December Unit #2: Review Writing

The greatest entry point to analytical writing. Here's a unit with slides + a Google Drive folder of goodies.

Last week I shared the mini-project unit that I use before launching into any piece of analytical writing for the first time — a project that helps students better understand what’s happening when we break a text down into smaller parts and piece for examination.

And, as you’ll see in the unit plan I’m sharing today, this mini-project also lays the groundwork for students to plan their own written review and structure it in a meaningful, authentic way. The way we planned for their TikTok-inspired videos is the same way we are going to plan our written reviews.

Before I share, I want to point out that the New York Times Learning Network has incredible curricular materials for so many kinds of writing, including review writing. Even if your students don’t participate in the contests, they have lesson plans and mentor texts galore. Please use this amazing, FREE (in front of the paywall!) resource! (I use last year’s student review contest winners as a set of anchor mentor texts for this unit below!)

Okay! Here’s my review unit with slides & access to my Google Drive of resources!