A review differs from a traditional news article in many ways, but most notably by its respect for the reporter’s individual response to a film, play, musical performance or work of visual art.  Journalists who are critics include the place, people, time, topic, activity and process of an event, and they report this information as objectively as possible. In addition, critics select material pertinent to their analysis which supports their opinion or view. In contrast, reporters recognize that, in most news stories, their opinion is not relevant.

The job of a critic or reviewer is the opposite: their perspective is central to their work. Typically, a reviewer will include selected facts that give readers some background about the work and a general understanding of its achievements. Also, an effective critic takes a wide-angle view of the work and then states an evaluation. In order to understand the process of reviewing, we will discuss the three parts of a review and the ways to identify an effective review. The elements of a persuasive introduction, middle section and conclusion will also be presented.

After completing this lesson, students should be able to: 

• Identify background information necessary to write a review

• Discuss the crucial elements of a review

• Compare and contrast an effective and an ineffective review

• Apply the effective review checklist to specific examples

• Write an effective review

• Define the difference between a review and an unsupported reaction, such as a one-paragraph-or-less “like” or “dislike”