Writing Prompt: Military Heroism
Name:_____________________
Writing response type: Extended Writing Prompt
Writing Prompt: Paragraph: “The News from Iraq”
Directions:
1. Read the poem “The News from Iraq”
2. Next, answer multiple choice question one.
Use the below sentence guide to help your paragraph writing:
1. Sentence One: Write one sentence in which you give the author’s name, the “title of the text,” and
a brief explanation/summary of the poem’s message/meaning.
2. Sentence Two: Paraphrase an idea from the poem or cite a “quote” from the poem in a sentence of
your own as evidence to support the above sentence.
3. Sentence Three: In your own words explain how sentence two supports the author’s
message/meaning.
4. Sentence Four: Paraphrase an idea from the poem or cite a “quote” from the poem in a sentence
of your own as evidence to support the author’s attitude/tone.
5. Sentence Five: In your own words explain how sentence four supports the author’s attitude/tone.
6. Sentence Six: This last sentence should be your conclusion sentence that makes a strong statement
about how the author reinforces her message.
Writing Prompt: Military Heroism
Name:_____________________
Writing response type: Extended Writing Prompt
Writing Prompt: Paragraph: “Heroes”
Directions:
1. Read the speech “Heroes”
2. Next, answer multiple choice questions two and three.
3. Now, answer the following pre-writing questions:
a. Why does the author, O’Brien, talk about writers and baseball at the beginning of the speech?
b. What is the relationship between writers, baseball, and Elroy Birdall?
c. What is the irony a t the END of the speech?
Use the below sentence guide to help your paragraph writing:
4. Sentence One: Write one sentence in which you give the author’s name, the “title of the speech,”
and a brief explanation/summary of the poem’s message/meaning.
5. Sentence Two: Paraphrase an idea from the speech or cite a “quote” from the speech in a sentence
of your own as evidence to support the above sentence.
6. Sentence Three: In your own words explain how sentence five supports the author’s
message/meaning by his use of WORDS (diction) or the speech’s STRUCTURE.
7. Sentence Four: Paraphrase an idea from the poem or cite a “quote” from the poem in a sentence
of your own as evidence to support the author’s attitude/tone by his use of WORDS (diction) or
the speech’s STRUCTURE.
More on the back of the page.
8. Sentence Five: In your own words explain how sentence seven supports the author’s attitude/tone.
9. Sentence Six: This last sentence should be your conclusion sentence that makes a strong statement
about how the author reinforces his message.
Writing Prompt: Military Heroism
Name:_____________________
Writing response type: Extended Writing Prompt
Writing Prompt: Paragraph: Introduction Paragraph—First paragraph in your extended essay response!
Directions:
1. Consider the following questions:
a. What is the message of each text? How are the messages alike and different? What proof
can you offer to support your answers?
b. What is the tone of each text? How are the tones alike and different? What proof can you
offer to support your choices?
c. Is each author’s choice of words formal or informal or something else? What proof can
you offer to support your choice? How does the author’s use of language add to the
message or the tone of the text?
d. What is the overall text structure of each piece? How does the text structure add to the
message or the tone of the text?
e. What is the relationship between the two texts? What might Holbrook and O’Brien say to
each other if they were to discuss the topic of military heroism? How does the
relationship between the two texts apply to our lives?
Use the below sentence guide to help your paragraph writing:
1. Sentence One: Write one sentence about heroism in war time; this is your “hook.”
2. Sentence Two: Introduce the first text by using the title and author’s name and several words that
relate the poem to military heroism (the topic).
3. Sentence Three: Introduce the second text by using the title and author’s name and several words
that relate the speech to military heroism (the topic).
4. Sentences Four and Five: Now that you have read both texts, decide what Holbrook and O’Brien
believe makes a hero during war time; in your own words, write two sentences that makes this
connection between the two texts. The last sentence is your “clincher” statement.
Writing Prompt: Military Heroism
Name:_____________________
Writing response type: Extended Writing Prompt
Writing Prompt: Paragraph: Conclusion Paragraph—Last paragraph in your extended essay response!
Use the below sentence guide to help your paragraph writing:
1. Sentence One: Write a sentence that draws upon the similarities of the two passages.
2. Sentence Two and Three: Write a sentence for each passage that speaks to the writing techniques
(similar to what you addressed in the essay: imagery, word choice, and structure, etc.) that each
author uses to create the message or tone in this text.
a. Sentence Two:
b. Sentence Three:
3. Sentence Four: For this last sentence, write about the similarities and/or differences in these two
authors’ writings, and how it is applicable today and/or why their opinions are important and
relevant.