Think and Write!
Day 1
Name:
Title of story/article: “Prudy’s Problem and How She Solved It”
Date:
Prudy thinks collecting things is wonderful, but her collections cause a problem. How do Prudy’s
collecting problem and her solution affect others?
1. What will you be writing about? Underline the Focusing Question in the assignment above.
2. Now, turn and talk to a partner about the question: How do Prudy’s collecting problem and her
solution affect others?
3. The answer to a Focusing Question is called a Focus Statement. Your teacher use some of the things
you discussed to help you to write a focus statement for this piece. Copy the Focus Statement onto
your Writing Draft Sheet.
4. When the class is ready, your teacher will reread the text aloud. Your job is to listen carefully for
parts of the text that show us how her collecting problem, and her solution to it, affect others. When
you hear those parts of the piece, raise your hand. The class will stop to discuss what you have
noticed and decide whether to write that evidence on the class Evidence Chart.
Think and Write!
Day 2
Name:
Title of story/article: “Prudy’s Problem and How She Solved It”
Date:
1. Let's start by remembering what you are going to write about. Look at your Writing Draft Sheet
from yesterday. When your teacher asks the Focusing Question for this piece, read the Focus
Statement you have written. Do this a couple of times.
2. Use the class chart to make an evidence chart of your own. Choose a piece of evidence from the
chart. Copy the words onto your own chart. Then add a picture to show what the words mean. Do
this with two more pieces of evidence, so that you have chosen three examples to write about.
How do Prudy’s collecting problem and her solution affect others?
Evidence
Prudy’s collecting problem affects
others
her dad
-------------------------------------------------Words
neat man, likes things orderly
-------------------------------------------------Picture
Words
-------------------------------------------------Picture
Page
Elaboration
How problem affects others
can’t mow the lawn, Prudy’s stuff all over
Check
here if
you used
this
evidence
in your
piece.
Prudy’s solution affects others
How solution affects others
-------------------------------------------------Words
-------------------------------------------------Picture
-------------------------------------------------Words
-------------------------------------------------Picture
3. Now, listen carefully as your teacher gives an example of how to write about the first piece of
evidence. Where are these sentences coming from? Copy your teacher's example on your Writing
Draft Sheet.
4. Now comes the fun part! Talk the piece! Use your own Evidence Chart. Point to each row of the
chart and tell a partner what you will write. Then listen as your partner explains what he/she will
write.
5. Add to your piece by writing about two more pieces of evidence.
6. A Concluding Statement restates the focus of the piece. Look at your Focus Statement. How could
you restate it? Use the same idea, but different words. Write your Concluding Statement at the end
of your piece.
7. With a pencil in your hand, read your whole piece aloud to a partner. Revise and edit as you read.
Writing Draft
How do Prudy’s collecting problem and her solution affect others?
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Teacher Pages
Sample Graphic Organizer (Students may add additional evidence.)
FOCUSING QUESTION: How do Prudy’s collecting problem and her solution affect others?
POSSIBLE FOCUS STATEMENT: Prudy’s collecting problem and her solution to the problem
affect everyone .
Evidence
Her collecting problem affects others
her dad
neat man, likes things orderly
her mom
needs to clean the house
Page
Elaboration
How the problem affects others
can’t mow the lawn, Prudy’s
stuff all over
can’t get around living room –
too cluttered, can’t vacuum, is
upset
her sister
likes to imitate Prudy
herself
keeps on collecting things
collects twigs, used
toothbrushes
can’t get out of room,
room explodes
Prudy’s solution affects others
How it affects them
her family and friends
help her build the new rooms
see what Prudy has done
the community
come to visit new museum
in museum
friends learn new things from
Prudy’s collection
Check
here if
you used
this
evidence
in your
piece.
Writing Sample
NOTE: This is for the teacher’s use only, not for students. The purpose is to show the teacher what
the final piece might look like when students have completed their work.
In the story “Prudy’s Problem and How She Solved It,” by Carey Armstrong-Ellis, Prudy is a
collector. She collects everything and this soon becomes a problem for her whole family. By the end
of the story, she finds a way to solve the problem and make everyone happy. In this story, Prudy’s
collecting problem and her solution to the problem affect everyone .
Her dad is the first to become upset because he is a tidy man who likes everything neat. Prudy’s
collections are everywhere, even on the lawn. So he has trouble mowing the lawn. Her mother
cannot even get through the living room because many of Prudy’s collected things are in the living
room. She wants Trudy to get rid of all her collections. Prudy’s little sister is influenced by Prudy,
too. She imitates her big sister and starts her own collection of used toothbrushes and twigs. Her
whole family is affected with Prudy’s collections.
Trudy solves her problem by building a museum. The museum will display all of her collections.
This affects a lot of people in a good way. Her family all work together to build the museum. They
look like they are all having fun. And, the whole community gets to visit her museums. It becomes a
big tourist trap. Everyone can now enjoy Prudy’s collections.
Prudy ‘s collecting is a problem that affects everyone, but her solution makes fun for everyone,
too.