!min! !
RATING:!PG! !
!
STUDIO:#Dreamtime!
STAR#RATING:#★★★★
#
!
Shrek!is!a!marvelous!fairy!tale,!with!a!thrilling!quest!and!a!happilyOeverOafter!ending.!It!has!the!
great!themes!of!enduring!myths,!about!believing!in!yourself,!being!loved!for!the!person!you!really!are,!
and!good!triumphing!over!evil.!It!is!also!a!delicious!satire,!tweaking!all!of!our!assumptions!about!ogres,!
princesses,!rescues,!and!even!fireObreathing!dragons.!The!voice!talents!of!Mike!Myers!(as!the!ScottishO
burred!Shrek),!Eddie!Murphy!(as!Donkey!the!talking!donkey),!Cameron!Diaz!(as!Princess!Fiona),!and!
John!Lithgow!(as!Farquaad)!are!all!perfect.!
It!has!an!enchanted!princess!in!a!tower,!guarded!by!a!fireObreathing!dragon.!It!has!a!donkey!that!
not!only!talks,!and!not!only!sings,!but!sings!the!old!Monkees'!song,!"I'm!a!Believer."!It!has!an!evil!(but!
short)!bad!guy,!kickboxing,!a!Robin!Hood!and!Merry!Men!who!perform!an!Irish!Riverdance,!potty!humor,!
and!some!digs!at!Disney.!It!has!sensational!animation,!adventure,!romance,!and!laughter.!And!most!of!all,!
it!has!Shrek,!a!big,!green!ogre!who!lives!happily!alone!in!a!swamp!until!Lord!Farquaad!of!nearby!Dulac!
sets!out!to!create!the!perfect!kingdom!by!getting!rid!of!all!of!the!fairy!tale!characters!and!sending!them!
to!"a!designated!resettlement!community."!Soon,!the!three!blind!mice,!the!three!little!pigs,!the!
gingerbread!man,!all!the!broomOflying!witches,!Pinocchio,!and!a!talking!donkey!are!all!relocated!to!the!
swamp.!Shrek!is!furious!at!the!intrusion.!He!makes!a!deal!with!Farquaad,!who!needs!to!marry!a!princess!
to!put!the!final!touch!on!his!kingdom.!Shrek!will!rescue!Princess!Fiona!and!bring!her!to!Farquaad,!and!
Farquaad!will!give!Shrek!his!swamp!back.!
The!computer!animation!is!breathtaking,!like!nothing!seen!before!it.!The!textures!are!stunning.!
The!glass,!fire,!clouds,!and!water!seem!threeOdimensional,!and!you!will!feel!that!Donkey's!fur!almost!
brushes!your!hand.!The!animation!has!wonderful!warmth!and!depth,!but!it!also!has!a!great!deal!of!
character!and!wit.!The!facial!expressions!and!body!language!are!such!a!treat!that!the!audience!can't!help!
thinking!that!if!ogres!and!donkeys!and!don't!really!look!like!that,!they!should.!It!won’t!be!a!chore!for!
parents!to!take!their!children!to!this!film!–!audiences!young!and!old!will!enjoy!this!animated!film.!
[Adapted%from:%http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movieMreviews/shrek]%
Comprehension Questions:
!
1. Did!the!writer!of!this!review!enjoy!the!movie?!Quote!at!least!3!adjectives!to!support!your!answer.!
(4)!
!
2. The!reviewer!gave!this!movie!4!stars.!Is!this!good!or!bad?!Explain!your!answer.!! !
!
!!!!
(2)!
!
3. What!does!the!‘PG’!rating!mean?!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!!!!
(2)!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!!!!
(1)!
!
!
!
!
!!!!
(2)!
!
!
!
!
!!!!
(1)!
7. What,!according!to!the!reviewer,!is!the!moment!that!Shrek’s!life!changes?! !
!
!
!!!!
(2)!
8. This!review!gives!a!detailed!description!of!the!beginning!of!the!movie,!but!not!the!end?!Why?! !!!!
(2)!
!
4. What!does!the!‘run!time’!signify?!
!
5. Name!TWO!themes!of!this!film,!as!identified!by!the!reviewer.!
!
6. Which!actor/actress!provided!the!voice!for!the!Princess?!! !
!
!
!
9. Summarise!(in!your!own!words)!what!it!is!that!the!reviewer!likes!about!the!animation.! !
!!!!
(2)!
!!!!
(2)!
!
10. !Do!you!think!this!was!a!useful!review?!Explain!why!or!why!not.!! !
!
!
!
#
TOTAL:#[20]!
© Stacey Lloyd 2014
!
Writing a Review
A Poorly Written Review
The%following%review%is%quite%poorly%written.%Can%you%identify%what%is%wrong%with%it?%% !
e Th om ps on
Jo
by
nt
ra
au
st
Re
’
ro
st
Bi
sy
A Revi ew of th e ‘T he Co
I went to this restaurant last night. I went there with my sister and her
new boyfriend, and we had quite a nice evening. The food was ok. The service was
acceptable.
We arrived early and found that we hadn’t made a reservation and so we
had to wait for ten minutes for a table. That was fine but a little annoying as it was
not very comfortable. When we did get shown to a table, I ordered spaghetti
bolognaise and my sister had lasagne – the food was decent, although my sister’s
boyfriend definitely had the best meal.
I liked the ambiance of the restaurant, especially as it was renovated and
redecorated earlier this year. I definitely think that the manager did a good job
designing the décor of the place. The music choice was a bit strange but it didn’t
bother me too much as I am not very interested in music
Overall it was a fun evening and I left satisfied with a full belly. I do think
though that they need to train their staff better at the service wasn’t all that great
and it was a little pricey.
#
Does#the#first#
sentence#capture#
your#attention?#
Does#the#author#give#
the#informative#
details#about#the#
restaurant#and#food?#
Is#the#author’s#
opinion#clearly#
communicated?#
Does#the#author#give#
enough#details#about#
what#they#liked?##
Does#the#author#
sufficiently#explain#
what#they#disliked?#
Are#the#adjectives#
descriptive#and#
helpful?#
Yes/No#
!
Explain#
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
© Stacey Lloyd 2014
!
Writing a Review
Responding to a Music Video
What is the main storyline of the video? (Summarise it but don’t
give away the ending!)
Star Rating? (Colour in)
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
What was your favourite moment in the video? Explain why.
Describe the main character(s):
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
What did you think of the directing
and acting? Good? Bad? Why?
____________________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
One criticism: something you
would change about the film.
____________________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Genré? (Romance? Action? Comedy?)
____________________________________
___________________________________
Would you recommend this to
others? Why or why not?
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
What type of person do you think
would enjoy this video and song?
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
© Stacey Lloyd 2014
!
Writing a Review
Planning a Review
!
1. What are you reviewing? ____________________________________________________________________________&
2. What is it? (E.g. A book? Movie? Play? Event? Etc.) ________________________________________________________________
3. Details or specifics (author/actors/date of event etc.):
_____________________________________________________________&
_____________________________________________________________&
_____________________________________________________________&
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
In your
own words,
give a
short
summary
of what you
are
reviewing.
Remember,
you must
NOT give
away the
ending of a
novel, play
or movie!
4. Your overall rating / opinion:
5. Where will your review appear and who is your
target audience?
6. A Summary of the plot/storyline/meal/product or event:
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Give your opinion:
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
If you liked
it… explain
WHY.
If you
didn’t like
it… explain
WHY!
Always give
your
opinion and
then back it
up with
detailed
reasons.
© Stacey Lloyd 2014
© Stacey Lloyd 2014
Is the reviewer’s opinion clearly given?
Have the review ending with a
recommendation?
Is the reviewer’s opinion clearly given?
Have the review ending with a
recommendation?
0
2
Almost
3
Yes
Comments :
TWO things you liked about their review: 1)___________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2)_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
A suggestion for something they could improve: _______________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2)_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
A suggestion for something they could improve: _______________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
TOTAL: __ /15
/18
1
Not
quite
TWO things you liked about their review: 1)___________________________
No
Comments :
!
Is the writing grammatically correct and
error-free?
Is the writing grammatically correct and
error-free?
!
Has the reviewer included key details
(actors names/director/location etc.)?
Has the reviewer included key details
(actors names/director/location etc.)?
Has the review successfully summarised
what they are reviewing without giving
away too much?
Is the first line interesting and attentiongrabbing?
TOTAL: __ /15/18
1
3
2
Is the first line interesting and attentiongrabbing?
Has the review successfully summarised
what they are reviewing without giving
away too much?
0
Yes
Ratings – Rate your peers fairly and helpfully!
Ratings – Rate your peers fairly and helpfully!
Almost
What’s being reviewed? _______________________________________________
What’s being reviewed? _______________________________________________
No
Reviewer: _______________________________________________________
Peer Editor: ____________________________________________________
Reviewer: _______________________________________________________
Peer! Editor: ____________________________________________________
Not
quite
Peer Editing The Review
Peer Editing The Review
Writing a Review
Level 3
Format /
Planning (5)
4-5 marks
Complete adherence to
format. Excellent
introduction and
conclusion. Planning has
produced an excellent
review. Appropriate
length.
3 marks
Good adherence to the
format of a review. Clear
introduction and
conclusion.
Planning has produced a
good piece of writing.
Fairly appropriate length.
2 marks
Partial adherence to
format. Inadequate
planning has produced
elementary writing.
Insufficient introduction
and conclusion.
Inappropriate length.
0-1 mark
Very limited adherence to
format. Little evidence of
planning. Almost no
evidence of introduction
or conclusion. Far too
long or too short.
4-5 marks
Highly appropriate
language/register/style/
tone. Vocabulary highly
appropriate. Variation of
sentence types. Good use
of language, grammar,
spelling and punctuation
with few errors. The tone
is appropriate to the
content of the critical
evaluation.
3 marks
Mostly appropriate
language/register/style/
tone. Appropriate
vocabulary. Complete
sentences. Few
grammatical, spelling and
punctuation errors. The
tone is generally
appropriate to the content
of the critical evaluation.
2 marks
Inappropriate language/
register/style/tone.
Vocabulary limited.
Incomplete sentences.
Many grammatical,
spelling and punctuation
errors. The tone is not
appropriate to the content
of the critical evaluation.
0-1 mark
Completely inappropriate
language/register/style/
tone. Vocabulary requires
remediation. Weak
sentence structure. Text
error-ridden. The tone is
inappropriate or
inconsistent.
4-5 marks
Author’s opinion is
clearly defined and
explained. Extremely
clear reasons given in
support of opinion.
Evidence is fully
explained and highly
appropriate.
3 marks
Author’s opinion is clear.
Reasons given in support
of opinion are adequately
clear. Evidence is
explained and
appropriate.
2 marks
Author’s opinion is not
entirely clear. Some
evidence or reasons given
in support of opinion, but
not always clearly
defined. Evidence lacking
in places.
0-1 mark
Author’s opinion is
unclear. Almost no
reasons given, or
explanation is highly
faulty. It is almost
impossible to make out
the author’s opinion.
4-5 marks
The purpose of the review
is achieved, thereby
deepening the reader’s
understanding of what is
being reviewed. Ideas
highly elaborated.
Outstanding achievement
of purpose. Content is
highly informative,
descriptive, analytical and
fluent.
3 marks
The review offers some
insight into the work
being reviewed. Adheres
to the topic with minor
deviations.
Most details support
topic. Sufficient
achievement of purpose.
Content is interesting and
informative.
2 marks
The review offers little
insight into the work.
Content is adequate.
Some details support
topic. Partial achievement
of purpose. Content is not
entirely convincing, and
key details lacking or
inappropriate.
0-1 mark
The review does not offer
insight into the work.
Completely off the topic.
Few or no details support
topic. Purpose not
achieved. Content is not
engaging or thoughtprovoking at all. Fails to
fully explain what is
being reviewed.
Content
(5)
Opinions (5)
Level 4
Language / Tone
Register (5)
Marking Rubric for a Review
Level 2
Level 1
© Stacey Lloyd 2014