Name: ________________________________________
6B- _____
Date: _________________________________
Writing: Paragraph Form: Literary Responses
Directions: Use the following notes to help you properly organize, or structure, your
literary response paragraphs, which are basically opinion paragraphs about novels, stories,
poems, movies, etc. where you take a position and defend/argue it.
Paragraph Form:
1. Topic Sentence: In 1 sentence, state the title, author, main idea, and focus
for your ¶.
*Title: Punctuate and capitalize your title: Novel, Biography, Play, Movie, etc.; “Short
Story,” “Poem,” “Single Episode of a Longer Series,” etc.
*If you want, you may underline instead of italicizing, but don’t do both.
*Author: Capitalize authors’ names. (Ex: Gordon Korman)
*Main Idea: Remember this: “The question determines the answer”; in other
words, your main idea is your general response, or answer, to the assignment. Here,
you should write a provable opinion or interpretation or point-of-view, not a fact.
Take a position on the topic. Keep your main idea broad; don’t add text details to
your topic sentence. Don’t prove your main idea; just state it.
*Focus: When you write one paragraph, you’ll usually argue a smaller, more
specific point, not a larger, more complicated one. One way to do this is to “focus”
your main idea on a specific part of the text (novel, short story, poem, etc.). This
means you should briefly mention your quote scene in general terms, without
going into detail about it. This way, you’re proving your main idea is true for your
quote / examples, not necessarily for the entire text. Think of it this way: Is Sophie
Donnelly empathetic? Or is Sophie Donnelly empathetic in her response to Cap’s
thoughtful gift? In many cases, your focus will “narrow” your main idea; more
specifically, it tends to tell your reader when or how your main idea is true.
Topic Sentence Examples: [Brackets show the focus.]
1. In Gordon Korman’s Schooled, Sophie Donnelly reveals her reflective side,
[especially when she contemplates her attitude toward Capricorn Anderson.]
2. In Schooled by Gordon Korman, Zach Powers portrays himself as a
malicious character [by antagonizing Capricorn Anderson.]
3. Capricorn Anderson, the main character from Schooled by Gordon
Korman, demonstrates his naïve instincts [through his clumsy attempt to
adjust to his new school.]
(over)
2. Supporting Details: In ~7-17 lines, support your main idea with a well
developed quote from the text (or 3 specific examples, if strong quotes are not
available). First, put your quote in context (Summary); next, provide a tag and
your quote (Evidence); and then explain why you chose your quote / how your
quote proves your main idea (Explanation). Basically, help your reader
understand and believe your point. Defend it. Make its deepest meanings
clear. Connect the meaning of the quote to your main idea.
*See the Notes on Developing Evidence handout for more details…
Develop your quote using the S.E.E. method:
S. = Summary: In ~1-5 lines, summarize the important parts of the story that
lead up to or surround your quote. This should help your readers have a
general sense of what happened in the book, in case they haven’t read it. It
should allow your reader to see “the big picture,” or context, for your quote.
Your summary should also add meaning to the quote by allowing your reader
to see where the quote comes from, what was happening around the quote,
and how the quote is part of a longer, more complicated, more meaningful set
of events. Put the details of your summary in a logical order. Usually
chronological (time) order is best. In other words, write the details in the
order in which they appear in the text. No big ideas, opinions, inferences
here; just facts, action, and plot.
E. = Evidence: [Quotes may be ~1-4 lines.] The best evidence is usually a
quote (dialogue or narration) from an important scene that supports your
main idea from your topic sentence. The best quotes contain rare, almost
poetic language or at least special, important, revealing ideas that “show your
main idea in action.” Before the quote, write a tag, including who said the
quote, to whom, and when / at which precise moment.
Sometimes, when good quotes aren’t available, you can make a really
strong argument with examples, instead. Most often, this applies to nonfiction texts (biographies, news articles, etc.). When this happens, look for
the three strongest examples to support your main idea. Because these
examples might not come from the same part of the text, you might need to
change your S.E.E. form a little, providing a bit of summary before each of
your three examples:
Summary-Example #1;
Summary-Example #2;
Summary-Example #3;
then Explanation for Examples 1-3
E. = Explanation: In ~5-7 lines, interpret, make observations about, explain,
or defend your quote. Show HOW your quote proves your main idea.
Assume your readers don’t understand what your quote has to do with your
main idea; make the connections clear for them. “Read between the lines” of
your quote. Uncover its deeper, less obvious meaning. Convince your
readers to believe your main idea. Make inferences; discuss the motivations
behind the quote, interpret its figurative (symbolic) meaning. DON’T add
new plot to your explanation; no speculation; no morals. Start with a
transition.
(next)
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3. Insight Statement: In 1-2 sentences, make a thoughtful text-to-world
connection. Tell your reader what the text shows you about life or human
nature. Write about a timeless issue (love, greed, trust, power, friendship,
jealousy, etc.) that is based on the rest of your paragraph, especially on
your quote and your main idea.
*If you write two sentences, your first sentence should be able to stand alone
as its own insight statement, with all four elements, in order.
In your second sentence, you should then add another “layer of thought,”
another real-world insight (element #4).
Use this formula, with these 4 elements in this order:
A. Conclusive Transition: Start with a “word bridge” that leads your
readers from your evidence to your conclusion: ultimately, basically, overall,
essentially, etc. — not in conclusion.
B. Text Reference: In general terms, refer broadly to your quote scene (or
the sum of your three examples, if you don’t use a quote).
C. “Springboard”: “Spring” from the book to the world: implies,
demonstrates, illustrates, reveals, indicates, suggests, etc.  not “shows.”
C. Real-World Insight: Provide a clever observation about the real world
that’s based on your quote and main idea. Basically, tell your readers what
the text (quote + main idea) tells you about life outside the text. No clichés:
Don’t judge a book by its cover; no morals:instructions / advice / should /
shouldn’t; and no absolutes: always/never/24-7.) This is a good place to
generalize, to think globally, to look at the real world (macrocosm), not just
the fictional world of your text (microcosm). Here, you might discuss broad
themes like friendship, love, trust, greed, power, popularity, growing up,
maturity, morality, identity, forgiveness, and so on… Basically, try to think
about what the characters and events lead you to believe about humanity,
about bigger issues that are more universal, that many or most people are
likely to experience or at least to relate to…
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Directions: Review these shortened notes until you think you know them.
1. Topic Sentence: The first sentence of a persuasive paragraph.
It (#1) includes 4 basic elements:
title; author; main idea; and focus
2. Supporting Details: As a whole, they support your main idea.
They (#2) are made up of 3 elements in this order:

Summary: Define: background facts, action, or plot (context) for
your evidence, written in time order. No opinions or meaning here.
~ 5- lines

Evidence: Define: a tag and a quote (or 3 specific examples) that
support your main idea

~ 4- lines
Explanation : Define: interpretation and inferences that show HOW
your evidence supports your main idea. No new plot, speculation,
morals.
~ 5-7 lines
3. Insight Statement: a text-to-world connection that acts as a conclusion to your paragraph.
It (#3) has 4 basic elements, in this order:

Conclusive Transition :
Provide 3 examples:
ultimately; basically; and essentially

Text Reference: Define: brief mention of your quote scene

“Springboard” :
Provide 3 examples:
demonstrates; illustrates; and reveals

Real-World Insight :
Avoid these 3 things:
clichés; morals; and absolutes
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