module

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11
Reading and Writing
Skills
Quarter 4 – MELC 5:
Identifying the Unique Features of
and Requirements in Writing Book
Review or Article Critique and
Literature Review

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Learning Activity Sheet (LAS) for Reading and Writing
READING AND WRITING LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET
Identifying the unique features of and requirements in writing Book Review or Article
Critique and Literature Review
I. Learning Competency (MELC)
Identify the unique features of and requirements in composing texts that are useful across
disciplines
a. Book Review or Article Critique
b. Literature Review
II. Background Information for Learners
Academic materials demand a different way of reading from those which require mere
pleasure reading. The material that one will review or critique would require him or her to read
actively, intelligently, and critically. In other words, one has to go beyond the content of the material.
In the previous lessons, we have learned the importance of critical reading and how one can
formulate evaluative statements based on the material read. In this learning activity sheet, we will
identify the features and requirements in composing texts which are book review or article critique
and literature review as head start in writing our own compositions relative across disciplines.
What is a book review or article critique?
One of the basic school requirements is writing a book review or an article critique. A book
review or an article critique gives essential information about a book (fiction or nonfiction) or an
article (e.g. from newspapers, magazines, academic journals) and provides an evaluation or a
critical analysis of it.
What are the parts of a Book Review or Article Critique?
A. Introduction. As a starting point for book reviews or article critique, one should use the notes
that he/she has taken down while critically reading the material.
When writing the introduction:
 Know the context or information in which the material was written—author’s background
(i.e., life, culture, and beliefs); and social, economic, or political conditions in which the
material was produced.
 Mention the title of the material, year or date of publication, and author’s name.
 If writing an article critique, state the main argument or author’s purpose of the material.
 One should come up with a thesis statement that will indicate one’s evaluation of the
material. When doing a book review, it should be planned first whether to write a positive,
negative, or mixed review. When writing an article critique, it should be decided first if he/she
is for or against the main argument.
 Briefly summarize the book or the main points of the article.
B. Body. This is the analysis and evaluation part of the review or critique paper. Here are some
questions that can help in the critical evaluation of the material.
When writing a book review:
 What are the setting, theme(s), plot, characterization, and other significant literary devices
used by the author?
 How do these elements contribute to the overall meaning of the book?
 What are the strengths and weaknesses of the book?
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Quarter, Week 5

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 What significant human experience and relationships can one relate with in light of one’s
personal experience?
 How is the book similar to and/or different from other books in the same genre?
 Is the book informative, entertaining, or meaningful? Should it be recommended to others?
Why or why not?
When writing an article critique:
 Are the ideas presented clear and convincing? What pieces of evidence are used to support
the author’s ideas? Are they valid or accurate?
 Is the purpose of the paper achieved? If yes, how? If no, why not?
 What is the overall structure of the article? Are the ideas logically organized and adequately
developed?
 What are the strengths and weaknesses of the article?
 What further issues does the article raise?
 Does the article contribute to one’s knowledge or understanding of a particular concept or
topic? How is it helpful to other works in its discipline or to works of related topic?
C. Conclusion
This is a brief summary of the overall evaluation of the material. One may include here the
main reasons stated in the body paragraphs why he/she agrees or disagrees with the author. After
writing the review or critique, citing the references used in the paper should not be missed. It is
important to ask which style guide or citation format to use.
What is a Literature Review?
A literature review is a survey of scholarly articles, books, or other sources that pertain to
a specific topic, area of research, or theory. The literature review offers brief descriptions,
summaries, and critical evaluations of each work, and does so in the form of a well-organized essay.
Scholars often write literature reviews to provide an overview of the most significant recent
literature published on a topic. They also use literature reviews to trace the evolution of certain
debates or intellectual problems within a field. Even if a literature review is not a formal part of a
research project, students should conduct an informal one so that they know what kind of scholarly
work has been done previously on the topic that they have selected..
The purpose of writing a literature review is to let the readers have a full grasp of
understanding on the background of one’s research, problem, experiment or investigation.
It is also used to analyze critically and synthesize other published writings to one’s work or research.
Before writing the literature review, take note of the following:
 Identify the issue to be discussed on the paper.
 Determine the problem statement, main statement questions, research/problem findings,
and scope and delimitation of the paper
 Collect the materials from credible sources
 Evaluate and categorize the information gathered
 Make sure that the information contributes to the understanding of the topic and is
supported by evidence such as case study, statistics or scientific finding. The information
gathered can be either the same or against one’s proposed statement.
Questions to ask when choosing for related articles
 Does the article have a clear thesis statement? Is that thesis supported by a well-organized
argument that uses convincing evidence?
 What strategies or methodologies does the author use in the article?

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 Was the article published in a respected academic journal?
 Is the author someone who seems reliable?
 How recently was the article published? In rapidly changing fields, research can become
dated quickly, so it is generally preferable to use articles published within the past five years
or so.
 What original contribution does the article make to the discussion about the topic?
III. Accompanying DepEd Textbook and Educational Sites
Background QuexBook App for Teachers and Students
Exercise 1 https://books.allwomenstalk.com/reasons-why-everyone-should-read-the-
little-prince/Retrieved: November 16, 2020
Exercise 2 http://albertgamboa.blogspot.com/p/literature-review.html
IV. Activity Proper
Exercise 1. Read the text and answer the following questions on a one whole sheet of paper.
Copy the questions then answer.
“The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a classic that has been passed
down from generation to generation since it was published in 1943. This children’s tale is
more than a book for kids; “The Little Prince” is a lesson for life. The simple tale tells the story
of a child, the little prince, who travels the universe gaining wisdom. The narrator introduces
himself as a man who learned when he was a child that adults lack imagination and
understanding. He is now a pilot who has crash-landed in a desert. He encounters a small
boy who asks him for a drawing of a sheep, and the narrator obliges. The narrator, who calls
the child the little prince, learns that the boy comes from a very small planet. Over the course
of the next few days, the little prince tells the narrator about his life.
I read this book my freshman year of high school for summer reading. I can’t believe it
took me that long to read it. Everyone should read Saint-Exupéry’s unforgettable story
because it is timeless, it teaches you a valuable lesson about caring for others, and it is easy
to read.
“The Little Prince” is a timeless tale because it touches upon childhood, imagination
and the inevitability of growing up. The pilot in this story loses touch with that part of himself.
It takes a plane-crash, a stay in the desert and some time with the little prince to find it again.
While reading this story as a high school student, I never felt that it was written purely for
kids. In fact, I reread it often and take away more messages each time.
One part of the book that sticks out to me is the piece with the rose. The little prince
cares as best as he can for this very demanding rose. But he learns a bigger lesson than the
few things he did to take care of her. He learns: “It is the time you have wasted for your rose
that makes your rose so important.” I can’t help but apply that same concept to various parts
of my life, especially when I feel like I’ve lost something I cared about.
No matter how old you are, “The Little Prince” is a great story to read. You can read it
to yourself or share it with your kids. It’s a wonderful way to bond through reading. You can
even talk about it with friends and family who’ve read it. Plus, it’s awesome to casually slip in
a reference to the story and see who catches it.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s children’s book “The Little Prince” is a must-read if you
haven’t already. What is your favorite part? When did you first read it?

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1. What is the text about?
2. What do you think is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
3. Is the given text an example of a book review or article critique? Justify by identifying the
features found in the text.
4. What is the focus of the analysis of the text? Did it focus on the setting, character, themes, etc.?
Prove your answer by mentioning some lines and explaining them.
5. If you were to improve this text, what feature (s) will you add or remove from the given text?
Exercise 2.
Read the sample literature review on Video Game Addiction and answer the following questions. Do
this on a one whole sheet of paper. Copy the questions then answer.
Video Game Addiction
Call of Duty, Madden NFL, Battlefield, World of War Craft, what do all these titles have in
common? They are all video games that have a top selling product in the consumer market. They
are popular not only in the United States but throughout the whole world, such as South Korea,
Australia, China and even France. They consist of a video game console or computer. You can
play them at home; at a friend’s house or even while you are walking down the street with a portable
gaming device. Now, you cannot find a house with children or teens living there without seeing
some type of video game hardware inside their home. With its high popularity and mass usage, what
happens when these video games become addictive? Do any negative or positive effects occur?
First, in order to understand video game addiction, you have to know how it all started.
When video games first came out back in the 1970’s, not that many people were into them because,
they were expensive and there were not many things you could play on them other than Ping-Pong
and hockey. Then, in the 1990’s Nintendo came out with a whole new console which delivered a
game and storyline people became instant fans of. The storyline of the game was about two Italian
brothers, one red and one green, who were trying to save the princess from the evil Koopa King.
This game of course was called Super Mario Bros. This was the turning point for the success of
video games.
From here on out, games started getting more specific, detailed and expanding with levels.
It used to take a few days to complete a game, but with more memory and better consoles the levels
are much deeper and longer to beat. Graphics have been modified to look like real life events and
people. Video game makers have established a gaming experience where it feels as though the
users are really inside the game. Another gaming advancement is online play. Online playing
makes it possible for a person from the United States to play with a person from China via Internet
as long as they have the same game. With headsets and texts, people can communicate with the
people they are playing with. The better the game the more a person will play. All these
developments made a few people become addicted to playing video games, playing over 15 hours
a day, losing sleep, missing school and work.
According to research, most kids ranging from 8 to 17 years old play video games for large
amounts of time because, they do not have anything to do when they get off of school. With online
video games, teens can chat with friends or meet new people. Some children and teens do not
have friends at school so they can use video games as a replacement to have fun and interact with
people. In some cases, these people chose video games over their actual lives and either get a
small job or do not even have a job and still live with their parents even after high school. This gives
the person more playing time without having to worry about paying bills or living life outside.

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Video games can deprive a person from the real world. According to this database, “Users
may play compulsively, isolating themselves from other forms of social contact, and focus almost
entirely on in-game achievements rather than broader life events.” (Weinstein 2010). This means
video game addicts focus all of their attention on the video game and they do not try to interact with
life outside the game. Symptoms a person can have are isolation from the outside world; the person
stays quarantined in their home, having no connection with the outside world. They spend all day
playing video games rather than being with friends and family. They also make goals for
themselves, but not life goals such as striving for good grades, being in clubs or trying to get a
boyfriend/girlfriend. Instead, they make video game goals as in trying to achieve in completing a
certain level, getting a high score or beating the whole game in one day. All these are symptoms of
a video game addict.
There have been various amounts of effects for video addicts. According to this database, a
study “Found that self-reported sleep problems, depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, obsessions,
and compulsions as well as alcohol and substance abuse were positively related to the frequency
of video game playing.” (Mentzoni 2011). This means the syndromes that a video game addict can
obtain range from a minor problem (sleep problems) to major problems (suicide). When a person
does not have at least eight hours of sleep a day, he or she can develop stress and become moody.
Video games do not just have negative effects on people; they can also have positive
effects. According to this database, “Players play video games due to various motivations and
purposes. Some believe video games help them boost mental skills and improve physical
coordination… reading ability, attention, hand-eye coordination, and speed reactions to novel
situations.” (Shu-Hsun 2011). This means that video games can contribute mental skills because
some video games require critical thinking and that can enhance people’s reaction.
Also, since most video games require a remote control, hand-eye coordination increases a
person’s movement.
In conclusion, video game addictiveness can have various effects. As studies show video
games usage increase during middle school age but slowly decrease throughout high school. The
effects though can be more severe to some people and can go on past high school. There are
helpful websites that can instruct parents on how to control their child’s playing habits. Since this
starts at an early age, the websites target parents to be focused on what their children are playing
and how long they are playing it.
Answer the following items on your answer sheet.
a. What is the literature review about? State the thesis statement.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
b. What are the main points discussed by the author? Were these main points supported by
evidence(s)? Complete the table below.
Main Point Evidence
c. Were the evidences that the author presented reliable? Explain.
______________________________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________________
d. Identify the strengths of the literature review. Base your answer on the given features
discussed.
1. ___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________
e. Identify the weaknesses of the literature review. Base your answer on the given features
discussed.
1. ___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________
Remember:
Before writing book reviews or article critiques and literature reviews, one must do the
following:
(a) Take down notes. Write down the following elements which will be useful in the review
or critique: title, genre of the book, themes, characters, mood, and tone. For an article,
note the main ideas or arguments, and presentation of ideas, author's writing style and
language, and author's purpose.
(b) Formulate questions about the content. These questions may be about concepts that
one does not fully understand or wants to elaborate later on in your analysis.
(c) Read more than once for an in-depth understanding of what the author is trying to
convey.
(d) Know the format and structure of the critique or review that you will write. This helps us
identify what are the features and requirements of these compositions in order to produce
quality outputs.