LESSON 2: WRITING A REACTION PAPER

REVIEW/CRITIQUE

Learning outcomes:

The learner produces an objective assessment of an event, a person, a

place or a thing. Writes a comprehensive review/reaction paper:

• Uses appropriate critical writing a critique such as formalism,

feminism, etc.
• Writes an objective/balanced review or critique of a work art, an
event or a program.

Time Allotment: 120 minutes (2 sessions)

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 Learning Objectives
This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to

help you enhance their communicative skills, particularly using English for

Academic and Professional purposes. The scope of this module permits it to be

used in many different learning situations. The language used recognizes the

diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the

standard sequence of the course. But the order in which you read them can be

changed to correspond with the textbook you are now using.

The module is good for three sessions:

• Lesson 2- Writing a Reaction Paper/Review/Critique

After going through this module, you are expected to:

• Discuss the process of writing a reaction, review and critique paper

through reading modules.

• Discuss the critical approaches in writing reaction, review and critique

paper through reading modules.

• Writes an objective/balanced review or critique of a work of art, an event

or program.

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Lesson
WRITING A REACTION, REVIEW
AND CRITIQUE PAPER
2
Writing a reaction, critique or reviews is a challenging task. It involves a
process of summarizing and evaluating or work or concept. The main purpose
of an evaluation is to assess the usefulness or impact of a work in a particular
field.

In this module, you will be able to build and enhance the academic
writing of the learners. Various essential topics, from the content and structure
of academic text to basic reading skills such as locating the main idea, are
discussed. These lessons are coupled with numerous exercises which
strengthen the understanding of these topics.

ACTIVITY
Activity 2.1 SAY SOMETHING

Instruction: The picture is based on the viral newspaper in Thailand with a

headline “Philippines, Land of COVID”. As a Filipino what are your reactions
regarding on this issue. Write your reaction on the answer sheet provided on
the next page.

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 Activity 2.1 SAY SOMETHING

Instruction: The picture is based on the viral newspaper in Thailand with a

headline “Philippines, Land of COVID”. As a Filipino what are your reactions
regarding on this issue.

Name:_____________________________Grade/Section:______________________

Subject: ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Subject Teacher: EMILYN W. KUYAN, LPT

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 ABSTRACTION
What is reaction paper?

A reaction paper, a review and a critique are specialized forms of writing in

which a reviewer or reader evaluates any of the following:

• Scholarly work ( e.g., academic books and articles)

• A work of art (e.g., performance art, play, dance, sports, film, exhibits)

• Designs (e.g., industrial designs, furniture, fashion design)

• Graphic designs (e.g., posters, billboards, commercials, and digital

designs)

Reaction papers, reviews, and critiques usually range in length form 250-750
words. They are not simply summaries but are critical assessments, analysis or
evaluation of different works. As advanced forms of writing they involve your
skills in critical thinking and recognizing arguments. However, you should not
connect the word critique to cynicism and pessimism.

Reviewers do not simply rely on mere opinions; rather, they use both proof and
logical reasoning to substantiate their comments. They process ideas and
theories, revisit and extend ideas in a specific field of study, and present an
analytical response to a book or article.

STRUCTURE OF A REACTION PAPER, REVIEW, OR CRITIQUE

Introduction (around 5% of the paper)

• Title of the book/Article/Work
• Writer’s name
• Thesis statement
Summary (around 10% of the paper)
• Objective or purpose
• Methods used (If applicable)
• Major findings, claims, ideas, or messages
Review/Critique (in no particular order and around 75% of the paper)

• Appropriateness of methodology to support the arguments (for books and

articles) or appropriateness of mode of presentation (other works)

• Theoretical soundness, coherence of ideas

• Sufficiency and soundness of explanation in relation to other available

information and experts

• Other perspectives in explaining the concepts and ideas

• It is better to ask the following during this part:

- Does are the writer explicitly state his/her thesis statement?

- What are the assumptions (i.e., a scientific/logical/literary

explanation without evidence) mentioned in the work? Are they
explicitly discussed?

- What are the contributions of the work to the field where it belongs?

- What problems and issues are discussed or presented in the work?

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Conclusion (around 10% of the paper)
• Overall impression of the work
• Scholarly or literary value of the reviewed article, book, or work
• Benefits for the intended audience or field

GUIDELINES IN WRITING A REACTION PAPER, REVIEW OR CRITIQUE

1. For articles or journals

a. Read, review, or listen to the work to b reviewed carefully to get the main
topic or the concepts presented. Then revisit the work to further identify
its arguments or message.

b. Relate the content of the work to what you already know about the topic.
This will make you engaged in the article or book.

2. For artworks and other media

a. When critiquing artwork or posters, make sure to use speculative verb

such as evoke, create, appear, and suggest to show that your
interpretation of the artist’s work is just that---- an interpretation.

b. For artwork, describe the material in simple terms to help your audience
visualize it; refrain from being vague or abstract.

3. On a general note, your reaction paper’s conclusion may focus on

the following ideas.

a. Did the work hold your interest

b. Did the work annoy or excite you?

c. Did the work prompt you to raise questions to the author?

d. Did the work lead you to some realizations?

e. Did the work remind you of other materials that you have read, viewed or
listened to in the past?

What is critique?

A critique is a careful analysis of an argument to determine what is said,

how well the points are made, what assumptions underlie the argument, what
issues are overlooked, and what implications are drawn from such
observations. It is a systematic, yet personal response and evaluation of what
you read.

It is a genre of academic writing that briefly summarizes and critically

evaluates a work or concept.

Critiques can be used to carefully analyze a variety of works such as:

• Creative works – novels, exhibits, film, images, poetry

• Research – monographs, journal articles, systematic reviews, theories
• Media – news reports, feature articles

Like an essay, a critique uses a formal, academic writing style and has a
clear structure, that is, an introduction, body and conclusion. However, the
body of a critique includes a summary of the work and a detailed
evaluation. The purpose of an evaluation is to gauge the usefulness or impact
of a work in a particular field.
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Why do we write critiques?

Writing a critique on a work helps us to develop:

• Knowledge of the work’s subject area or related works.
• An understanding of the work’s purpose, intended audience,
development of argument, structure of evidence or creative style.
• Recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of the work.

How to write a critique

Before you start writing, it is important to have a thorough

understanding of the work that will be critiqued.

• Study the work under discussion.

• Make notes on key parts of the work.
• Develop an understanding of the main argument or purpose being
expressed in the work.
• Consider how the work relates to a broader issue or context.

Read about the critical approaches. You can highlight some important
ideas. You can use these in expressing your views.

The following are the different approaches in writing a critique:

1. Formalist: This approach regards literature as “a unique form of human

knowledge that needs to be examined on its own terms.” All the elements
necessary for understanding the work are contained within the work itself.
Of particular interest to the formalist critic are the elements of form—style,
structure, tone, imagery, etc.—that are found within the text. A primary goal
for formalist critics is to determine how such elements work together with
the text’s content to shape its effects upon readers.

Questions to be Asked for Formalistic Approach

A. How is the work’s structure unified?

B. How do various elements of the work reinforce its meaning?
C. What recurring patterns (repeated or related words, images, etc.) can you
find?
D. What is the effect of these patterns or motifs?
E. How does repetition reinforce the theme(s)?
F. How does the writer’s diction reveal or reflect the work’s meaning?
G. What is the effect of the plot, and what parts specifically produce that
effect?
H. What figures of speech are used? (metaphors, similes, etc.)
I. Note the writer’s use of paradox, irony, symbol, plot, characterization, and
style of narration.
J. What effects are produced? Do any of these relate to one another or to the
theme?
K. Is there a relationship between the beginning and the end of the story?
L. What tone and mood are created at various parts of the work?
M. How does the author create tone and mood? What relationship is there
between tone and mood and the effect of the story?
N. How do the various elements interact to create a unified whole?

2. Gender Criticism: This approach “examines how sexual identity influences

the creation and reception of literary works.” Originally an offshoot of
feminist movements, gender criticism today includes a number of
approaches, including the so-called “masculinist” approach recently

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 advocated by poet Robert Bly. The bulk of gender criticism, however, is
feminist and takes as a central precept that the patriarchal attitudes that
have dominated western thought have resulted, consciously or
unconsciously, in literature “full of unexamined ‘male-produced’
assumptions.”

3. Feminist Criticism examines images of women and concepts of the

feminine in myth and literature; uses the psychological, archetypal, and
sociological approaches; often focuses on female characters who have been
neglected in previous criticism. Feminist critics attempt to correct or
supplement what they regard as a predominantly male-dominated critical
perspective.

Questions to be asked for Feministic Approach

A. How are women’s lives portrayed in the work?

B. Is the form and content of the work influenced by the writer’s gender?
C. How do male and female characters relate to one another? Are these
relationships sources of conflict? Are these conflicts resolved?
D. Does the work challenge or affirm traditional views of women?
E. How do the images of women in the story reflect patriarchal social forces
that have impeded women’s efforts to achieve full equality with men?
F. What marital expectations are imposed on the characters? What effect do
these expectations have?
G. What behavioral expectations are imposed on the characters? What effect
do these expectations have?
H. If a female character were male, how would the story be different (and vice
versa)?
I. How does the marital status of a character affect her decisions or
happiness?

4. Historical: This approach “seeks to understand a literary work by

investigating the social, cultural, and intellectual context that produced it—a
context that necessarily includes the artist’s biography and milieu.” A key goal
for historical critics is to understand the effect of a literary work upon its
original readers.

Questions to be Asked for Formalistic Approach

A. How does it reflect the time in which it was written?

B. How accurately does the story depict the time in which it is set?
C. What literary or historical influences helped to shape the form and
content of the work?
D. How does the story reflect the attitudes and beliefs of the time in which it
was written or set? (Consider beliefs and attitudes related to race,
religion, politics, gender, society, philosophy, etc.)
E. What other literary works may have influenced the writer?
F. What historical events or movements might have influenced this writer?
G. How would characters and events in this story have been viewed by the
writer’s contemporaries?
H. Does the story reveal or contradict the prevailing values of the time in
which it was written? Does it provide an opposing view of the period’s
prevailing values?
I. How important is it the historical context (the work’s and the reader’s) to
interpreting the work?

5. Reader-Response Criticism: This approach takes as a fundamental tenet

that “literature” exists not as an artifact upon a printed page but as a
transaction between the physical text and the mind of a reader. It attempts “to
describe what happens in the reader’s mind while interpreting a text” and
reflects that reading, like writing, is a creative process.

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6. Structuralism focused on how human behavior is determined by social,
cultural and psychological structures. It tended to offer a single unified
approach to human life that would embrace all disciplines. The essence of
structuralism is the belief that “things cannot be understood in isolation, they
have to be seen in the context of larger structures which contain them. For
example, the structuralist analysis of Donne’s poem, Good Morrow, demands
more focus on the relevant genre, the concept of courtly love, rather than on the
close reading of the formal elements of the text.

7. Sociological focuses on man’s relationship to others in society, politics,

religion, and business.

Questions to be asked for Sociological Approach

A. What is the relationship between the characters and their society?

B. Does the story address societal issues, such as race, gender, and class?
C. How do social forces shape the power relationships between groups or
classes of people in the story? Who has the power, and who doesn’t?
Why?
D. How does the story reflect the Great American Dream?
E. How does the story reflect urban, rural, or suburban values?
F. What does the work say about economic or social power? Who has it and
who doesn’t? Any Marxist leanings evident?
G. Does the story address issues of economic exploitation? What role does
money play?
H. How do economic conditions determine the direction of the characters’
lives?
I. Does the work challenge or affirm the social order it depicts?
J. Can the protagonist’s struggle be seen as symbolic of a larger class
struggle?
K. How does the microcosm (small world) of the story reflect the macrocosm
(large world) of the society in which it was composed?
L. Do any of the characters correspond to types of government, such as a
dictatorship, democracy, communism, socialism, fascism, etc.? What
attitudes toward these political structures/systems are expressed in the
work?

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 APPLICATION

Activity 2.2 CRITIQUE PAPER

Directions: Pretend that you are a writer in a famous pop culture blog.
Choose one TV Show episode or newly released movie and write a 500-word
critique about

Name:_____________________________Grade/Section:______________________

Subject: ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Subject Teacher: EMILYN W. KUYAN, LPT

TV Show/Movie:______________________________

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 ASSESSMENT
We’re almost done with our first lesson. As an extended activity, your
next task can be done at home.

Activity 2.3. CIRITIQUE PAPER

Directions: Write a review or critique on any design you choose. It may be

industrial objects, crafts objects, furniture, or fashion design. Be able to use a
picture of the subject for review or critique.

A CRITIQUE OR REVIEW ON DESIGN

Name of Design:_____________________________________________

Name:_____________________________Grade/Section:______________________

Subject: ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Subject Teacher: EMILYN W. KUYAN, LPT

Paste a picture of the design here.

Activity1.5. CIRITIQUE PAPER

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Directions: Write a review or critique on the recent event or program you
attended. Be able to use the principle of writing a review or critique. Paste a
picture of the event or program on the space provided.

CRITIQUE ON EVENT OR PROGRAM

Name of Design:_____________________________________________

Name:_____________________________Grade/Section:______________________

Subject: ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Subject Teacher: EMILYN W. KUYAN, LPT

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 Activity 2.5. CIRITIQUE PAPER

Directions: Write a review on the particular performance art, play, dance,

sports, and a religious or community festival you witnessed recently. Paste a
picture of the subject of your review or critique. Use the principles in writing
critique or review.

A CRITIQUE OR REVIEW ON PERFORMANCE

Name of Design:_____________________________________________

Name:_____________________________Grade/Section:______________________

Subject: ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Subject Teacher: EMILYN W. KUYAN, LPT

Paste a picture of the design here.

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 Activity 2.6. CIRITIQUE PAPER

Directions: Write a review or critique on graphic design such as

communication materials such as posters, billboards, commercials, digital and
other media. Be able to use a picture of the subject for review or critique.

A CRITIQUE OR REVIEW ON GRAPHIC DESIGN

Name of Design:_____________________________________________

Name:_____________________________Grade/Section:______________________

Subject: ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Subject Teacher: EMILYN W. KUYAN, LPT

Assessment

Paste a picture of the design here.

Directions: Answer the following questions as briefly and as accurately as

possible.

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 RUBRIC FOR REACTION/CRITIQUE/REVIEW PAPER

EXCELLE GOO FAIR POOR

NT

Content and Content is Content is Content is not Content is

Development thorough, comprehensiv comprehensive incomplete.
accurate, e, accurate, and/or
persuasive and persuasive.
and persuasive.
relative to
a specific
purpose.

Organization Concepts Concepts of Structure of Organization

& Structure of the the paragraph and structure
paragraph paragraphs is not easy to detract from
s are filled are clear and follow. the concept
with easy to follow. Paragraph of the paper.
details of transitions Concepts are
support need disjointed
for thesis improvement. and lack of
and topic Concepts are transition of
sentences. disconnected. thoughts.
Paragraph
s flow into
each other
with
connective
concepts.
Grammar, Correct Rules of Paper contains Paper
Punctuation grammatic grammar, few contains
and Spelling al usage, and grammatical, numerous
constructi punctuation punctuation grammatical,
on. are followed; and spelling punctuation,
spelling is errors. and spelling
correct. Language lacks errors.
Language is of clarity or Language
clear; includes the uses jargons
sentences use of some or
display jargon or conversation
consistently conversational al tone.
varied tone; lacks Language is
structure. professionalis not
m. professional.
Source: Academic English for Professional Purposes by
Shiella D. Tandoc
Total:___________________
Comment:____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

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References
Tandoc, S. D. (2016). Applied English for Academic and Professional Purposes.
Recoletos St.., Intramuros Manila: Mindshapers CO., Inc.

Barrot J.S & Sipaco P.J (2016). English for Academic and Professional
Purposes.839 EDSA, South Triangle Quezon City, Philippines: C & E Publishing
Inc.

Abellanosa, N.M & Emmalyn L. (2020) English for Academic and Professional
Purposes. Department of Education, Philippines.

Philippine Panorama, Jan. 27, 2008. P.10

Rubric is adapted from the internet

[Link]

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