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Standard:
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The student writes in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational,
persuasive, and response to literature. The student produces a narrative that: c

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Understandings:
Students will understand that:
Πc Using a graphic organizer is a good way to help capture the most important
parts of a story. c
 c ’riting is a process that is revisited (pre-writing, drafting, revising, and
editing).c
 c ºook reviews have many purposes. c
 c ’riting has a beginning, middle, and end.c
 c ºook reviews tell enough about a story to make someone else interested in
reading that story.c
 c ’riting is interesting, and makes us see, hear, and feel.c

dssential Questions:

Overarching Questions: Topical Questions:

1. [ow do good readers use reading
strategies to make meaning from a
text?
2. [ow do good writers hook a
reader?
3. [ow can a person locate the best
literature?
4. [ow is writing a process?
Œ. How can you use a graphic organizer
to track the plot of the story?
2. How can you write a statement that
makes someone want to read your
chosen book?
3. What resources do you use to find
books to read for pleasure?
4. What steps will you take to write a
good book review?
5. What elements are necessary for a
book review to be effective?
‰nowledge Skills

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Stage 3: Plan Learning dxperiences

’eek 1

Goal and Role: You have been hired by Scholastic, a leading childrenǯs book
publishing company to write book reviews. Your assignment is to write a book
review that is so interesting that other third graders will want to read your book.

Audience: Your target audience is other students who have similar interests and
reading level.

Situation: You have a multi-level task: (1) Choose a book that you know will appeal to
others; (2) ’rite a book review that is engaging, captures the best of the book, and is
grammatically correct; (3) Share your book review with others.

Product: Your final book review

Standards: You will be evaluated using the rubric generated by the class.

Prior to this unit of instruction, the students completed narrative writing, so they are
familiar with the writing process, (what other skills?

[ook: Can you, through words, sell a book?

’hy: You will write a book review with the intent of making someone else want to
read it.

dxplore and dxperience, dnable and d uip: ºy reviewing other student and
professional book reviews, students will begin to write their own, share, edit and
revise, working to create a book review that engages and intrigues.

Reflect, Rethink, Revise: Discussions of what attracts them to other books they have
read and using those as models, students will look at their word choice and peers
reviews before creating a final product.
dvaluate work and Progress: Students will complete a self-evaluation, a peer
evaluation, and the teacher will complete a preliminary evaluation of the review
before the student finalizes.

Tailor and Personalize the ’ork: Students will write their book review about a book
they thoroughly enjoy, one that has text to student, and text to world connections,
and one that they think is worthy of being recognized. Student s will be given the
option of handwriting or typing their reviews.

Organize for Optimal dffectiveness: Students will first discuss their understanding of
reviews or a synopsis on the back of books and even movie trailers and how they
appeal to an audience and draw them to read or see a film. The teacher/Media
Specialist will discuss their own personal and professional practices of selecting
reading material. Students will have several student and professional models to read
and discuss prior to writing their own review. As students work to write their
individual book reviews, they will remember that writing is a process. ’e pre-write,
draft, revise, and edit before completing a final copy.

Day One:
1. The media specialist will hook the students by first talking to them about the
books they have enjoyed reading and how they came to choose their books.
The discussion will extend to her discussing how she selects books for both
personal and professional reading.
2. From here, the class will discuss if theyǯve ever seen any Dzcoming attractionsdz
before a movie. ’hy are these shown? [ave you ever wanted to see a movie
after watching one of the coming attractions? ’hat appealed to you?
3. From here the teacher will bring up how book reviews are similar to coming
attractions. ºefore, during, and after reading we respond to literature, first
judging whether we think a story might appeal to us, to making connections to
the characters and plot of the story, or understanding that a situation affects
lots of different people. The best stories make up feel that we are a part of the
story and when the story is over, we are disappointed because we want the
story to live on. ’e even sometimes imagine what might happen next.
4. After this introduction, students will look at a model review and evaluate how
effective the review is and what characteristics make the review effective.
5. From this discussion, the class will create its own rubric for judging their book
reviews.
Day Two
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Day Three
7. Now that students have an idea of what an effective book review sounds like,
they will choose the book that they will review.
8. Once students have chosen a book to review, they will begin using a graphic
organizer to capture the parts of the story they want to include in their book
review (this is our pre-writing stage
9. After filling out the graphic organizer students are ready to begin drafting
 their book review.
Day Four
10.After drafting, we will look at models to see which student book reviews
capture us the most and why.
Day Five
11.Once this modeling is complete, students will share each otherǯs reviews and
comment on what appeals to them about that book review.
Day Six
12.Students are now ready to move into finalizing their book review, making sure
that appropriate words are capitalized, book titles are underlined, and that
correct grammar is used.
Day Seven
13.Students will sketch out a possible illustration to accompany their written
book review. This sketch will be sent to the National Art [onor Society
students who will illustrate the book reviews. Once the illustrations are
finished, students will attach their book reviews and add any additional
graphics to complete their book jackets (posted to a cereal box and placed in
the media center to promote books.)
Day dight
14.Students will evaluate the project, providing feedback on what they enjoyed as
well as offering any changes/modifications that might be necessary for other
groups completing this project.

Resources for book reviews:

http://www.spaghettibookclub.org/
http://www.ticklebugs.com/pages/bookreviews.htm