Activities to help supplement your studies and learning.

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Book review

Subject area: Literacy: Reading Comprehension

Suitable age range: 8–11 years

Resources needed: Each pupil should have a copy of a book of their own choosing. A display or template sheets with an outline of E. DeBono’s ‘6 Thinking Hats’ may serve as prompts for learners. Writing materials.

Preparation: Depending on reading experience and capability, pupils should be grouped with 1–4 other people reading the same book. Pupils could be introduced to each hat in turn as they read the book prior to this critical evaluation. During their reading of the book, pupils should be predicting outcomes, clarifying new terms, visualising key ideas, analysing the style and devices used by the author, inferring themes and life messages, asking questions and summarising key parts. An example review could also be analysed to identify key features.

Expected timings: 1 hour; though extra write-up time depends on level of depth required

Expected outcomes of the activity: Pupils critically evaluate a text using the ‘6 Thinking Hats’.

Success criteria: Learners use these points of view to guide their evaluation:

White = A summary of the facts (title, author, key events)

Red = Feelings are analysed about the style (i.e. ‘This part made me feel…’)

Black = Negative thoughts about the text and why

Yellow = Positive things learned (e.g. inferred theme, new words/phrases)

Green = Ideas that you suggest would improve the text, with examples

Blue = A summary of the review with recommendations, reasons and ratings (e.g. out of 10).
 

Details of the activity:

Introduction: (5 minutes) Explain rationale for review (perhaps to write to the author or display in school library; give the review purpose). Invite some light discussion to recap on function of each thinking hat. Remind pupils that being critical is about taking a range of views.

Task 1: Refresher (10 minutes) Pupils refresh their memories by re-reading the book. Suggest careful reading of the first and last pages, though offer the option to skim read other parts for experienced readers.

Task 2: Discussion (2+3 minutes x 6) Invite pupils to discuss with their group each success criteria, in turn. Pupils may use wipe boards or scrap paper to note down comments. Randomly pick pupils from each group to recap on comments to the class.

Task 3: Write-up (10 minutes) Ppupils make a start on writing their views. It may just be one sentence per hat or a paragraph. Sentence starters and paragraph openers may be useful here, if this is to be used as a writing lesson too.

Note: Depending on reading experience and capabilities regarding writing and independence, it may tempting to ‘pause’ at each hat to write down their views before continuing to the next. However, it is important that pupils try and consider a range of views as a whole to help with comprehension and evaluation.

Task 4: Plenary (2+3 minutes) Invite pupils to reflect on the experience. Did they take on a range of views? Did they think of views different from their own? Have their views changed from before their discussion? Was there any one hat they struggled with? Randomly pick pupils from each group to share reflections.