Reading Nonfiction Reviews

Before you write your own review, you should see how other students reviewed nonfiction. As you read the samples on this page, pay close attention to the types of details included, and consider how you might share similar details in your own review.

Reading a Short Nonfiction Review

In just a single paragraph, a short review can inspire others to read a nonfiction book or article. A short review includes three parts: The topic sentence introduces the title and author of the work in an interesting way. The body sentences tell what the book is about and why you like it. The ending sentence predicts who else would like the book and recommends they read it.

Sample Short Review

1. How does the writer introduce the book being reviewed?
2. What is the book about?
3. What is the purpose of the ending sentence?

Reading a Full Nonfiction Review

A full nonfiction review provides more details and analysis than a short review. It reveals just enough about the book or article to help readers decide whether or not to read it. The beginning paragraph introduces the nonfiction work and gets the reader's interest. The middle paragraphs describe what the book or article is about, explain why you liked it, and reveal the book's theme or the article's main idea. The ending paragraph answers why others would like reading it.

Warm-Up for Writing Nonfiction Reviews

(c) Thoughtful Learning 2018

Have you ever read something so great that you just had to tell someone else about it? Writing a nonfiction review gives you that chance. In this unit, you will write a review of a nonfiction book or article you have recently read.

What Is a Nonfiction Review?

A nonfiction review gives just enough information about a book or article to help another reader decide whether or not to read the whole thing. Nonfiction is another word for "true story," so a nonfiction review focuses on a work about real people, places, events, or information. Some examples of nonfiction include biographies, autobiographies, diary entries, historical documents, online news stories, textbook chapters, and newspaper and magazine articles.

A review not only describes what the story is about but also what you think about it and why. The reading and writing activities in this unit will help you create an effective review of a nonfiction text (without spoiling the ending). Afterward, you can share what you've written with your friends and classmates. Who knows, your review might influence what they choose to read next!

Thinking About Nonfiction

Writing a great nonfiction review begins with close reading. To read closely, remember SQ3R—Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. This reading strategy will help you identify the key elements of nonfiction: title, author, headings, images, graphics, main idea, beginnings, endings, and supporting details.

1. Survey the text: Highlight the title, author, and headings.
2. Question the topic and purpose: Write comments on the document.
3. Read the text: Underline the main idea. (Hint: The main idea is usually located in the first few paragraphs.)

Viewing for Assessment

Some tests ask you to watch a video and respond to it in a paragraph or essay. Often, you'll need to refer to details from the video and any readings you have done. The following activities will help you practice viewing for assessment.

Practicing for Assessment

Reading and writing tests measure important learning skills. You can do your best on such tests by reading and writing every day. You can also get a better score if you practice for assessment.

How Can I Practice for Assessment?

© Thoughtful Learning 2016

The best way to practice for a reading and writing assessment is to take a practice test. This unit asks you to closely read information and write about it, just as you will do on actual assessments.

You’ll find interesting articles to read and respond to. You’ll also get to watch a video. In the end, you’ll need to take the information you discover and use it to write an informational essay of your own.

If you would like more help with close reading and informational writing, see the unit “Reading and Writing for Assessment.”

Reading a Practice Assessment

Some tests ask you to closely read and respond to explanatory articles and then use them to write an essay. One technique for reading closely is SQ3R:

• Survey the headings, illustrations, beginning, and ending of the text.
• Question what the text is about and what you expect to learn from it.
• Read the text carefully.
• Recite the main points covered in the text.
• Review the material, thinking about how it relates to other things you have learned.

Source 1

Finding Supporting Details

Each controlling sentence in a text is supported with different types of details. Note how the following focus statement is supported by different details.

Understanding Controlling Sentences

As you read, watch for two types of controlling sentences:

A focus statement tells what an essay or article is about. It usually appears at the end of the first paragraph.

A topic sentence tells what a paragraph is about. It usually appears at the start of a middle paragraph.

Closely Reading Nonfiction

To read closely, remember SQ3R—Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review.

1. Survey the text: Highlight the title, author, and headings.
2. Question the topic and purpose: Write comments on the document.
3. Read the text: Underline the focus statement and topic sentences.

Warm-Up for Reading and Writing Assessments

© Thoughtful Learning 2016

Reading helps you learn any subject. Writing helps you share what you've learned. That's why these two skills are critical in all your classes. That's also why major assessments test your ability to read and write.

What Is Assessment?

Assessment is another word for test. Some assessments will test your ability to read and write. The reading and writing you do every day at school and home will help you get ready for these assessments. This unit will also help.

In the following activities, you’ll learn about close reading—reading to understand the focus statement, topic sentences, details, and vocabulary of the nonfiction texts you’re assigned. You’ll also learn about on-demand writing—writing to develop your own ideas during an assessment. Strong reading skills help you write and vice versa.

In this unit, you’ll learn the reading and writing skills that you need to succeed in nonfiction assessment. If you’d like to try out these skills, see the unit “Practice Test for Reading and Writing.”

Thinking About Close Reading

To read closely, you need to think about the ideas in a text. You can do this by asking and answering questions. For starters, use the 5 W’s and H.

Reading a Problem-Solution Paragraph and Essay

Now that you've warmed up your thinking about problems and solutions, you can read a sample paragraph and essay. Note how each writer explains a problem and argues for a specific solution.

Reading a Problem-Solution Paragraph

A problem-solution paragraph has three main parts. The topic sentence introduces the solution to a problem. The body sentences explain the problem and solution. The ending sentence calls readers to action.

Sample Paragraph

Reading an Opinion Paragraph and Essay

Before you write your own essay, you can read an opinion paragraph and essay that others wrote. As you read, think about how the writers put ideas together and how you might support an opinion in your essay.

Reading an Opinion Paragraph

An opinion paragraph has three main parts. The topic sentence states the opinion. The body sentences support the opinion with reasons. The ending sentence restates or emphasizes the opinion.

Sample Paragraph