Be sure to look at the rubric accompanying these instructions before you start writing and be certain that you have met all the requirements of the rubric before submitting your paper. The rubric is listed below, however, grammar and spelling errors will be deducted from the grade. The following are the general requirements for the review: First, you must read the book. Locate at least 2 other reviews of the book. The paper will be worth a total of 100 points. Please include your Works Cited page at the end of your paper. The title page and Works Cited page do NOT count toward the 1400 word minimum.
You may use MLA, APA or Chicago style formatting. The paper must be proofread !! Over 30% plagiarism will result in an F IN THE COURSE The following are general ideas for organizing your paper: 1. Introduction (10 pts.) First identify the name of the book and discuss the author and their purpose for writing the book, identify the type of book, and describe the overall theme of the book. The first sentence should grab the reader’s attention. Last sentence of the Introduction should explain goal/purpose of the paper. 2. Overview (30 pts.) Summarize the book, explaining the main points. This should be in past tense. 3. Review of the book (50 pts.) This is the major section of the paper. Be sure to describe how the book affected you. Tell the reader if you liked the book or not. Be specific: Did the story grab and keep your attention? Include details. Did the author leave out something it should have included? Would you recommend this book to someone else? Why? Who was the intended audience? What did you learn from the book? These are some of the questions you should consider. Other items to consider include why the author included certain items or omitted other items, language style used by the author. Was the language easy to understand? Did you like the style in which the book was written? Include an explanation of how the book relates to this course, identifying specific course themes that relate to your reading. This should be in past tense. Compare your comments to those of the two outside reviewers. Dig deep in the reviews; avoid simple statements like I liked the book and so did the reviewer. 4. Conclusion (10 pts.) Present a summary of your paper and add any final thoughts. AFTER READING YOUR PAPER, THE READER SHOULD BE ABLE TO: —Know the author’s name and reason for writing the book and the book name. —be able to identify your thesis sentence at the end of the first paragraph. —Have a general overview of the story. —Know your thoughts on the questions listed in the review. —understand your conclusion as a brief restatement of the thesis as well as concluding and supporting information. It is your responsibility to ensure your paper has proper spacing and is at least 1400 words long. To include everything, IF YOUR PAPER IS LESS THAN 1400 WORDS, IT WILL EARN A ZERO. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO PROOFREAD YOUR PAPER NUMEROUS TIMES. IF YOUR PAPER CANNOT BE READ OR UNDERSTOOD, IT WILL EARN A ZERO. Grammar Hints 1. PROOFREAD AND REVISE YOUR PAPER OUT LOUD NUMEROUS TIMES…HAVE ANOTHER PERSON PROOFREAD YOUR WORK…UTILIZE THE WRITING CENTER TO HELP REVISE YOUR PAPER. 2. YOU MUST TURN YOUR PAPER INTO The Link within the course!!!!!!!! Failure to submit your paper into the Link within the course will result in a ZERO. DO NOT EMAIL ME YOUR PAPER. 3. If your paper is over 30% plagiarized (ACCORDING TO YOUR ORIGINALITY REPORT – SUBMIT EARLY TO ENSURE THERE IS NO PLAGIARISM), you will receive a ZERO. Please check Grammarly.com. 4. ABSOLUTELY NO LATE PAPERS! Papers can be submitted at any time before the due date. 5. Students are encouraged to submit papers early in order to avoid unexpected emergencies and unexpected problems. DO NOT OFFER EXCUSES! Computer problems are not an acceptable excuse! DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT OFFERING AN EXCUSE FOR FAILURE TO TURN IN THE PAPER ON TIME AS IT WILL BE COMPLETELY IGNORED AND DISREGARDED. 6. Avoid using informal language. This is a college paper and should be written for a college audience. Do not write this paper as if you were speaking to a classmate. (Avoid phrases like “back in the day” and other slang) 7. ABSOLUTELY NO misspelled words. 8. Begin sentences with capitals and end with proper punctuation. 9. Use punctuation correctly. 10. Use capitalization correctly. 11. Indent paragraphs. 12. Use proper noun-verb agreement. 13. Make sure sentences are complete and make sense. 14. Do not use run-on sentences nor sentence fragments/incomplete sentences. 15. Review rules on commas and semi-colons. 16. Vary the wording…avoid using words repetitiously. 17. Vary the beginning of sentences…avoid “The author said…The author did…The theme was…” 18. Do not begin sentences with:
But, So, And, Because 19. Do not use contractions. 20. Avoid using quotes without citing them. 21. Minimum 1400 words. 22. Put a Header on the paper with your name, course #, page number 23. Put a Title on the paper. 24. Make sure that your paper includes an Introductory Paragraph and a Concluding Paragraph. 25. The first sentence of the Introductory Paragraph should grab the reader’s attention. 26. The last sentence of the Introductory Paragraph should explain the goal or purpose of the paper. 27. The concluding paragraph should sum up the paper and add any final thoughts. 28. Avoid writing in first and second person as much as possible. I realize this is an opinion paper, so get creative and vary your wording. The review section is the only area that first person is acceptable. 29. Avoid using questions in the paper. Phrase them as statements. 30. Write the paper in past tense. 31. COMPUTER PROBLEMS, TURNITIN.COM PROBLEMS, POWER OUTAGE PROBLEMS ARE NOT AN ACCEPTABLE EXCUSE FOR A LATE PAPER. SUBMIT EARLY!!! BEST ADVICE: BEGIN YOUR PAPER EARLY! DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE! Review Instructions (.doc will upload properly; .docx does not always work) Note: This assignment is for a book review, not simply a book report. You will be expected to analyze and critique the book in addition to describing the content.
