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Inver Hills Community College

          

          
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PARTS & SECTIONS

   Click on a title below:

Part I.
Basics/Process

  A. Chapters 1-6:
      
Starting

  B. Ch. 7-13:
       Organizing

  C. Ch. 14-20:
       Revising/Edit
ing

Part II.
College Writing

   D. Ch. 21-23:
        What Is It?

   E. Ch. 24-30:
      
 Write on Rdgs.

   F. Ch.31-35:
       Arguments

  G. Ch. 36-42:
       Research

   I.  Ch. 49-58:
       Majors & Work

Part III.
Writing to Literature

 H. Ch. 43-48:
       Literature

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 Study Questions

 

                                                      

Chapter 30. CRITICAL REVIEW

    

Introduction   Basics   Advanced   Samples   Activities

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Activities Using Critical Review

See also "Activities & Groups."

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SPECIAL ACTIVITIES

1. REVIEWING A MAGAZINE ARTICLE:  In small groups working together, either work with an article or essay given to you by your instructor (or create the name of a made-up magazine, general or professional).  Then record (or make up) the name of its editor, its place of publication, its circulation (how many copies sold per issue--guess, if necessary, for now), and a sentence or two describing the average reader.  Next, record (or make up) the name of a longer, important (nonfiction) article in it, and the author's name.

Now write a review of this real (or made up) article. Summarize it first in a fair, balanced manner for at least fifty words. Then discuss (or make up) three kinds of opinion in or related to the article: arguments in the article itself (list several), likely reactions from peer professionals who will read it (list several), and interpretations the public may give to or from this article (list several). And finally, choose three to four criteria by which to judge this article (e.g., quality of organization, argument, research, balance and fairness, writing and editing, etc.--a list is in the "Basics" section).  Then write at least a sentence each of judgment using each criterion in turn. 
  

2. REVIEWING A CONTROVERSIAL ACTIONAs a class, choose a recent controversial news event in which one person or a group of people did something controversial. Next, either in small groups of three or four people or as a whole class, create a critical review of this action. Start by developing an unbiased, balanced summary. Next, list in an unbiased, balanced way three kinds of opinion that are involved: the opinion of the person or people who did this controversial act or were responsible for it, the known or possible reactions of their peers, and the known or likely interpretations given by the public or by professionals in a related field. Third, evaluate: choose several criteria by which to judge this act (e.g., ethics, rationality, practicality, emotional appeal, poor organization or writing, missing elements, etc.); then apply each criteria, one by one, to the act.  As you create this critical review, be careful to keep each of the three intellectual functions--unbiased summary, opinionated argument/interpretation, and evaluative judgment--separate.
     

3. REVIEWING A PERSONAL ACTION: Working alone, write a critical review of some controversial, difficult, or questionable action of your own, past or present. First summarize it thoroughly in an entirely factual way. Second, discuss your own interpretations or reasons for doing it, and how others might react to it or interpret your intentions. Third, choose several criteria (see exercise "1..." above); then judge your own action step by step by the criteria that you have chosen. (Optional fourth step: Read your result to the rest of the class or to a small group in class: start with whatever background information you need to offer in order to make the review sensible to others; then read your review in its written and/or listed form.

4. REVIEWING A PERSON: Complete exercise "2." above, using as your subject a person you know well. (If you are going to read your review to the class or a class group, do not write about a person that anyone in class possibly could know, and hide the person’s identity completely.)        

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OTHER ACTIVITIES

  1. THOUGHTS ABOUT THE CHAPTER: As an individual or a group, read the chapter and take notes about it using one or more of the methods in "General Study Questions."

  2. ROUGH DRAFT: As an individual or a group, write a paper as described in this chapter.  Use the subtitles shown in the "Introduction" or the "Basics" section as subtitles of your rough draft, and write at least 50+ words in each body section.  If you are working as a group, you may, if your instructor allows, develop a fictional and fanciful background and subject for your rough draft.

  3. GROUP MAPPING & PLANNING: Divide into small groups of 3-4 people randomly.  In each group, one person each should volunteer to be
         
    (i) the facilitator (the person helping everyone to do the work),
    (ii) the writer/recorder (who does the writing for the group),
    (iii) the reader/announcer (who reports the group's works to the class), and
    (iv) if there is a fourth, the timekeeper, the observer taking notes about the group's way of working, and/or the "social encourager"--someone who finds questions to encourage quieter members of the group. 
          
    The group should then follow these steps using a timetable given by the instructor, either in a small, close circle with the writer using pen or laptop, or at a segment of the whiteboard with the writer using a marker:
        
    (A) What is the key or essence of this type of paper?  Brainstorm an interesting, fun idea (serious or silly) to write about.
       
    (B) Then look at the "map" or blocks of how to build this type of paper, from introduction through the body sections to the conclusion.  The instructor can either project it on a screen or draw it on the board.  Then fill in the parts with 50-100 words for each main body section, and 20-50 for the intro and conclusion (depending on the instructor's directions).
      
    (C) If your instructor suggests this, add a good made up illustration, graphic, or quotation or two to each section from an "expert" and give credit to your made-up expert.  (Note: Never add made-up detail or experts to a real paper.)
      
    (D) Have your reader/announcer read your result to the entire class.
      
    (E) After all groups have gone, then the "observer" in each group--or the facilitator--should answer three brief comments on how the group process happened: "What worked well," "What didn't," and "How could it be changed?" 
        

  4. GROUP CRITIQUE OF A LATER DRAFT: If your class has a paper all of you are preparing for grading, gather in a group to critique each other's developed drafts:  
       
    (a) Simply pass the papers to each other; your paper preferably should be checked by three other people.   (Some instructors prefer that you make several copies, distribute them to your group members, take the copies home that you receive, and comment on them there.) 
       
    (b) Write comments for each other.  To do so, use a a set of grading guidelines (or "rubric"): for example, "How are the contents," "How is the organization of parts," "Do paragraphs work well," and "How well have editing errors been corrected?"  Preferably, you can use the guidelines your instructor applies when grading.  
         
    (c) For each question or requirement in your guidelines, write one or more comments.  Your comments should be substantial and specific (more like a complete sentence, and more specific than just "Nice!" or "Needs work").  Your comments also should be positive or helpfully constructive: when positive, they should offer specific praise of a particular part, detail, or method; when constructive, they should offer specific advice about what to add or do to make the paper better.  
         
    (d) Add a final positive or constructive comment about how you think the average reader of this paper might respond to it, and/or how the paper could be changed or fixed for a stronger or more positive response from its audience.  

    (e) After receiving your comments from others, take them home.  Review what they have written.  Remember that your readers are not commenting on you as a person, but rather on how easily (or poorly) they have been able to read your paper as its audience members.  Pay attention in particular to comments that may have been repeated by more than one of your readers.

  5. For a wide variety of other activities and exercises, go to "Activities & Groups."

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Return to top.

 

                 

    

         

Section E.
Responding to Reading

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Ch. 30. Critical Review:

Introduction

Basics

Advanced

Samples

Activities
                      

                    

Related Chapters:

Thinking in College

Research Writing

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 Related Links in
OnlineGrammar.org:

   3. Thinking & Reading

12. Types of Papers

14. Online Readings

16. Research Writing
  

                    

 

Updated 1 Aug. 2013

  

   

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Writing for College 
by Richard Jewell is licensed by Creative Commons under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
WritingforCollege.org also is at CollegeWriting.info and WforC.org
Natural URL: http://www.richard.jewell.net/WforC/home.htm
1st Edition: Writing for School & Work, 1984-1998. 6th Edition: 8-1-12, rev. 8-1-13. Format rev. 11-28-21
Text, design, and photos copyright 2002-12 by R. Jewell or as noted
Permission is hereby granted for nonprofit educational copying and use without a written request.

Contact Richard.  Questions and suggestions are welcome.