Discussion of Students' Samples
The students' book reviews
before reading professional book reviews lacked many of the components of a book
review. These students' book
reviews included parts of the bibliographical information, that is only the title and
author, a brief summary, and evaluation. The
book reviews lacked many features of a book review such as summaries that
presented information related to the overall purpose of the book review, a
strong recommendation of who would enjoy reading the book, and an evaluation
that included examples to support their judgment.
It was apparent in all the
students' writing that was done in response to reading professional book
reviews that there was a strong sense of a connection between the reading of
professional book reviews and the students' book review writing.
The students' book reviews that were written after examining the
professional book reviews included the essential information for understanding
the nature of the book, complete bibliographical information, and a brief
summary with their evaluation of the book's primary literary strengths. Also,
a recommendation was offered for a particular audience.