Title: COURSE WORKSHOP: Reviewing the review
Course: PULS - Englisch Vertiefungskurs

After you have written and proofread your review, put it here in the workshop for the others to read it.

Read two reviews and use the feedback form for each to help the writer of the review.

Write a review on a film of your choice.

The review must include heading, introduction, main part and conclusion, neat paragraphs with topic sentences.

Name the underlying themes, the genre of the film, the lead roles and the director. Sum up the plot. Talk about setting and characters.

Comment on the film and explain why you (don't) like it. You can refer to the plot, theme and message, the performances of the actors and actresses, effects etc. to explain your opinion.

Make your review interesting by for example adding a catchy title, quotes, questions to the reader.
You can also add film stills etc.

Read the review once and note down your immediate reaction:
Is it interesting to read (catchy title, quotes, opinion, ...)? Is the summary complete, is the comment detailed?

Read it again in detail and evaluate text skills and language skills of the author:
structure of the text, design of paragraphs, word choice, sentence structure, language mistakes.

You can try out evaluating an example text before you give feedback to somebody else.

Assessment form: My immediate reaction to this piece of writing:

- I can understand what the film is about (summary) and the message of the author easily (comment). The review grabs my attention.
- I can understand most of the review. It is interesting.
- I can't make out what the film is about and what the author wants to tell me.
- I'm lost.
Assessment form: Text skills: Structure

- The review is clearly structured (heading, introduction, main part, conclusion.)
- The review is mostly clearly structured.
- The review needs a better structure.
- I'm lost. I can't identify the different parts.
Assessment form: Text skills: Paragraphs with topic sentences followed by supporting statements and additional explanations.

- The paragraphs are visible and worked out neatly. I can understand easily what each paragraph is about.
- Most of the paragraphs are visible and worked out neatly. Most of them follow one idea which I can identify and understand.
- Some paragraphs lack the required structure.
- There are no paragraphs or paragraphs are a mess.
Assessment form: Language skills: Vocabulary

- The author uses a large general and topic vocabulary. The appropriate use of transitions make following the train of thought easy.
- The author uses a large vocabulary, there are enough and appropriate transitions.
- There are many repititions. There are not enough transitions or too many.
- The author uses wrong or imprecise vocabulary.
Assessment form: Language skills: Varied sentences

- The author uses easy and complex sentence structures (e.g. relative and contact clauses, participle constructions, conditional sentences)
- Sentence structured are mostly varied.
- Most of the sentence structures are similar. There are hardly any complex sentences.
- Sentence structures are simple or a mess.
Assessment form: Language skills: Errors

- There are hardly any mistakes (grammar, words, speling).
- There are some mistakes.
- There are a lot of mistakes which make understanding difficult.
- There are too many mistakes which make understanding impossible.

Billy Elliot

"Billy Elliot" - a triumph

Newcomer Jamie Bell plays Billy Elliot, an 11-year-old boy trying to grow up in the North of England during the turmoils of the 1984 miners' strike. He is torn between what his family and community expect of him and his own wishes. Billy Elliot is a shy boy living with his proud miner father (Gary Lewis) and older brother Tony (Jamie Draven). Times are hard - his mother has died, his grandmother needs constant care, the men spend their days on the picket lines clashing with the police. Although Billy is encouraged by his father to join in boxing classes, it is the ballet class that shares the hall and is run by Mrs Wilkinson (Julie Walters) which fascinates him most.

Billy takes part in the ballet class and starts to express himself through dance. However, it is not a plain saling for him. He knows that his father and brothe think of ballet as effiminate. When Billy's old man learns that his son has forsaken boxing gloves for ballet shoes, he is distraught. Dancing is not manly, and certainly not for a miner's son. Fearful of what his friends might say, Billy's father bans him from taking classes. Things even become more complicated when Mrs Wilkinson suggests that Billy should audition for the Royal Ballet School in London. That would mean leaving home and require money. It is the chance at a deam come true but Billy would need the supoort of his family and especially his father.

One night, during the trek home from the pub, Billy's father happens to witness his son performing for school friend Michael (Stuart Wells). Moved almost to tears by the boy's passion, Billy's father suddenly realises that his preconceptions and macho pride are wrong, and sets about raising the money to send his son to London.

"Billy Elliot" is a touching film. The tale is simple but the performances of the cast are strong. Jamie Bell is outstanding in the lead role, expressive and emphatic. Julie Walters is touching as the dance teacher who takes on the motherly role for Billy. Gary Lewis and Jamie Draven are very convincing as Billys angry father and brother.