READING &

WRITING SKILLS 11
Second Semester: 4th Quarter
Week 4

LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

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 Competency: Identify the unique features of and requirements in
composing texts that are useful across disciplines.
a. Book Review
b. Literature Review

Objectives: At the end of the week, you shall have:

a. defined book review and literature review;
b. determined the features and requirements of book review and literature
review; and
c. shared profound realizations on the importance of book review and
literature review through three-sentence paragraph.

Learner’s Tasks

Lesson Overview

In your academic journey as Senior High School students, you are expected to
compose texts, write reviews, present arguments, give judgments, formulate critical
essays, and write office correspondence.

This module will help you gain functional knowledge on the requirements of writing
texts across disciplines. This also contains tasks that develop your competencies in
composing effective written texts which are important in various fields and for future
professions.

Book Review

A book review is both a description and evaluation of a book. It is a description since

it describes what is on the page. It is also an evaluation in the sense that it analyzes
and evaluates a particular piece of work and provides detailed evidence to support
analysis and evaluation. It is a formal paper that describes the book’s purpose,
content and relevance and analyzes how the book achieved its purpose.

Book reviews might differ in styles but share the following common features:
1. Book review is a synopsis of the content of the book that includes important
description as well as its overall evaluation.
2. Book review contains a critical assessment of the content which includes your
reactions to the work under review.
3. Book review suggests whether the reader would appreciate it or not and if the
book is worth reading.

Guidelines in Writing Book Review

There is no hard and fast rule in writing a book review. However, it helps if you divide
the writing process into phrases.

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 A. Pre-writing Phase
After reading the book, go over it once more and reflect on the following
questions:
1. What is the main claim or thesis of the book?
2. What important idea/s is the author conveying?
3. Is the author successful in expressing his/her ideas/arguments to the
audience?
4. What is the author’s style of writing?
5. How are characters developed?
6. What is the structure of the plot?
7. Would you recommend this book to a reader?

B. Writing Phase
Organize your thoughts and start writing once you are done taking down notes
of your observations. The review comprises an introduction, body of the review
and conclusion.

Introduction
Most of the book reviews are brief. Generally, an introduction involves the
following:
1. The name of the author, title and the main theme.
2. Important details about who the author is and where he//she stands in the
genre or field of inquiry---you could also link the title to the subject to show
how the title explains the subject matter.
3. The context of the book and or your review --- place your review in a
framework that makes sense to your audience.
4. The thesis of the book --- if you are reviewing fiction, this may be difficult
since novels, plays and short stories rarely have explicit arguments. But
identifying its particular novelty, angle or originality allows you to show what
specific contribution the pieces is trying to make.

Development
Develop your thesis using supporting arguments. Employ description,
evaluation, and if possible explanation of why the author wrote as he/she did.

Conclusion
If your thesis have been well explained, the conclusion should follow naturally.
It can include a final assessment or a restatement of the thesis. Do not
introduce new material at this point.

(Source: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/book-reviews)

Literature Review

A literature review is the process of gathering a comprehensive body of knowledge.

Related literature review assists the writer in searching for a research topic, guides the
researcher in the formulation of the conceptual framework the preparation of the
methodology, and provides information that may support and strengthen the findings
of the study on hand (Minerva, 2007). Minerva further said that surveyed materials
should be relevant and updated, information from the sources should have similarity
to the research problem and materials reviewed should be reliable and objective,
hence, fictitious data are not allowed.

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Steps in Writing a Literature Review

Step 1: Search for relevant literature

Set a focus and create a main question to direct your search.

Step 2: Evaluate and select sources

Select sources that are credible. Read major studies and theories related to your
research.

Step 3: Identify themes, debates, and gaps

Look for:

• Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): determine what approaches
become more or less popular over time
• Themes: identify the recurring points of your research
• Debates, conflicts and contradictions: identify the conflicting ideas of the
different sources
• Pivotal publications: determine the influential theories or studies that changed
the direction of the research
• Gaps: identify what is missing in the literature as well as the weaknesses that
need to be addressed

Step 4: Outline your literature review’s structure

You can choose from the structures below in writing your literature review.

Chronological
This is the simplest approach where you track down the development of the topic
over time. You should write the materials consistent with the time of its publication and
avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

Thematic
Repetitive central themes can be organized into subsections that address different
aspects of the topic.

Step 5: Write your literature review

Literature review has three main parts, namely: introduction, a main body, and
a conclusion.

Introduction
The introduction clearly establishes the focus and purpose of the literature review.

➢ give some background on the topic and its importance

➢ discuss the scope of the literature you will review (for example, the time
period of your sources)
➢ state your objective
➢ What new insight will you draw from the literature?

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Body
Depending on the length of your literature review, you can divide the body into
subsections. You can use a subheading for every theme, time period, or
methodological approach.

As you write, you can follow these tips:

• Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source
and combine them into a coherent whole
• Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers—add your own
interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation
to the literature as a whole
• Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic
sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts

Example of a paragraph in a literature review

Topic Sentence:

The first sentence establishes the main
point of the paragraph.
Pivotal study:
This sentence summarizes a pivotal
publication in the field.
Critical evaluation
This sentence critiques a weakness of
that study – that its findings may not be
relevant to a contemporary context.
Theory
These sentences summarize a more
recent theoretical perspective on the
topic.
Synthesis
Several empirical studies are
synthesized to show a clear pattern of
findings in support of the theory.
Gap
The gap in the literature is identified,
making way for the relevance of the
author’s own research.
Body image issues have been widely associated with social
media usage, particularly in young women. The relation
between media depictions and body image concerns is well-
established; a meta-analysis by Grabe, Ward and Hyde (2008)
concluded that exposure to mass media is linked to body
image dissatisfaction among women. However, in an era of
rapidly changing digital technologies, the mass media
paradigm is no longer adequate for understanding how
people engage with images, and the findings of older studies
like this one may not be generalizable to younger
generations. In light of this changing landscape, researchers
have become increasingly interested in the specific effects of
social media. Perloff (2014) theorizes that the interactive
aspects of social media may influence its impact on body
image and mentions that young women are among the most
active social media users. Several empirical studies have
focused on Facebook usage in adolescent girls (Tiggermann
& Slater, 2013; Meier & Gray, 2014) and in young adult women
(Smith, Hames, & Joiner, 2013; Fardouly et al., 2015; Cohen,
Newton-John & Slater, 2017), while a systematic review by
Holland and Timmerman (2016) confirmed a relationship
between social networking and body image for both women
and men. Across these studies, there is consistent evidence
that body image issues are influenced not by social media
usage in general, but by engagement with the visual and
interactive aspects of these platforms. Nonetheless, there is a
lack of robust research on more highly visual social media
(HVSM) such as Instagram and Snapchat that have gained
more recent popularity among younger generations.

Conclusion
Summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their
significance.
Source: https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/literature-review/

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Activity 1:
Direction: Fill in the grid below with the definitions of book review and literature review.

BOOK REVIEW (DEFINITION) LITERATURE REVIEW (DEFINITION)

Activity 2A:
Direction: Read the given book review below. Answer the questions that follow.

I Capture the Castle

Review by Lauren W., age 17, Mensa in Georgia

Dodie Smith's novel I Capture the Castle is a journey through the mind of a young
writer as she attempts to chronicle her daily life. Seventeen-year-old Cassandra
Mortmain has recently learned to speed-write, and she decides to work on her
writing skills by describing the actions and conversations of those around her.

Cassandra lives in a fourteenth-century English castle with an interesting cast of

characters: her beautiful older sister, Rose; her rather unsociable author father and
his second wife, artist-model Topaz; Stephen, the garden boy; a cat and a bull
terrier; and sometimes her brother Thomas when he is home from school. One
fateful day they make the acquaintance of the Cotton family, including the two
sons, and a web of tangled relationships ensues.

While I definitely recommend this book to other readers, I would recommend it to

older teenagers, mainly because it will resonate better with them. The writing is
tame enough that younger teens could also read it, but most of the characters
are adults or on the verge of adulthood. Older readers would take the most from
it since they can not only relate, but they may also better pick up on and
appreciate Cassandra's sometimes subtle humor.

Over the course of the novel, Cassandra undergoes a definite transformation from
child to mature young adult, even though it's only over the course of several
months. I love that I could see into her mindset and read exactly what she was
feeling when she thought out situations. Her thoughts flowed well and moved the
book along very quickly.

Cassandra's narrative voice is wonderful. She is serious at times, but also very witty,
which makes for an engaging read. It feels absolutely real, as though I'm reading
someone's actual journal. Sometimes I forget that I am reading a story and not a
real-life account. Her emotions and the dialogue are so genuine, and they are
spot-on for a seventeen-year-old girl in her situation.

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 Cassandra has many wonderful insights on life, on topics ranging from writing to
faith to matters of the heart. I personally have had some of the same thoughts as
Cassandra, except Ms. Smith was able to put them into words.

Capture the Castle should be essential reading for aspiring writers, those looking for
historical fiction or romance, or anyone who loves reading amazing classic books.
Dodie Smith is an exceptional writer, and I Capture the Castle is a book that will
never become obsolete.

Source: https://www.mensaforkids.org/teach/lesson-plans/book-review-guide/book-review-writing-examples/

1. What feature of book review is being reflected above? Cite only one.

2. Cite the requirements followed by the book review above.

3. Enumerate the things to be considered in writing an introduction of a book review.

Activity 2B:
Direction: Identify the features and requirements of the given literature review. Write
your answers in a grid as shown below.

Prior studies have identified many benefits for educational institutions from service-
learning programs. These benefits include positive perceptions of the university by
the community (Miron &Moely, 2006), enhanced student retention rates (Eyler et
al., 2001), positive teaching and learning outcomes such as greater student
involvement and participation in class (Caruso et al., 2007), and increased
opportunities for meaningful research and scholarly activities (Strand et al., 2003).

In this study and related research, the individual serving are university students who
are collaborating with the community partner. The studied benefits to individuals
serving include cultural awareness sharing (Crabtree, 2008), as well as networking
opportunities and application of classroom learning to real-world issues (Bowen et
al.,2009). Ultimately, service-learning stimulates student learning and engages
students in their surrounding communities. Service learning creates new goals for
students such as personal development, career development, moral
development, academic achievement, and “reflective civic participation” (Lamb
et al.,1998). These types of projects allow students to utilize material learned in the
classroom to improve societal conditions.

Integrating concepts and theories learned in the classroom with everyday life make
students more capable of highlighting the importance of each course.
Additionally, material learned in business courses can be applied to benefit the
community through variety of tangible services such as business planning or
marketing programs. Service learning is an excellent way for students to apply their
course lessons to real-world situations and concurrently benefit the community.

Source: http://cmgtwriting.uscannenberg.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Writing-Literature-Reviews-540.pdf

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 1. What feature of literature review is present above? Cite only one.

2. Cite the main parts of literature review.

3. What are the things that we must consider in writing the introduction of a
literature review?

Activity 3.
Direction: Answer the questions below in a three-sentence paragraph?

• Why do we need to study the features and requirements of book review and
literature review?
• What is the importance of these features and requirements of book review and
literature review towards writing texts across disciplines?

Formative Test

Directions: Read each question carefully. Choose the best answer from the given
choices. Write the letter of your answer on the answer sheet.

1. Which of the following is the best definition for book review?

A. It gives an idea if the book is full of information.
B. It analyzes the content and purpose of a book.
C. It tells both description and evaluation of a book.
D. It gives a clearer picture of what is the content of a book.

2. What is meant by ‘literature review’?

A. It is a compilation of any scholarly works.
B. It involves gathering of relevant sources.
C. It is the process of gathering a comprehensive body of knowledge.
D. It is a means of collecting sources that will add color to your research
work.

3. Which of the following is NOT applicable in writing the body of a literature review?
A. Mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources.
B. Give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them
into a coherent whole.
C. Just paraphrase the literature of other researchers. Do not add your own
interpretations.
D. Use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections,
comparisons and contrasts.

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4. What requirement in writing a book review could BEST describe the concluding
paragraph of a book review as written below?

This book was very well written. This book is suitable for 9–20-year-old people. I
give this book 5 stars.
A. It tells that the book is worth reading.
B. It is a synopsis of the content of the book.
C. It includes reactions to the work under review.
D. It mentions the strengths and weaknesses of the sources.

5. All of the following statements tell the importance of book review and
literature review towards writing text across disciplines, EXCEPT?
A. They develop one’s skill in paraphrasing.
B. They provide a great avenue to master the skill in proper citation.
C. They pave the way to master the skill in writing a coherent paragraph.
D. They will help us realize that book review and literature review are good
sources of information.

Answer Key

Activity 1.

BOOK REVIEW (DEFINITION) LITERATURE REVIEW (DEFINITION)

A book review is both a description and A literature review is the process of
evaluation of a book. It is a description gathering a comprehensive body of
since it describes what is on the page. knowledge.
It is also an evaluation in the sense that
it analyzes and evaluates a particular
piece of work and provides detailed
evidence to support analysis and
evaluation.

Activity 2A.
1. Expected Responses:
Feature: Book review suggests whether the reader would appreciate it or not and
if the book is worth reading.
Proof from the text : While I definitely recommend this book to other readers, I would
recommend it to older teenagers, mainly because it will resonate
better with them.

Feature: Book review offers critical assessment of the content which includes your
reactions to the work under review.

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 Proof from the text: Over the course of the novel, Cassandra undergoes a definite
transformation from child to mature young adult, even though it's
only over the course of several months. I love that I could see into
her mindset and read exactly what she was feeling when she
thought out situations. Her thoughts flowed well and moved the
book along very quickly.

2.
➢ Introduction
➢ Body
➢ Conclusion

3.
➢ Name of the author
➢ Important details about who the author is
➢ The context of the book and or your review
➢ The thesis of the book

Activity 2B.
1. Feature: Literature review provides information that may support and
strengthen the findings of the study on hand.
Proof from the text: These benefits include positive perceptions of the university
by the community (Miron &Moely, 2006), enhanced
student retention rates (Eyler et al., 2001), positive
teaching and learning outcomes such as greater student
involvement and participation in class (Caruso et al.,
2007), and increased opportunities for meaningful
research and scholarly activities (Strand et al., 2003).

Feature: Surveyed materials should be relevant and updated.

Proof from the text. The studied benefits to individuals serving include cultural
awareness sharing (Crabtree, 2008), as well as networking
opportunities and application of classroom learning to real-world
issues (Bowen et al.,2009).

2.
➢ Introduction
➢ Body
➢ Conclusion

3.
➢ give some background on the topic and its importance
➢ discuss the scope of the literature you will review
➢ state your objective
➢ What new insight will you draw from the literature?

Activity 3. Answers Vary

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 References

Dayagbil, Filomena, Ethel L. Abao, and Remedios C. Bacus. “Critical Reading and

Writing for the Senior High School.” Philippines: Lorimar Publishing, Inc.,2016.

Gacho, Francesca. 2018. Starting the literature review. Annenberg Graduate Writing

Coach. Retrieved from http://cmgtwriting.uscannenberg.org/starting-the-

literature-review/

McCombes, Shona. 2019. “How to Write a Literature Review.” Scribbr. March 9, 2021.

https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/literature-review/

Mensa for Kids. ”Book Review Examples.” Accessed May 11, 2021.

https://www.mensaforkids.org/teach/lesson-plans/book-review-guide/book-

review-writing-examples/

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Book Reviews.” Accessed May 11, 2021.

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/book-reviews

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