colossus \kə-ˈlä-səs\ noun

Transcription

1 Mr. Kochis 7 th Grade Reading 11/21/16 - Day 1 ATB: Word of the Day Copy the definition of the word below and answer the multiple choice question. colossus \kə-ˈlä-səs\ noun 1. someone or something that is abnormally large and powerful 2. a person of exceptional importance and reputation WRITE A COMMENT Cologne's cathedral is a gothic colossus of a building. In this sentence, colossus means: A. mistake B. example C. church D. giant Activities: 1. Second Quarter Project: Writing Process Student Fill In. Use the Writing Process Handout to Complete letters A-Z. 2. New York Times Review Article - Choose one of the Reviews posted on the website and complete a 10% Summary Sheet and Reading Reviews with a Critical Eye worksheet. Due 11/29/16 Obj. 1. List the steps in the process to write a review. 2. Summarize a New York Times review article.

2 The Writing Process Step 1 Brainstorming: What do you want to review? Finding the right subject to review is essential. You should pick something that you feel strongly about, and that you will be able to experience in person. Look at the list of subjects The New York Times reviews, below. What are the categories that interest you most? What can you choose for this project whether a movie, a concert, a show, a local restaurant or art exhibit, a book you d like to read or a game you d like to play that you would both enjoy and know you can experience in person? Which of these do you think other students would most enjoy reading about? What recent creative work have you had a strong reaction to in the past, either positive or negative? Step 2 Experiencing and Taking Notes: What Is Your Reaction and Why? Once you choose your subject, you need to experience it as a critic. Jon Pareles explains that complex task: Reviews are where an experience meets ideas. You go to a concert, a movie, an art exhibition, a restaurant, and it makes you think. Maybe the experience is a catalyst for a brand-new idea; maybe it crystallizes something you ve been thinking about for a while. It becomes something worth writing about. The job of the reviewer is to get both the experience and the

3 ideas into words and into proportion. In some ways, a review is the same as reporting: The facts have to be correct and presented in a coherent way. And in some ways, a review is very different from reporting: Your subjective experience and your reactions intellectual, emotional, visceral are a big part of it. Step 3 Writing a Draft: How do you get started? There is no specific formula for writing a review and that s what makes a good review so interesting to read. Mr. Pareles explains: The best criticism merges the details of the individual experience the close-up with a much broader picture of what the experience means. It s not just about that concert or art exhibit. It s about how to listen or how to look. It s about changing the perception your readers will bring to the next experience because your ideas awakened theirs. Yes, that s a tall order. You need to select your details. You need to make sure your ideas are clearly expressed. You need the writing itself to be engaging, to be worth that reader s attention. It can be serious, a little poetic, even funny whatever communicates the ideas. But if we are going to suggest any place to start, it would be to think about your audience first. Neil Genzlinger says he always keeps these two things in mind: 1) Who am I writing this for? and 2) Who is the movie, video game, etc. that I m reviewing made for? Ms. Russo offers some general suggestions: The first job when writing a review what you will usually do at the top in the first few paragraphs is to make it clear you know what the book was about, you understand the book, you

4 understand what the author was trying to do. But she cautions, You don t want to give away the entire plot. This is a big rule of reviewing. It s true for movies, TV, but especially for books. People get really angry about spoilers. Readers like to be able to be surprised by the turn of events. Ms. Russo also points out something we think is especially important for students to know: As far as I can tell, teachers often give a lot of rules about stuff like transition sentences and topic sentences. The writing can be really cut and dried that way. When you re writing a review, you should think of it as a literary form. Literary criticism is an old and storied literary genre in itself. You should feel that you can be creative. You can make your sentences start with unexpected words. You can make short paragraphs. You can create lists in there if you want. You can really play around with the form, in a way that your teachers sometimes don t let you, but you should feel free to do because writing a book review is purely about the pleasure and excitement of reading. You don t have to prove anything to your teacher, you just have to express your own passions, opinions and perceptions. Step 4 Revising and Editing: How can I make review as informative and entertaining as possible? Show your drafts to a teacher, classmate, friend or family member to get reactions. Did you describe too little or give away too much? Did you assert an opinion clearly and provide details to support it? Use our Student Review Contest Rubric (PDF) to help as you edit.

5 Step 5 Publishing: How can you share your opinions with the world? Give your review an audience beyond your teacher. If you are 13 or older submit your review to the New York Times Review Contest before the Nov. 29, 2016 deadline. There are other ways reviews can get out into the world: school newspapers, student blogs, bulletin boards and websites such as Teen Ink.

6 The Writing Process Step 1 A. : What do you want to review? Finding the right subject to review is B.. You should pick something that you feel strongly about, and that you will be able to experience in C.. Look at the list of subjects The New York Times reviews, below. What are the D. that interest you most? What can you choose for this project whether a movie, a concert, a E., a local restaurant or art exhibit, a F. you d like to read or a game you d like to play that you would both enjoy and know you can experience in person? Which of these do you think other G. would most enjoy reading about? What recent creative work have you had a strong H. to in the past, either positive or negative? Step 2 Experiencing and Taking I. : What Is Your Reaction and Why? Once you choose your subject, you need to experience it as a J.. Jon Pareles explains that complex task: Reviews are where an K. meets ideas. You go to a concert, a movie, an art exhibition, a restaurant, and it makes you think. Maybe the experience is a catalyst for a brand-new idea; maybe it crystallizes something you ve been thinking about for a while. It becomes something worth

7 writing about. The job of the reviewer is to get both the experience and the L. into words and into proportion. In some ways, a review is the same as reporting: The facts have to be correct and presented in a coherent way. And in some ways, a review is very different from reporting: Your subjective experience and your reactions intellectual, emotional, visceral are a big part of it. Step 3 Writing a Draft: How do you get M.? There is no specific N. for writing a review and that s what makes a good review so interesting to read. Mr. Pareles explains: The best criticism merges the details of the individual experience O. with a much broader picture of what the experience means. It s not just about that concert or art exhibit. It s about how to listen or how to look. It s about changing the perception your readers will bring to the next experience because your ideas awakened theirs. Yes, that s a tall order. You need to select your details. You need to make sure your ideas are clearly expressed. You need the writing itself to be engaging, to be worth that reader s attention. It can be serious, a little P., even funny whatever communicates the ideas. But if we are going to suggest any place to start, it would be to think about your audience first. Neil Genzlinger says he always keeps these two things in mind: 1) Who am I writing this Q.? and 2) Who is the movie, video game, etc. that I m reviewing R. for?

8 Ms. Russo offers some general suggestions: The first job when writing a review what you will usually do at the top in the first few paragraphs is to make it clear you know what the book was about, you understand the book, you understand what the author was trying to do. But she cautions, You don t want to give away the entire plot. This is a big rule of reviewing. It s true for movies, TV, but especially for books. People get really angry about spoilers. Readers like to be able to be surprised by the turn of events. Ms. Russo also points out something we think is especially important for students to know: As far as I can tell, teachers often give a lot of rules about stuff like transition sentences and topic sentences. The writing can be really cut and dried that way. When you re writing a review, you should think of it as a S. form. Literary criticism is an old and storied literary genre in itself. You should feel that you can be creative. You can make your sentences start with unexpected words. You can make short paragraphs. You can create lists in there if you want. You can really play around with the form, in a way that your teachers sometimes don t let you, but you should feel free to do because writing a book review is purely about the pleasure and excitement of reading. You don t have to prove anything to your teacher, you just have to express your own passions, opinions and perceptions. Step 4 Revising and T. : How can I make review as informative and entertaining as possible? Show your drafts to a teacher, U.,

9 friend or family member to get reactions. Did you describe too little or give away too much? Did you assert an opinion clearly and provide details to support it? Use our Student Review Contest V. to help as you edit. Step 5 W. : How can you share your opinions with the world? Give your review an audience beyond your teacher. If you are 13 or older submit your review to the New York Times Review Contest before the Nov. 29, 2016 deadline. There are other ways reviews can get out into the world: school newspapers, student X., bulletin Y. and Z. such as Teen Ink.

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12 Name: Date: Reading Reviews with a Critical Eye 1. What is being reviewed? 2. What factual or explanatory information does the reviewer provide to inform the reader about the subject? How does he or she avoid spoilers, if that is relevant to the review? 3. What is the reviewer s opinion of the subject? How do you know? 4. What supporting evidence or details does the reviewer provide to support her or his opinion? 5. What do you notice about how the reviewer structured the review and organized her or his ideas? 6. Do you think the review is informative? Is it entertaining to read? Does it make you want (or not want) to experience the subject? Explain. 7. Underline or highlight a few lines from the review to share with your group that illustrate the critic s approach to her or his subject.