The month of May doesn’t just bring flowers; if you have been keeping up with the suggested IEW unit pacing, it also brings Unit 9, the formal critique. But what is a formal critique, and how does it differ from a book report? If you’re not quite sure, don’t fret! Podcasts 139a and 139b will explain the difference and help you understand how to effectively teach this writing unit to your Level B and C students.
In the podcasts, not only does Andrew Pudewa describe the differences between a critique and a book report, he also explains how to structure the critique model to work for both fiction and non-fiction sources. Additionally he describes how to write a response to literature, a precursor to the literary analysis essays written during the high school years. Laying the groundwork for how to structure this unique type of essay, Andrew also addresses how to decide which topics to analyze.
Finally, Andrew spends some time describing the power of the TRIAC paragraph. Andrew calls it the “Swiss Army knife” of paragraph models because it can be used for such a wide variety of topics.
So check them out! These podcasts on Unit 9 are packed with useful information to help you finish your school year strong. Be sure to listen in and learn. You’ll be glad you did!
