Real Life Assignments: Writing Reviews
This semester, I’ve been adding more real life writing assignments to my writing workshop. I’m loving them because the kids are engaged, and because I can easily answer the inevitable question: when will we ever use this?
The first new assignment I added was a review. Reviews are everywhere in our world: sites such as Yelp, Amazon, Goodreads, and Rotten Tomatoes have become part of our daily lives, as we search to find out where to eat, what to read, and what to watch.
Reviews also focus on things we love to do, so it’s easier to come up with details and examples to support our ideas; it makes for the perfect way to let kids hone their persuasive and descriptive writing skills.
In my class, we began with a group activity that got the kids collaborating as they brainstormed the details they would need to describe a favourite meal. I took them through the process of choosing best words, sensory imagery, and figurative language, so they could show this delicious meal to a reader.
Next we looked at a series of mentor texts – reviews for a restaurant, a book, and a TV series. I asked the kids to note the “ingredients” of a good review and we started making a list. We also took the time to look at the writers’ language choices in each review, so the kids can see how they used diction, imagery and figurative language to show, rather than tell.
Finally, the kids worked through the process of writing their own reviews. They were so engaged, and the end results were so fun to read! This is a new must-do in my classroom. You can check out the whole lesson here.
Another real life writing assignment that we tried was not as uplifting, but effective, nonetheless. Tired of reading literary analysis, I decided to do something different this year, and had my seniors write an obituary for either Macbeth or his wife. It’s sad to think about, but some day, our kids may be called on to write an obituary for a loved one, a piece of writing that has to capture the essence of just who that person was.
I gave them a link to some obituaries at Maclean’s Magazine and also at Time Magazine. After they read a few, we discussed the elements of a well written tribute. Then we discussed how we could use these as exemplars to write an obituary for either Macbeth or Lady Macbeth.
You can grab the slideshow and assessment checklist for this assignment here.
These real life writing assignments have been fun to write for the kids, and fun for me to read. It’s a win-win, for sure! Do you have any favourite real life assignments? Let us know in the comments. And here’s another great activity to build persuasive writing skills.
Thank you for sharing! I can't wait to try the obituary with my sixth graders! I have a gifted group that will LOVE this!
You're welcome! I'd love to hear how it goes 🙂