Do Now
In your WNB - Choose the best order for the sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
As I sat down, Mr. Evans glanced at the clock.
While staring into my fearful eyes, Mr. Evans pointed toward the door.
I walked into the classroom and headed toward my desk.
As our eyes met, I knew I was in trouble.
Mr. Evans turned from the clock to me.
The clock read ten minutes after nine.
I got up from my desk and walked out the door.
A. 3 - 1 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 2 - 7
B. 3 - 1 - 5 - 6 - 4 - 7 - 2
C. 6 - 3 - 5 - 1 - 4 - 2 - 7
D. 6 - 3 - 1 - 4 - 5 - 2 – 7
THE DO NOW REVEALED!
(answer choice A)
I walked into the classroom and headed
toward my desk. As I sat down, Mr. Evans
glanced at the clock. The clock read ten minutes
after nine. Mr. Evans turned from the clock to
me. As our eyes met, I knew I was in trouble.
While staring into my fearful eyes, Mr. Evans
pointed toward the door. I got up from my desk
and walked out the door to get a late pass.
Aim: It’s TWEEC WEEK! Let’s use TWEEC construct our short responses.
Why? Common Core State Standard #4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which
organization is appropriate. #10. Write routinely over shorter time frames (a single
sitting). Using TWEEC will allow our ideas to be better understood and EVERYONE
WANTS TO BE UNDERSTOOD.
•
•
•
•
•
T – THESIS
W- WHY IS THIS TRUE?
E – EXAMPLE
E- EXPLAIN
C- CLINCHER
MEET AVA…
Ava is about to take her NYS 8th Grade ELA Exam. She
knows all about TWEEC and how it can help her
organize and answer her short response questions.
She reads the following passage:
Rufus
by C.W. Gusewelle
The bird dog is lost again.
Not lost in the literal, physical sense. He’s still around, and still a
friend. But I have lost him as a useful working animal,
which hunting dogs are supposed to be.
It happened during this summer’s spell
of blistering heat when he discovered air conditioning.
The bedroom has a window unit. When the awful heat came, he
immediately noticed the difference between the pleasant nights
in his chair and the sweltering days outside. And it occurred to
him he might correct this situation. Were not the cats in there
and cool? Was not the old dog snoozing in the lap of airconditioned
comfort? Then why
should he, a dog of real utility, provider of fowl for the family table, not have some of this
luxury?
He pressed his hopeful face against the outer glass, but our hearts were hard. To
present his case in a more dramatic way, he began sitting on a patio table, glaring
in accusingly at eye level through a kitchen window. It yielded nothing, though. He
remained outside.
So he learned to open the back door. That’s right, learned to open it himself! One
afternoon I looked up from my typewriter and there he was, indisputably inside, looking
immensely pleased by his new competence. As far as he’s concerned, the case is closed.
He’s in where it’s cool, and it’s not negotiable. He makes himself as small as possible and
rarely moves.
As you probably know, the main virtue of a fine bird dog, apart from a keen nose,
is unquestioning obedience. The master’s command is his highest law. Defiance is
unthinkable. He is indifferent to the elements. If game is downed, he will endure any
discomfort to find and bring it to hand. In a word, there is nothing a bird dog will not do
for his master.
Wrong! This one will not even leave his chair in an air-conditioned room.
When he was chosen from his littermates several years ago, I was looking for a pup
with intelligence and staying power. That’s exactly what I got. Rufus is no fool. And he’s
staying cool.
Eva is now ready to answer her short response question.
The question reads:
The author of the passage says that he lost Rufus
as a useful working animal during a summer heat
spell. Explain why the author makes this
comment about his dog. Use details from the
passage to support your answer.
Ava immediately sees her thesis statement in the
question! She begins to write a TWEEC outline off
to the side…
T – The author of the passage says
that he lost Rufus as a useful
working animal during a summer
heat spell.
Now Ava thinks about WHY this thesis is true… she
reads the question again….
The author of the passage says that he lost Rufus
as a useful working animal during a summer heat
spell. Explain why the author makes this
comment about his dog. Use details from the
passage to support your answer.
Ava sees how she can use the second part of the
question to answer her “Why”! She writes…
W – The author makes this
comment because Rufus, a
hunting dog, is now being lazy in
an air conditioned room.
Ava looks back at the reading to choose the best
example for her thesis and her why.
She writes…
E - The author writes, “As far as he’s
concerned, the case is closed. He’s in where
it’s cool, and it’s not negotiable. He makes
himself as small as possible and
rarely moves.
Ava knows she has to explain her example:
E- Rufus used to do everything his owner
told him to do but now he won’t go outside
in the heat. He only wants to stay in the
cool air conditioned room.
Ava is ready to write her clincher! She thinks of a
sentence to wrap up her main point…
C – The only thing Rufus wants to
hunt now is a comfy spot to sleep
in the cool room!
Ava rereads her paragraph to make sure she answered
the question fully.
The author of the passage says that he lost
Rufus as a useful working animal during a summer
heat spell. The author makes this comment because
Rufus, a hunting dog, is now being lazy in an air
conditioned room. The author writes, “As far as he’s
concerned, the case is closed. He’s in where it’s cool, and
it’s not negotiable. He makes himself as small as
possible and rarely moves.” Rufus used to do everything
his owner told him to do but now he won’t go outside in
the heat. He only wants to stay in the cool air
conditioned room. The only thing Rufus wants to hunt
now is a comfy spot to sleep in the cool room!