Write reviews
Writing reviews can help you think about texts differently - more deeply, structurally, systematically and analytically.
Recording and reflecting on reading is one of the essential competencies that learners need to acquire. At the same time, it is a relatively fun and exciting activity since writing a review, for example, is an easy way to reflect on a book and, at the same time, can quickly be published anywhere - in a magazine, on a blog or elsewhere. But you can also keep a book review for your use without having to share it with anyone.
Children in primary school are often encouraged to keep a reading diary, which is nothing more than a set of reviews. The problem is that the reading diary often degrades to a group of simple statements that show neither whether they have read the book nor what they think. And why. Thus, writing reviews is one method that helps to develop reflective reading and forces readers to think more comprehensively about a topic than just within the confines of a single book.
For the review, adherence to a particular fixed structure can be recommended. The length depends on the readers' age, but reviews are typically written in two to three standard pages. Conversely, more extended studies are often demanding nd require much intellectual effort and thought on the author's part. They are usually encountered in scholarly journals, where they reflect on the merits of a book and its methods in the context of a particular discourse, which requires specific expertise.
A review usually has five parts:
1. An introductory exposition that says why you are looking at the book, what it responds to, and what problem it potentially solves. It can be more personal.
2. Description of the content of the book. It briefly describes the exciting moments and contents of the book. Many students make the mistake of telling the whole plot here or writing one sentence about each chapter. But the review is a matter of perspective, a critical reflection, o it is certainly not necessary to cover everything.
3. Author's view. This is a contentious part, in which one can mention moments with which one disagrees, outlines the context, refers to other books or authors, etc.
4. Recommendations and a summary in which the book is summarized and assessed in one or two shorter paragraphs.
5. Bibliographic record of the reviewed publication.
A common mistake school reviews make is to omit points one and three, with too much attention paid to point two. A limited scope (for example, with an approximate percentage split of 10: 40: 40: 10) helps one think about what is essential and relevant. The two middle sections are analytical, meaning they try to interpret the text in some way and work critically with it. This does not necessarily imply disagreeing but actively thinking about and working with it.
The review fosters the analytical thinking necessary to see the issues for oneself and contributes to critical work with sources. To write a review, you need to be aware of the book's subject and the ability to focus on working with authorities, arguments, etc. It is, therefore, an essentially analytical activity. At the same time, it must be stressed that you shouldn't be afraid to be critical of books - no matter how credentialed, the author may make a mistake, be inaccurate, be a bad translation... or perhaps you disagree with the method.
It is up to you to decide whether to write a more severe review or whether to try to be humorous and insightful. Both formats are used depending on the medium for which one will write the review. It is a relatively easy format to get into good magazines, but at the same time, reviews can be published on blogs, in web magazines, or perhaps use.
