This Prewriting Stage lesson is about…
Topic
Prompt
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project
No Prompt
What are you going to write about?
PROMPT
Sometimes you are given the topic or prompt.
NO PROMPT
Sometimes you might choose a topic.
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National RtI Writing Demonstration Project
Let’s look at writing to a prompt…
Topic
Prompt
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project
What is a Prompt?
Basically, a prompt is a question or an instruction
that tells you what you're supposed to write.
For example,
a prompt might instruct you to write about…
• a story you have read
• your opinion on a topic
• something you have experienced
• a research topic
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project
Deconstructing a Prompt
(constructing means to build)
Deconstructing means to take apart
How do I
do that?
To deconstruct a prompt:
1. Read it
2. Take it apart
3. Understand what you need to do
4. Determine how to respond to the
prompt correctly
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project
Identifying Key Parts of a Written Prompt
Does the prompt give you suggestions to get started?
Hints
• Pay careful attention to the wording of the prompt.
• Look for suggestions in the prompt to get you started
(ideas to think about, verbs that tell you what to do).
• Use key words from the prompt to construct
your thesis statement.
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project
Identifying Key Parts of a Written Prompt
You can use the word RAFTS to help you remember how to deconstruct a prompt.
What role do you take as the writer? (student, citizen, expert)
Role
Who is your audience? (class, parent, teacher, friend)
Audience
What kind of response are you writing?
Format
(essay, letter, descriptive)
What are the verbs in the prompt asking you to do?
Task
(advise your classmate, justify your opinion, explain why…)
What are the key words that you need to include in your response?
Strong key
words
Hint: Use these words to construct your thesis statement.
Example of Deconstructing a Prompt
Doing a Good Job
Select a person you know who does a good job in his or her profession. This person may be an entertainer,
an athlete, a character in a story, or simply a successful family member.
Write a multi-paragraph essay describing why you think this individual is so good at his or her job. Include
specific examples and details to support your response.
What role do you take as the writer? (student, citizen, expert)
Role
I am writing this as a student.
Who is your audience? (class, parent, teacher, friend)
Audience
My audience will be the teacher.
What kind of response are you writing?
Format
I am writing a descriptive multi-paragraph essay.
What are the verbs in the prompt asking you to do?
Task
Select a person, write an essay describing why he/she is good at his/her job, include
examples and details
What are the key words that you need to include in your response?
Strong key
words
Profession, successful
Your Turn
Prompt:
Lots of people try to give us advice—parents, friends,
brothers or sisters, teachers, etc. Tell a true story about
a time you were given or gave advice. Tell if the advice
was followed or not and the results.
Form Pairs
Re-read the prompt and deconstruct it
by writing your response for:
Role
Audience
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project
Format
Task
Strong
Key Words
Practice Writing Prompt
Lots of people try to give us advice—parents, friends, brothers
or sisters, teachers, etc. Tell a true story about a time you were given or gave
advice. Tell if the advice was followed or not and the results.
Role
Audience
Format
Task
Strong key
words
The most important prewriting activity is to think
about what you are going to write about.
Good writing is about…
• Clarifying the topic/deconstructing the prompt
• Identifying strong feelings about the topic
• Forming an opinion about the topic
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National RtI Writing Demonstration Project
Writing to a Prompt
Review
Write one to two complete sentences describing
how you deconstruct a prompt.
Read your sentences to a partner.
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project