QUARTER 4 - MODULE 8

LESSON 1: BOOK REVIEW

A book review describes and evaluates a work of friction or nonfiction and offers the
book’s overall purpose, structure, style of narration to the unknown readers. It tells not only what
a book is about, but also how successful it is at what it is trying to do. It is a sneak peek at a
book, not a summary.
As a reviewer, you bring together the two strands of accurate, analytical reading and
strong, person response when you indicate what the book is about and what it meant to readers.
Hence, in writing a book review, you combine your skills of describing the content of the pages,
analyzing how the book achieved its purpose, and expressing your most personal comments,
reactions and suggestions.
But before you start writing a book review, you have to read the book first and ask yourself
these questions:
- What are the author’s viewpoint and purpose?
- What are the author’s main points?
- What kind of evidence does the author use to prove his or her points?
- How does this book relate to other books on the same topic?
- Does the author have the necessary expertise to write the book?
- What are the most appropriate criteria by which to judge the book?
- How successful do you think the author was in carrying out the overall purposes of the
book?
If it is a short review, you may not be able to fulfill your purpose. If it is too long, it may
stray too much of the plot or of the content, you may lose the interest of your readers. Take this
general guideline:
The length of the review depends upon the length of the book itself, and a review should not be
less than 100 words. Longer book usually asks for more than 500 words.

A book review title should be based on your total impression of a book. Similar to creating
passwords, strong titles might be “Drew girl power to new height”, “A night owl that seldom sleeps
even during daytime,” “Beautiful illustrations with a story to match”, “Perfect for weekend
getaway” while weak titles are: “State of the art book,” “Five star,” “A breath of fresh air,” “Fast
and furious.”

How do you start writing a book review?

1. Identify the book by author, title, and sometimes publishing information.
2. Specify the type of book (e.g., fiction, nonfiction, biography, and autobiography). Help
your readers to review with perspective.
3. Mention the book’s theme.
4. Include background, if necessary, to enable readers to place the book into a specific
context.
 5. You may also use an interesting quote, an interesting fact, or an explanation of a concept
or term.

What do you do with the content?

1. For nonfiction books like biography, history and the like: pay primary attention to the major
points (the argument) the author is putting forth and to the sources the author has drawn
upon to back up his/her point of view.
2. For fictional works such as novels, chic lit, graphic novels, manga: Pay attention primarily
to the novel or the book’s setting, plot, style, characters, theme/s, use of language and
voice. Caution: Do not give away the story for no one appreciates a spoiler!
3. Provide your reaction to the book.
4. Describe the book.
5. Respond to the author’s opinions and analyze it.
6. Explore issues the book raises.

How do you conclude?

1. Relate your argument to other books or authors.
2. Relate the book to larger issues.
3. Tie together issues raised in the review.
4. Briefly restate your main points and your thesis statement.
5. Indicate how well the book has achieved its goal, what possibilities are suggested by the
book, what the books has left out, how the book compares to others on the subject, what
specific points are not convincing, and what personal experiences you’ve had related to
the subject.

How do your revise the draft?

1. Allow time to elapse, at least a day, before starting your revision.
2. Correct the grammatical mistakes and punctuation as you find them.
3. Read your paper through again looking for unity, organization and logical development.
4. If necessary, do not hesitate to make major revisions in your draft.
5. Verify quotations for accuracy and check the format and content of references.

LESSON 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

A literature review (LR) is a type of academic essay that examines what has already been written
about a topic. As a collection of published research about your topic by recognized scholars and
researchers, it is a way for you to examine also what has already been done in regard to your
research question or problem. Likewise, it summarizes and synthesizes the conducted research
driven by guiding principles. Although, it is not a research paper, it provides background for your
problem and a rationale for your research (Abadiano 2016, 51-52).

Literature reviews consist of the following components and its purposes:

• Introduction
 - Defines the topic and the scope being considered.
- Notes intentional exclusions.
- States the general findings of the review and the availability of the sources.
• Main Body
- Organizes the evaluation of the sources whether chronologically or thematically.
- Showcases the critical summary and evaluation of the researcher’s premise,
methodology, and conclusion.
- Uses grammatical connectors, relational words or phrases and transitional
devices.
• Conclusion
- Summarizes the key findings of the review.
- Offers the reviewer’s justification of the conducted research.
• References
- Reflects the in-text citations
- Contains complete and correct citations

Here are four literature review strategies:

Summary – Sate briefly the argument and main points of relevant research.
Synthesis – combine ideas in order to form an integrated theory or system through critical
evaluation, compare/contrast, etc.
Analysis – examine closely the elements or structure of the research.
Evaluation – assess the research based on the criteria or rubric that you choose, state, and
explain. Support it with another similar research.

LESSON 3: RESEARCH REPORT

Research report is a long, formal essay, usually five to fifteen pages in length, which
presents the writer’s views and findings on a chosen subject. However, it is not just a long
composition which follows the principles of good writing. It is a scholarly work and not just a
collection of notes lifted from many different sources and strung together, one after the other.

The components of a research report are as follows:

Title
It reflects the content and emphasis of the project described in the report. Similarly, it
should be as short as possible, including essential key words.
Abstract
It is an overview of the research study and is typically two to four paragraphs in length
containing 200-300 words. Think of it as an executive and technical summary that distills the key
elements of the remaining sections into a few sentences.
Introduction
It provides the key question that the researcher is attempting to answer and a review of
any literature that is relevant. In addition, the researcher will provide a rationale of why the
research is important and will present a hypothesis that attempts to answer the key question.
Lastly, it should contain a summary of the key question following the completion of the research.
Methodology
This is arguably the most important section for two reasons: (1) it allows readers to
evaluate the quality of the research, and (2) it provides the details by which another researcher
may replicate and validate the findings. Typically, the information in the methodology section is
arranged in chronological order with the most important on top of each section.
Results
In longer research papers, the results section contains the data and perhaps a short
introduction. Ideally, the interpretation of the data and the analysis is reserved for the discussion
section.
Discussion
This section is where the results of the study are interpreted and evaluated against the
existing body or literature. In addition, should there be any anomalies found in the results, this
is where the authors point them out. Finally, it is an attempt to connect the results to the bigger
picture and show how the results might be applied.
References
This section provides a list of each author and paper cited in the research report. Any
fact, idea, or direct quotation used in the report should be cited and referenced.

How do you format a research report?

There is no one best format for all reports for a format depends on several relevant variables.
You must employ a suitable format to create desirable impression with clarity. Report must be
attractive. While you should write systematically, you must use the format (or often called
structure) that best fits the needs and wants of its readers.
LESSON 4: PROJECT PROPOSAL
A project proposal is a document that is written for problem solving, service provision,
event planning, or equipment selling. Generally, proposals are used to convince the reader to
do what the proposal suggests, such as buying goods or services, funding a project, or
implementing a program. Proposals in the professional world are used for internal (within an
organization) and external (from one organization to another) purposes. They are ways of
generating income for companies or seeking funding for projects. This is provided to the sponsor
of the project for approval.
A proposal stands out depending on its ability to clearly answer questions about what is
being proposed, how the plan will be carried out, when it will be implemented and how much
money will be needed or spent. In other words, they are persuasive documents that need to do
the following: highlight reader benefits, prove your credibility in carrying out the project, and allow
the reader to respond easily.
As a student, you have been familiarized with writing proposals – maybe even without
you knowing it. Whenever you envision, plan, and complete a project for your science class or
your club outreach, you are thinking about fulfilling a need for something. This process may
involve writing a paper or doing a presentation in front of an audience to get their approval. While
proposal writing may seem like an intimidating task, they can be made easier by following the
guidelines in writing and familiarizing yourself with the parts of a project proposal.
(Projectmanager 2018)

Guidelines in writing the proposal

1. Gathering the Data – One of the characteristics of an effective proposal is being well-
researched. It needs concreted data to back up its claims so it can become more credible.
You can gather data from primary and secondary sources, and apply the strategies that
you learned in writing a research paper in the previous lessons.
2. Organizing the Data – A proposal becomes more effective if the information on it is
clearly organized. You can use the parts of the proposal to guide you in your organization,
or use an outline to structure your discussion more effectively.
3. Writing the Proposal – Fill out the parts of the proposal with the relevant data.
4. Revising the Proposal – Make sure to review your proposal for accuracy and
organization before you send it out. A good proposal will be comprehensive and will put
your organization in the best light.
(Tiongson and Rodriguez 2016)

Formatting the Project Proposal

Proposals are primarily categorized according to their length. An informal proposal is
about 2-4 pages long. Meanwhile, a formal proposal has 5 or more pages. Regardless of their
purpose and audience, they have standard parts such as the following:
1. Introduction – This part provides the background necessary for understanding the
project, which is done by telling your reader the following:
• Rationale – this identifies the problem to be addressed and shows the need to
solve it.
 • Objectives – these reveal what the project intends to achieve in terms of results. It
also gives the reader an idea of the intended solution. Good objectives are SMART
(Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results oriented, and bound within a realistic Time
Frame).
• Benefits – These show what the reader or the target audience can gain from the
proposal, which may be improvements in processes or systems, an increase in revenue,
or a change in behavior of the beneficiaries of the proposal.
2. Project Description – This section gives specific information about the project itself. It
indicates how the project will address the identified problem through the following parts:
• Methodology – This entails the different activities, the project will take on, including
the manpower (i.e., the people involved and their duties), resources to be utilized
and the expanded output.
• Schedule – this discusses the task duration and expected start and end dates of
each activity in the project.
• Budget – this presents an analysis of all the costs anticipated in the project, which
can be itemized or shown as a whole, depending on the needs of the project.
Note: Organizations usually provide interested parties which a required format for project
proposals, so make sure that you follow the prescribed format. (Brighthubpm 2009)

LESSON 5: POSITION PAPER

The position paper is a composition that highlights an opinion of an author or specified
entity about an issue. As a debate, it presents one side of an arguable opinion and persuades
the readers or audience that the author has a well-founded knowledge about the issue.
In writing the Position Paper, your goal as a writer is not only to state and defend your
position on the issue but also to show how your stance relates to other position. Do you
remember that arguments should be supported with reasons and evidences?

Writing Center of the University of Hawaii, states that in choosing the issue or problem to
be discussed, you may ask yourself the following questions as issue criteria to ensure that you
will be able to present a strong argument:
1. Is it the actual and real issue?
2. Can you clearly identify two positions?
3. Are you an advocate of one of these positions?
4. Is the issue narrow enough to be manageable?

After choosing the argument to take, you must present relevant supporting evidence like:
1. Factual Knowledge, which valid and verifiable information.
2. Statistical Inferences, which are conclusions drawn from data gathered.
3. Informed Opinions, which are based on knowledge of the facts and carefully
considered principle, and rely on evidence instead of limited personal experience.
 4. Personal Testimony, which are personal or first-hand experience of the writer or
knowledgeable party.
(Rutgers 1998)

Components of a Position Paper

I. The Introduction - identifies the issue that will be discussed and states the author’s
position on that issue.
A. Introduce your topic with background information
B. Build up your thesis statement which asserts your position
• Fast food restaurants are bad for our health.
• Fast food packages should contain warning labels.

II. The Body – contains the central argument and can be further broken up into sections:
A. Possible objections to your position (counter argument)
• Whose job is it to determine which restaurants are bad?
• Such labels would affect the profits of major corporations.
B. A discussion of both sides of the issue, which addresses and refutes arguments
that contradict the author’s position (your argument)
• It would be difficult and expensive for any entity to determine which restaurants
should adhere to the policy.
• Nobody wants to see the government overstepping its boundaries.
C. Explain that your position is still the best one, despite the strength of counter-
arguments. This is where you can work to discredit some of the counter-arguments
and support your own.
• Restaurants might improve the standards of food if warning labels were put into
place.
• The role of the government is to keep citizens safe.

III. Conclusion – restating the key points and when applicable, suggest resolution to the
issue.
A. Restate your position
B. Provide Plan of Action
(Thoughtco 2020)