[ELTWeekly Volume 6, Issue 25 | October 13, 2014 | ISSN 0975-3036]

“Reviewing a Book”

Prof. S Mohanraj
Department of Training and Development, The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad – India

Abstract: 

Reviewing a book is an article that discusses the pedagogic aspects of teaching reviewing.  The article is divided into three parts.  The first part discusses the salient features of a review and its style.  The second part looks at how the learners need to write different parts of a review and the function each part performs.  This part further helps the learner with the necessary preparation they need to have to learn how to write a review.  The last part of the article discusses classroom activities that a teacher can undertake while teaching learners how to write a review.

1.0 Introduction:

How do we review a book? The question may seem a little intriguing.  Why does one choose a topic like this to write on? Here is my reason.  As teachers of English, we pay attention to various types of writing, but refrain from discussing teaching writing of book reviews. Here is an attempt to see how this can be done in our classrooms.

I am writing this with students at the undergraduate level as my focus. Almost all the Universities in our country have a course in Advanced Writing Skills at this level.  Topics discussed on this course restrict themselves to providing practice in writing paragraphs, letters – both formal and personal, reports including research reports and summarizing.  Reviewing which as an essential skill is ignored. Reviewing has a dual objective. It motivates the learners to read and at the same time hone their writing skills.  Hence I consider this a very important skill. (more…)