How often have you used book reviews and product reviews as a "go-to" before making your final decision whether to purchase an item? How many times have you read unhelpful reviews or just as disappointing, found no reviews?
Sometimes the review doesn't even matter as I have unhappily discovered in one case of hotel reviews. Based on a couple decent reviews one summer, I spent a night in a hotel room that looked as if it said, "Welcome to the 1960's" with its pink tiled bathroom, vintage furniture and decor. This interior design was not a purposeful blast to the past, I might add. While I am certainly open to new experiences and exciting adventures, this just wasn't high on my list of "gotta-do's". I quickly learned that my hotel standards were much higher than the two reviews I read and now I have a strong need to either stay in a well known reputable hotel chain or see pictures first when it comes to hotel rooms!
Image retrieved from https://chuckmantorontonostalgia.wordpress.com
Nevertheless, when it comes to making a purchase, I'm scouring reviews for 4 and 5 star ratings! It seems to me like reviews are a way of life. I'm grateful to those who take the time to write helpful reviews and I make the effort to give back and do the same for others.
Knowing this is a life-skill, I wanted to teach my students that writing helpful reviews is a positive way to give back. Since my students had recently completed book reviews, the transition to writing a product review was simple. We had already checked many Amazon reviews written on their favorite books. We discussed why reviews are helpful to consumers as well as companies that look for feedback in order to improve their product and processes.
Product Review Guidelines
Similar to book reviews, we discussed the differences between reviewing a book and reviewing a product. Here are some basic guidelines I have students follow in order to write a helpful product review...
*Share any positive things about the product. Just saying, "love it" is not helpful.
*Be helpful and try to answer questions that YOU may have had about the product.
*Share a tip or trick you learned when using the product.
*If you honestly didn't like the product, don't be rude and bash it. Simply share why you were disappointed. Be honest, kind, and factual.
*Reviews must be clear and concise. Just be genuine, polite, and helpful.
*Proper spelling and grammar is a must in order for readers to see you as someone with credibility.
Using Real Examples
We look at lots of real product reviews on items kids are familiar with and then decide if the review has met any or all of our guidelines. I find Nordstrom reviews to be very user friendly. We began by looking at Nike Presto Extreme Sneaker on the Nordstrom site. Students read the reviews and discuss which ones meet our guidelines and which ones not so much. After reading the reviews and taking a show of hands, the majority of the class was ready to make the Nike purchase for themselves. I admit that I was too!
Another item we looked at was a popular game for 4th and 5th graders on Amazon called Laser Maze. Out of 40 reviews 95% gave the product either a 4 or 5 star rating and 1 person gave it 2 stars. After reading many of the reviews, a show of hands revealed that only 2 students would purchase the product. We discussed why and discovered that the single 2 star reviewer gave such a detailed review of the game's disappointments, students felt it wouldn't be worth the money...even with all those positive reviews. Consumerism 101.
| Next we started writing our own product reviews with a simple item that all students are familiar with...the shoes on their own two feet. Many of those shoes are very old friends by this point in the school year. Even if they're brand spanking new, students have at least worn them for several hours and have something to say about them. Students have fun with this review! We do several more product reviews including a review on their desk, their pencil case, backpack, or other school supplies. |
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There were a few boots mixed in with the majority of sneakers.
Most students seem to love their shoes.
One boy said he downgraded his
rating over the weekend due to the fact that his Air Nikes "leaked"!
Students have more opinions
about their desks than one might think. 
Apparently a desirable desk trait is when
the surface can cool off a warm face!
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For their final review I have students choose their own product. Besides being an appropriate item, it must be a product they personally use and are very familiar with. No, since they cannot actually drive yet, they may not write a review on the new family car. Someone asked. The only restrictions I set besides being an appropriate product they use, is that it cannot be a video or any type of electronic device/game. I have students tell me ahead of time which product they would like to review to avoid anything questionable.
Students used the Book Creator app to type up their product review and added a picture of it onto their iPads. The product reviews are then transferred into the SeeSaw app where everyone's reviews can be accessed by the rest of the class.
Students chose a wide variety of items
to review and have definite opinions of them.
Students access and read classmates' reviews and respond with two positive comments about the review and one suggestion. Questions can also be asked but I turn off the "like" feature because students tend to become "like happy" and tend to forget the task of writing thoughtful feedback. Instead, they are to comment on their "big take-away" that perhaps they didn't know before.
Gotta love it when the personality comes out!
I found it works well to give a sentence starter such as, "This review was helpful because...(give specifics)" otherwise they leave comments such as "You told me about the product." which isn't helpful. Kids absolutely loved this project! They couldn't get enough of reading their classmates' reviews. Many were interested in where to find specific items and eager to try them for themselves!
Too funny, but how true!
Does anyone else have their class write product reviews? Please share any experiences you've had with this type project.
