As the final assessment for The Contender, you will write a book review that will be between one and two pages in length.
Before we continue, let's establish something:
Book Review vs. Book Report: What is the difference?
Here are two key websites that will help guide you through the process of writing a successful book review:
- The OWL at Purdue University: Writing a Book Review
- Scholastic: Write a Book Review with Rodman Philbrick
Before you continue on to write your own book review, I ask that you spend some time looking at some reviews already posted online.
Your assignment: Find one review that you think is well written based on the guidelines we discussed in class. Then, find one review that you think is poorly written based on the guidelines we discussed in class. Bookmark the pages, and be prepared to share them with the rest of the class.
Amazon.com is a good site for finding book reviews written by everyday people. It should give you a good range of not-so-good to great reviews.
Now that you are ready to begin, take a look at the Tips page from the Scholastic website.
You may also use the OWL page as a guideline for your planning process.
I want you to again read over these pieces of advice. On a separate sheet of paper, start jotting down some ideas in a very informal outline of your book review.
Now, you may begin your writing. Below are the official guidelines for the assignment.
READ THEM CAREFULLY:
The Contender Book Review
The final book review is due Monday, April 20. It is worth 100 points in the Tests and Longer Essays category.
Late assignments will lose five percent per day. Assignments submitted after the holiday break will automatically lose fifty percent.
Guidelines:
- The review should be formatted following our standard class format. If you forget what this is, please see the instructions listed below..
- The final review should be between one and two pages in length, meaning that you must reach the second page. Not meeting this length requirement will result in an automatic fifteen point deduction.
- The review is to be written using formal writing skills.
- The final review should address many, if not all, of the standard elements of a book review that were discussed in the two links above. Some of these elements include, but are not limited to:
- The author and title are in the first paragraph.
- Your overall opinion of the book established early in the review, and then supported with your points throughout.
- At least three points conveyed about the book that support your overall opinion.
- Discuss what you believe to be one of the overall themes of the novel.
- Discuss at least one character and what you thought of him/her as a character in the novel.
- Use at least one short quote from the story while discussing the novel. (If you are having trouble with this, visit this page as a reminder of what we discussed in class.)
- Address at least one counter argument (meaning, address what someone who disagrees with your opinion may say, and refute the point).
- The final copy must be printed and handed in hard copy.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, BE SURE TO CLARIFY THEM IMMEDIATELY
How to Format your Paper
I want you to remember to follow five simple steps to properly format
every paper that you hand in during this year.
1. FONT STYLE: The font that you use must be Times New Roman. It should also be set to size 12. This is the default font setting for Microsoft Word, so if you are using this program you will not have to change anything.
2. MARGINS: Each margin (top, bottom, left, right) needs to be changed to 1". To do this in Microsoft Word, click on FORMAT >> DOCUMENT. On the menu that appears, change the top, bottom, left, and right margin sizes to 1" each. (Do not change the gutter setting.)
3. SPACING: All documents must be double-spaced. To do this in Microsoft Word, click on FORMAT >> PARAGRAPH. On the menu that appears, change the "Line Spacing" option from single to double.
4. HEADING: The heading for each paper should be left-aligned in the upper corner of the paper. It should be double-spaced and contain the following information: your name, teacher's name, course title, and due date.
5. TITLE: The title should be one double-space below the heading. It should be center-aligned. It should be the same font style and size as the rest of the paper. It should NOT be bolded, underlined, or italicized. It should simply be capitalized following the rules of titles.
After the title, you can continue down one double-space and begin your paper.
1. FONT STYLE: The font that you use must be Times New Roman. It should also be set to size 12. This is the default font setting for Microsoft Word, so if you are using this program you will not have to change anything.
2. MARGINS: Each margin (top, bottom, left, right) needs to be changed to 1". To do this in Microsoft Word, click on FORMAT >> DOCUMENT. On the menu that appears, change the top, bottom, left, and right margin sizes to 1" each. (Do not change the gutter setting.)
3. SPACING: All documents must be double-spaced. To do this in Microsoft Word, click on FORMAT >> PARAGRAPH. On the menu that appears, change the "Line Spacing" option from single to double.
4. HEADING: The heading for each paper should be left-aligned in the upper corner of the paper. It should be double-spaced and contain the following information: your name, teacher's name, course title, and due date.
5. TITLE: The title should be one double-space below the heading. It should be center-aligned. It should be the same font style and size as the rest of the paper. It should NOT be bolded, underlined, or italicized. It should simply be capitalized following the rules of titles.
After the title, you can continue down one double-space and begin your paper.
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