Speak Before
You Write
Coaching English Learners
to
Write On-Demand
for
Standardized Tests
by
Lynette Williamson
Analy High School, Sebastopol CA
LWilliamson.ahs@wscuhsd.k12.ca.us
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Planned Not Canned
Prewriting before the Prompt
1. The Brain Purge
The brain purge is a prewriting activity that creates a list of potential examples before the
prompt is revealed to the speaker or the writer.
WHY DO THEY NEED TO DO THIS?
When the topic of a speech or an essay is an unknown variable, students often assume
that they can’t prepare in advance. The brain purge activity offers students an opportunity
to collect and focus their recent experiences into a palette of examples that they can dip
into throughout the creation of a timed speech or essay.
WHY SHOULD THEY CARE?
Students should care because they will never have to feel the anxiety of a blank canvas
when sitting through a timed-write situation. Furthermore the more concrete examples
they’re able to infuse from their brain purge into their essay, the greater their odds of
achieving the highest score on the rubrics that demand plentiful and meaningful
examples.
HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE?
Total Time: 30-45 minutes
10 minutes to explain the lesson and read over the student handout
5 minutes to conduct a brain purge
15 minutes if you plan to model the exercise as explained in HINT
5 minutes to connect the brain purge to a prompt
10 minutes to outline a potential essay
WHAT WILL YOU NEED?
Sample Brain Purge (copies for each student)
Conducting a Brain Purge (copies for each student)
If you opt to model this exercise with the students, you will need an overhead projector
and a blank transparency.
WHAT’S THE PROCEDURE?
1. Explain to the class that you will give them a pre-writing strategy that they can
employ before they know what their prompt is so they do not have to feel anxious
about on-demand writing.
2. Distribute Sample Brain Purge to help illustrate the activity before you begin.
3. You may want to read the handout aloud, highlighting the fact that this is a replica of
a student’s response from a year ago. Reading aloud the steps and asking a student to
read aloud the student responses will help distinguish the directions from the written
replies. The students may also get a chuckle out of some the student samples, which
are truly random.
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4. Distribute Conducting a Brain Purge and give the students 5 minutes to purge their
brains by listing what’s on the top of their heads. Have them consider current events,
recent films, books studied in class, personal experiences, and recent decisions. They
may list as many items as they want; the only limiting factor is the time. You may
want to help students generate their list by prompting them with questions. Consider
asking students the following questions:
• What was the last movie you saw?
• Which book are you reading in English class?
• What was the last news story you heard about?
• What are you studying in history class?
• What are you studying in science class?
• What’s at the top of your worry list?
• What’s at the top of your to-do list?
HINT: Consider modeling the exercise for your students on an overhead projector. When
I do so, I scribble my brain purge on an overhead transparency while they are working on
theirs. Then, I read over my list with them, noting that if I’ve forgotten the author of the
book I’m reading or can’t remember which Shakespearean sonnet we read yesterday, I
would fact-check my information, so that my list is accurate and complete before I use it
to prepare for a test or an unknown prompt. I then demonstrate how I would connect my
random list to a particular prompt and even scratch out a rough outline for an essay. The
teacher demo is particularly effective in illustrating that additions and changes can be
made as the process unfolds, and that the initial brain purge list is not a rigid template of
examples, but merely a launch pad of potential examples.
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Speak Before You Write
Student Handout
Sample Brain Purge
STEP 1: Purge your brain; list what’s on your mind
Consider current events, recent films, books being studied in class, personal experiences
and decisions. For example:
lack of sleep
The film 300
To Kill a Mockingbird
the prom
car payment/insurance
lunch
war in Iraq
Twighlight
school violence
Chris Rock
Michael Jackson
cell phone bill
unfair curfew
the Vietnam War
entropy
grades
baseball playoffs
mom’s birthday
The Simpsons
STEP 2: Prompt (given by the teacher when the list is complete):
Citing examples from your reading, personal experiences and observations, agree or
disagree with the premise that “Justice for all” applies to teenagers.
STEP 3: Comb your list for connections to the prompt.
Michael Jackson
To Kill a Mockingbird
car payment/insurance
school violence
unfair curfew
grades
STEP 4: Formulate a controlling idea or thesis.
Teenagers are often denied justice on issues ranging from grades to violence.
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2. Speed Prompting—almost as fun as speed dating!
Students love a contest, especially one that mimics a dating game! This exercise helps to
build their confidence in both beating the clock and in having something specific to say
in response to a prompt.
WHY DO THEY NEED TO DO THIS?
When the topic of a speech or essay catches students off guard, they will often spend the
bulk of their precious prep time mulling over their position, or striving to conjure a single
specific example.
WHY SHOULD THEY CARE?
Scoring rubrics reward speakers and writers for “appropriate and adequate supporting
examples.” In other words—they insist on plural examples.
HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE?
Total Time: 20-30 minutes
10 minutes to explain the lesson and to rearrange the chairs
5 minutes to conduct a brain purge if they haven’t saved one from previous exercise
15 minutes to conduct the exercise
WHAT WILL YOU NEED?
Brain Purges from previous lesson (copies for each student)
Ample sample prompts or quotations with which students can agree or disagree
WHAT’S THE PROCEDURE?
1. Ask students to draft a new brain purge, or ask them to have at the ready the one
they wrote for the previous exercise.
2. Ask students to clear their desks of all materials except their brain purge list.
3. Arrange the students in evenly double-paired rows. For example in a class of 32,
you might have one double-row of 6 students, and two double row of 5 students.
Each student should be facing another across from his desk in the same row.
4. Designate half of the double row to be speakers and the other half to be listeners.
5. Tell them that you will read off a quotation and they will have 30 seconds to tell
their partner whether they agree or disagree with the statement and then, using
their brain purge list if they choose, they should rattle off as may examples as
possible in support of their position.
6. The students doing the listening should keep a tally of how many examples each
student has used.
7. After 30 seconds, tell the students to stop and move to the next seat. Then
announce a new prompt and have the students repeat the drill until all students in
the speaking row have had a chance to speak.
8. Then ask each of the listeners who their top “ vote-getter.”
was, and award extra points to the speaker who used the most examples.
9. Ask the students to switch roles—the listeners now become the speakers. And the
cycle repeats—with new “winners” being announced.
NOTES...
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Prompts for Practice
For practice in crafting qualified thesis statements, road mapping or writing essays, here
is a list of notable quotations with which you can agree, disagree, or qualify.
“Don’t offer me advice, give me money.” - Spanish proverb
“Many receive advice, only the wise profit by it.” - Syrus
“Success for the striver washes away the effort of striving.” - Pindar
“Riches are for spending.” – Francis Bacon
“What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t invent with your tongue.” Jewish proverb
“Laws go where dollars please.” - Portuguese proverb
“One sword keeps another in the sheath.” - George Herbert
“No one is more profoundly sad that he who laughs too much.” – Jean Paul Richter
“Failure changes us for the better, success for the worse.” - Seneca
“The language of friendship is not words, but meanings.” – Henry David Thoreau
“The magic of first love is our ignorance that it can never end.” – Disraeli
"A man is judged by his deeds, not by his words." - Russian Proverb
"Talent is most likely to be found among dissenters and rebels." - David Ogilvy
"Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds." - Albert Einstein
"If you live in the river, you should make friends with the crocodile." - Indian Proverb
“If you obey all of the rules, you miss all of the fun” - Katharine Hepburn
“If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect” - Ben Franklin
“You can't shake hands with a closed fist” - Golda Meier
“The past is the best prophet of the future” - Lord Byron
“A room without books is like a body without a soul.” – Cicero
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3. Constructing Roadmaps on Demand: Quickly
Mapping Out Responses to Prompts
Being dealt a prompt and told to “plan and write an essay” in as little as 25 minutes,
students may be tempted to start sprinting to the finish line, failing to realize that the
secret to success is the 5 minutes spent mapping out the essay, not the 20 minutes spent
writing it.
WHY SHOULD THEY CARE?
Many of my students have admitted to writing a spectacular, compelling introduction
only to look at the clock and discover that only 5 minutes remain to complete the essay.
Nothing is worse. When students take the time to map out an essay, however, they ensure
that their essays will have a destination, and they have a plan for arriving on time.
WHY DO THEY NEED TO DO THIS?
Constructing the roadmap should only take 1/5th of the total time allocated to the ondemand writing prompt. For a 25-minute SAT I prompt, that’s 5 minutes; for a 45-minute
placement test, that’s 7 minutes. Then STICK TO THE MAP!
Students will need to be reminded that if they’re halfway through writing an essay, and
they get a bigger, better idea that doesn’t fit their map—they should save it! In much the
same way that we don’t explore alternative routes to a job when we’re late for work, ondemand writing insists that arriving on time be our top priority.
HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE?
Total Time: 20-30 minutes
5 minutes to explain the lesson
5 minutes to conduct a brain purge if they haven’t saved one from previous exercise
5-10 minutes to review the Sample Roadmap on Teenage Justice
5-10 minutes to conduct the exercise
WHAT WILL YOU NEED?
Brain Purges from previous lesson
Sample Brain Purge and Sample Roadmap ( copies for each student)
A writing prompt or a quotation with which students can agree or disagree
WHAT’S THE PROCEDURE?
1. Once the students have created a brain purge, give the students a prompt. Tell them
that their essay or oral presentation will be organized around this prompt and their
list.
2. Give the students 5 minutes to comb their list for connections to the prompt. You can
ask them to highlight or circle the suitable items on their list.
3. After the students have made connections between their list and the prompt, ask them
to formulate a controlling idea. This is where a return to the Sample Brain Purge is
most helpful. The sample demonstrates how the initial random list was shortened to
reflect just those items that the writer could connect to justice, and then the list was
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distilled into a controlling idea that focused on how teenagers are denied justice. See
the Sample Roadmap On Justice For Teenagers
4. Give the students 10 minutes to outline their potential essay or presentation. Ideally
students will have more than one example for each of their main points in the outline
as the sample demonstrates. They may or may not have ample examples to draw from
on their brain purge list. Encourage them to add examples as they work through their
outline. The brain purge is a starting point, not a definitive list.
5. The exercise can stop here or be repeated with the same brain purge list and a
different prompt.
Hint: You can ask the students to save their brain purges for the following lesson
“Talking to the Wall,” if you are conducting the lesson on the same day. However, I’ve
found it best if each day’s lesson begins with a ‘fresh’ brain purge since these lists are
subject to frequent change.
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Roadmap for a potential essay or presentation.
Sample Roadmap On Justice For Teenagers
using the sample brain purge
Introduction:
Personal example describing an argument with parents about Saturday’s curfew
Controlling idea or thesis:
Teenagers are often denied justice on issues ranging from grades to violence.
Main points and supporting examples (taken from the purge!):
I. High-school students are often unfairly graded
A. grades in many subjects, such as English and art, are subjective
B. teachers’ grading policies are often unclear and inconsistent
II. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella has no recourse against her father’s abuse
A. she was too young to be taken seriously
B. she was too poor to garner respect
III. Many acts of school violence go unpunished
A. hazing and harassment often go unreported
B. punishment for reported incidents is often inconsistent
Conclusion (answers the questions, “ Therefore what?” or “Now what?”):
Justice is not for all since teenagers often have no recourse when faced with unfair
situations.
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Speak Before You Write
Student Handout
Conducting a Brain Purge
STEP 1: Purge your brain; list what’s on your mind
(consider current events, recent films, books being studied in class, personal experiences
and decisions).
STEP 2: Prompt (given by the teacher when the list is complete):
STEP 3: Comb your list for connections to the prompt.
STEP 4: Formulate a controlling idea or thesis.
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STEP 5: Outline your potential essay or presentation.
BRAIN PURGE OUTLINE: ______________________________________
Introduction:
Controlling idea or thesis
Main points and supporting examples (taken from the purge!)
I.
A.
B.
II.
A.
B.
III.
A.
B.
Conclusion (answers the questions, “ Therefore what?” or “Now what?”):
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4. Talking to the Wall: Verbalizing Ideas before
Writing
Attend any speech or debate tournament and you will see students talking to the walls
before the event begins. It’s sometimes best if bumpy syntax and clumsy logic fall on
deaf ears. As students experiment with outlining their responses to prompts, it makes
sense to provide them with a method to test-drive their ideas in a way that builds fluency
and confidence. Impromptu speaking is the most direct way to provide both efficiently.
Acknowledging the fear-factor of including an audience, this exercise allows students to
stand and deliver to a wall.
You may want to lock your classroom door and close the blinds before beginning this
exercise. With 35 students taking to the wall, an administrator dropping by for a visit or a
student aide delivering a message may be more than a little confused!
WHY DO THEY NEED TO DO THIS?
Talking to the wall allows students to air ideas and ready them for feedback as if they
were drafting an essay. This practice builds fluency and, in turn, confidence.
WHY SHOULD THEY CARE?
Ask students to recall the first paragraph written on the first day following summer
vacation and to compare it with an assignment written in October. They’ll be reminded of
how stilted and choppy their initial ideas and sentences were. By the second month of
school, they could dash off the same paragraph with little concern. That was due to the
comfort level and fluency borne of practice. We want them to feel equally at ease with
words in a timed-essay situation.
HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE?
Total Time: 10–35 minutes
Allow 10 minutes for each round of the activity. This exercise works best immediately
following The Brain Purge.
15 minutes if you are asking students to generate a fresh brain purge and outline
10 minutes for students to stand and deliver their outlines to the wall
WHAT WILL YOU NEED?
Outlined response to a prompt generated during The Brain Purge, or you will need to
conduct a new brain purge (see Hint below).
stopwatch and time cards or an LCD projector with Internet access.
WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE?
1. Explain to the class that this activity will allow them to verbalize the outlines
generated by the brain purge.
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HINT: If you are conducting this lesson on the same day as The Brain Purge, simply have
your students grab a recently generated outline and go. If you are beginning this lesson on
a new day, take the 15 minutes necessary for students to generate a fresh brain purge and
outline to a prompt. Since what’s on their mind changes daily, so should their brain purge
list. Working with a stale list is likely to stymie the writers.
2.
Following the brain purge activity, ask students to grab one of their outlines and to
stand facing a wall.
3. Let the class know they will be simultaneously delivering speeches based on their
outlines. Another way to explain it is to suggest that they will be talking themselves
through an essay. No conversation should be taking place—except between them and
the wall.
4. It takes approximately 5 minutes to deliver a speech the length of a 2-page essay, so
you can let students know that you will be timing them. You can offer a prize or
points to anyone who’s still talking from their outline after 2 minutes—I usually stand
in the middle of the room holding time cards, so as students finish talking they can
turn around and check the length of their speech and record it on their outline. If you
are fortunate enough to have an LCD projector that has access to the Internet, you can
project a giant stopwatch on the screen by visiting:
http://www.online-stopwatch.com/full-screen-stopwatch/
5. Reassure students that with everyone talking at once, no one but the wall is listening.
Insist that once students are finished they remain standing but silently record the
number of minutes their speech lasted. The cacophony should drown out the
individual voices until the last couple of speakers are left standing. Those who have
finished early will benefit from hearing their more loquacious classmates air their
ideas.
6. The exercise can stop here or you can ask the students to repeat the exercise,
attempting to beat their previous time. I prefer repeating the exercise since some of
the initial awkwardness will have worn off, and they’re more likely to fully-develop
their ideas the second time around.
Peter Prickly: How is talking to a wall going to help me write better?
Mrs. Snippy: It won’t, but it sure is funny to watch! No, seriously, it will help
you internalize the structure of an essay as it helps you build fluency and expand
your ideas.
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5. Taking It to Their Seats: Listening and Offering
Feedback to an Oral Essay
During the previous exercise, you may have noticed students straining to hear what others
had to say. Let them know they now have to listen—attentively—to a partner’s speech.
WHY DO THEY NEED TO DO THIS?
Hearing another student’s approach to the same topic can offer reassurance that there is
no single right answer to any of these prompts—answers should and do vary.
Furthermore, talking through an outline with a partner will garner feedback for their
ideas—even if that feedback is nonverbal. A smile or nod may encourage expansion of an
idea while a puzzled look may illicit much-needed clarification.
WHY SHOULD THEY CARE?
Nearly all writing prompts invite the writer to use personal observations as well as
experiences. The examples they will hear from a classmate can become their “personal
observations” for this essay or others that follow.
HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE?
Total Time: 30–45 minutes
15 minutes if you are asking students to generate a fresh Brain Purge and outline
15 minutes for the activity
15 minutes for the debriefing questions in step 6
If you plan to ask students to deliver their speeches in front of the entire class, you’ll need
7 minutes per student speaker—5 minutes for speaking and 2 minutes for applause and
shuffling back and forth from their seats.
If you plan to have them write an essay at the end, allow at least 30 more minutes.
WHAT WILL YOU NEED?
stopwatch and time cards or an LCD projector with access to the Internet.
seating chart or class roster will also come in handy for calling on students randomly and
recording participation and/or listening points.
What is the procedure?
1. Explain to the class that since answers to writing prompts do and should vary, you
will be asking them to listen to how other students approached the same prompt.
2. If you are not conducting this lesson on the same day as The Brain Purge, you will
want to begin with a fresh brain purge and outline to a new prompt.
3. Ask students to take the outline generated during the brain purge and sit facing a
partner.
4. Let them know that they will be alternately delivering a speech—or an oral essay—
based on their outlines.
5. Limit speakers to five minutes by offering them time signals. I usually stand in the
middle of the room holding time cards, so as students finish talking they can turn
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around and check the length of their speech and record it on their outline. If you are
fortunate enough to have an LCD projector that has access to the internet, you can
project a giant stopwatch on the screen by visiting:
http://www.online-stopwatch.com/full-screen-stopwatch/
6. After 5 minutes, ask the listener to offer oral feedback to the speaker.
(You may want to write the following questions on the board)
• What was the speaker’s position on the topic?
• What was the speaker’s most effective example? Why?
• What example or idea do you think could’ve been expanded or explored
further?
Does this sound like peer-editing feedback? It should! The same principles that
govern the expansion of oral expression apply to writing.
7. Repeat steps 3–4 for the partner.
8. Debrief with the class as a whole. Spending a few minutes addressing the following
questions with students will help them realize they were actually fine-tuning the
structure and content of a future essay.
• Ask the speakers what sort of adjustments they would make before writing an
essay on the same subject.
• Ask the listeners what examples they heard that would be worth “borrowing”
if they had to write an essay on the same subject. Pause to remind them that
nearly all writing prompts invite the writer to use personal observations as
well as experiences. The examples they just heard from a classmate can now
become their “personal observations.”
Peter Prickly: Wouldn’t that be lying to use someone else’s example or story in
my essay?
Mrs. Snippy: Yes it would be lying to pretend that the incident happened to you,
so don’t. Instead, do what the prompt asks and acknowledge the example as a
personal observation. For example, “ I have a friend who once…”
LESSON EXTENSIONS
• The oral component of the exercise can end here, or you can invite students to
perform in front of a small group or even the entire class. If and when I do this, I
always give the speakers credit/no credit for standing and delivering. I also assess
the audience members on their listening skills by randomly calling on them and
asking them how the speaker broke down the topic or what his or her most
effective example was.
• Now that students have vocalized their ideas and received feedback from a
partner, you can have them pen the essay. If you do have them write an essay—
resist the urge to grade it. Instead, save it for a peer evaluation exercise in a alter
lesson.
• Gradually, you can eliminate the speaking—both to walls and partners—and cut
to the chase of the essay. By then, students should not only have a means for
extracting examples before they begin, but plenty of practice in scratching out an
outline.
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As you impose more time restrictions and remove the training wheels of talking through
the prompts, emphasize that the one exercise that should always be practiced before an
on-demand writing session is the brain purge.
Granted students can’t bring a crib sheet of notes into an SAT exam, but they can use the
time spent in line outside the testing site scribbling a brain purge on a receipt or napkin.
Not only is this a better use of time than biting their nails, but it also will help to calm
their anxieties and give them the confidence that when they see the essay prompt, they’ll
have something they know and understand to write about.
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6. Oral Exercises That Build the
Confidence to Take a Stance in
Persuasive Writing
“YES, BUT...YES, AND”
This exercise is an efficient way to get all students discussing controversial topics.
MATERIALS
None
PROCEDURE
“Yes, BUT...”
1. Appoint or ask for a volunteer to present a controversial topic. The subject is the
speaker’s choice. The speaker goes to the front of the room and says, for example: “ An
abortion doctor was shot in front of a clinic last night. All protesters should be banned
from picketing clinics.” The speaker then calls on the people who want to oppose this
view.
2. A respondent raises his/her hand and, after being called upon, replies...”Yes, but…”
and presents his/her opposing view. The person usually stands by his/her desk.
3.The speaker then calls on the next student to respond to the previous student, and so on
until all opposing points are brought out.
4. Once an issue is exhausted, the speaker reclaims his/her seat, and another student takes
over the activity by introducing another subject.
“Yes, AND...”
5. Eventually, students will realize that all of the opposing arguments have been given,
and they want to add something to emphasize one side or the other. When they ask how
to do this, suggest that they say: “yes, and...” and then continue to give information that
will reinforce the argument. (“Yes, and...” is also a good tool to use when the topic is
informational.)
6. The discussion can go on for as long as you wish. It usually works best, however, if
you limit the time to 15–20 minutes. It works well either on Mondays to get the week
going, or on Fridays for a wrap up.
7. You might want to require students to bring in newspapers or magazine articles so they
can introduce more current, viable information into the discussion.
TEACHER TIPS
1. This exercise works best if you first explain it to the class and then carefully model the
first example.
2. You may have to regulate how many times a person can respond to a statement to
avoid having one person monopolize the activity.
EVALUATION
1. You can assign as many participation points as you like for each speaker’s efforts.
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2. You may want to consider the following criteria for awarding credit:
• contributed a pertinent comment
• added something new to the discussion
• clashed with opponent(s) in “Yes, but...”
FOUR-STEP REFUTATION: the position-strengthening
blend of concession and refutation
Any good debate round has its share of feisty cross-examination. And while it‘s fun to
observe the fur fly, the purpose of cross-examination is not simply destruction of an
opponent’s argument, it’s strengthening of one’s own. Kate Schuster, director of
Claremont Colleges National Debate Outreach at Claremont McKenna College, has
devoted a large portion of her career to bringing debate to middle schoolers. She devised
the following 4-step method of refutation to give beginning debaters something to say in
their rebuttal speeches. I use it regularly when teaching persuasive writing to build
concessions and refutations. My students have dubbed it: “ The Debater 4-Step”
For instance, if given the topic: To what extent can good leaders remain true to
themselves? Someone might state: Good leaders should never compromise their friends.
Someone else might refute:
STEP 1: “Some may argue….”
It is important to reference the argument being refuted so that
the audience can easily follow the line of thought. In a debate, there’s a risk of
reinforcing an opponent’s argument by better explaining it; it’s best to rephrase
the argument being refuted in just a few words: e.g. “Some may contend that
leaders shouldn’t compromise their friends, but…”
STEP 2: “But I disagree…”
In this part of the refutation, state the basics of the counter-argument. This can be
simply the opposite of an opponent’s claim. It can also be an attack on the
opponent’s reasoning or evidence: e.g.“...but I disagree that leaders should
privilege their friends...”
STEP 3: “Because…”
Having advanced the counter-argument, it’s time to offer reasoning: e.g.
“…because leaders should treat everyone fairly…”
STEP 4: “Therefore…”
Finally, draw a conclusion that connects the refutation to the central argument of
the thesis: e.g. “Therefore, treating subjects fairly is a quality that leaders should
never compromise since they should be obligated to providing justice for all.”
Compiled together, these four steps form a cohesive argument that acknowledges an
opposition. I encourage my writing students to remove the sign-posts (e.g. “Some may
argue”, “I disagree”, etc) that can aide a speaker but bog down a writer:
“Some may contend that leaders shouldn’t compromise their friends, but (I disagree) that
leaders should privilege their friends (because); effective leaders should treat everyone
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fairly. (Therefore,) Treating subjects fairly and is a quality that leaders should never
compromise since they should be obligated to providing justice for all.”
MATERIALS
Four-Step Refutation Summary
Hat or other receptacle (optional)
PROCEDURE
1. Teach students the Four-Step Refutation, using the Four-Step Refutation Summary.
2. Have the students form two single-file lines, facing the front of the classroom. The
student at the front of the left line should begin the game by making a claim—any claim,
such as “Schools should not serve junk food,” or “Jazz is the best kind of music.”
3. The student at the front of the right line must refute the argument, using the four-step
method.
4. When finished, these two students go to the back of the opposite line. The exercise
repeats, until all students have made a claim and refuted a claim.
TEACHER TIPS
Variations:
1. You can vary this game by passing around the “argument hat,” a receptacle filled with
small slips of paper on which you or the students have written simple claims about a
variety of topics. Students draw an argument, read it aloud, and then refute it, using the
four-step method.
2. Have students write a separate response for each of the “therefore examples” described
under step 4 of Four-Step Refutation Summary.
EVALUATION
Ask all students to write a self-evaluation of the exercise and determine goals for future
argumentation.
NOTES...
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7. The Prompt Generator: Student-Generated Prompts
The best way to dispel an unwarranted fear is to participate in the experience. Afraid of
haunted houses? Don a gory mask and jump out from behind a curtain at the next
Halloween party. Afraid of the types of questions that might appear on a tough biology
final? Try writing a few sample questions. Emulating the prompts that appear on
standardized tests can dispel their mystique and make them more familiar and therefore
more accessible to student writers.
WHY DO THEY NEED TO DO THIS?
The language of the standardized test prompts becomes less mysterious, and the actual
topics become more relevant as students emulate prompts in their own words. After
imitating a series of prompts that begin with the stem “Confirm, challenge, or qualify the
following assertion…” students begin to recognize an invitation to write a persuasive
essay. After the third or fourth attempt at writing a prompt that begins with the stem
“Describe a time when…” students are able to identify the opportunity to respond with a
narrative essay.
A chart like the following may help students decipher what an essay prompt is asking
them to do.
If the prompt stem verbs are…
Agree or disagree
Confirm (defend) or challenge:
Take a position on this question
Qualify
Develop your position on this issue
Describe (discuss) a
Describe a time when
Evaluate
Your essay should…
take a stance and write a persuasive essay
take a stance and write a persuasive essay
answer the question and support your
response in a persuasive essay
acknowledge the opposition, but still take a
stance and write a persuasive essay
acknowledge the opposition, but still take a
stance and write a persuasive essay
identify and detail an object that supports
an assertion
narrate a detailed story that supports an
assertion
weigh the pros and cons or the harms and
benefits, but ultimately conclude by
determining to what degree the subject is
good or beneficial.
WHY SHOULD THEY CARE?
When an essay fails to address a prompt, it is subject to the lowest score on the rubric.
Often well-written, creative essays dip to the low end of the scoring scale because they
failed to address all parts of a prompt or because they told a story when they were
expected to construct an argument. Writing prompts allows students to understand the
test-maker’s intent from the inside out.
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Williamson 21
HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE?
Total Time: 55 minutes
20 minutes to generate prompts
20 minutes for peer-assessing the prompts’ viability
15 minutes for step 8—an all-important debriefing session.
WHAT WILL YOU NEED?
The Prompt Generator (copy for each student)
Prompts for Practice handout ( found on p. 6)
WHAT’S THE PROCEDURE?
1. Announce to students that today they will NOT be writing essays, and when the
applause dies down, let them know they will be writing essay prompts instead.
2. Pull some quoted words from a poster in the room, or a recently studied work of
literature, essay, or speech. ( or better yet, use some of the quotations from the
Prompts for Practice handout).
3. Distribute The Prompt Generator and review. Ask each student to generate three
prompts—each on a separate scrap of paper. Depending on which tests are
looming on the horizon, you can ask students to generate all three types of
prompts or just the one that applies to their pending on-demand writing
experience.
4. Tell the students to write their names on the back of their papers to preserve
anonymity as the prompts are later passed around the room for peer review. If you
anticipate problems with peeking, ask students to use their student identification
number or the last four digits of their home phone number.
5. You can then conduct a brief read-around as students pass their papers around a
group or up and down a row, with the readers indicating one of the following
marks on the front of the prompt:
“+” for an outstanding creative and clearly worded prompt
“√” for a serviceable clear prompt
“-” for a prompt that is not clearly worded.
6. You will have to enforce the “no peeking at the back of the paper” rule so the
prompts are judged on their quality not their authorship.
7. Debrief with students about the common qualities shared among the top-ranked
prompts. This discussion is an invaluable part of the lesson and will get them even
closer to understanding a prompt from the inside out.
LESSON EXTENSIONS
• You can give extra credit to the prompts receiving the greatest number of “+”
marks.
• You can add the prompts with the greater number of “+” marks to a classroom’s
cache of prompts that can be accessed for future on-demand writing practice.
Student Handout
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Speak Before You Write
The Prompt Generator
I. TO GENERATE A PROMPT WORTHY OF THE SAT 1…
1. On a half sheet of paper, copy an aphorism from your aphorism journal or
copy a quotation from something we’ve read in class or even from an
inspirational poster in the classroom.
2. Choose one of the following set of directions and copy it below your
quotation:
• Plan and write an essay in which you confirm, challenge, or qualify the
above assertion. Support your position with reasons and examples from
your reading, studies, experiences, or observations.
• Citing examples from your reading, observations and experiences, agree
or disagree with the ideas expressed in the above quotation.
Sample SAT Prompt (from www.collegeboard.com)
Quotation: “A society composed of men and women who are not bound by convention—
in other words, they do not act according to what others say or do—is far more lively
than one in which all people behave alike. When each person's character is developed
individually and differences of opinion are acceptable, it is beneficial to interact with new
people because they are not mere replicas of those whom one has already met.”
Adapted from Bertrand Russell, The Conquest of Happiness
Prompt: Is it better for a society when people act as individuals rather than copying the
ideas and opinions of others? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of
view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your
reading, studies, experience, or observations.
Congratulations! You have just generated an SAT prompt. Write your name on the back
of the paper only.
2. TO GENERATE A PROMPT WORTHY OF THE ACT WRITING EXAM…
1. On a separate piece of paper, describe an issue relevant to high school
students (e.g. drivers’ licenses, work permits, curfew, etc)
2. Briefly provide two different perspectives on the issue.
3. Conclude the prompt by asking, “In your opinion, should…?”
4. Include these directions after your question:
• In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about
either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a
different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and
examples to support your position.
Sample ACT Prompt (from www. actstudent.org)
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Issue: Educators debate extending high school to five years because of increasing
demands on students from employers and colleges to participate in extracurricular
activities and community service in addition to having high grades. Some educators
support extending high school to five years because they think students need more time to
achieve all that is expected of them. Other educators do not support extending high
school to five years because they think students would lose interest in school and
attendance would drop in the fifth year. In your opinion, should high school be extended
to five years?
Prompt: In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one
of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this
question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.
Congratulations! You have just generated an ACT prompt. Write the entire prompt on a
separate piece of scrap paper. Place your name on the back of the paper only.
Think About It…
Which is easier to construct, an SAT 1 prompt or an ACT prompt? Why?
Which seems easier to respond to as a writer? Why?
3. TO GENERATE A PROMPT WORTHY OF A COLLEGE PLACEMENT EXAM…
Many junior colleges and state universities insist that incoming freshmen sit for a
placement exam that usually consists of a series of multiple-choice questions on grammar
and mechanics and an essay prompt that mirrors that of the SAT1 or which invites
students to write an autobiographical narrative. The subject of the prompt must be nondiscriminatory and cannot pre-suppose knowledge. For instance, the prompts are not
permitted to ask the writer to reveal his or her religious beliefs nor are they able to expect
them to have knowledge of a particular issue like current gas prices.
1. Begin by making a list of experiences that most human encounter. (e.g. making a
wish that doesn’t come true, encountering a roadblock to success,
misunderstanding a friend, worrying unnecessarily, etc)
2. Choose one of the experiences and plug it into the formula:
Describe a time when you_____________________________________. Vividly re-create the incident with detailed description
and conclude by addressing what did you learn from the experience?
Sample college-placement prompt from a local junior college
(www.santarosa.edu/app/placement):
Before you begin writing, consider the topic carefully and plan what you will say. Your
essay should be as well organized and as carefully written as you can make it. Be sure to
use specific examples to support your ideas.
Most people have read a book or seen a play, movie, or television program that
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Williamson 24
affected their feelings or behavior in some important way. Discuss such an experience
of your own. Describe the book, play, movie, or television program and explain why
you regard its effect on you as important.
Congratulations! You have just generated a college-placement prompt. Write the entire
prompt on a separate piece of scrap paper. Place your name on the back of the paper only.
Speak Before You Write
Williamson 25
Insults and Compliments
“ real word oral application” of vocabulary
After introducing 5-10 new vocabulary words per week, I’ll ask students to craft insults
or compliments using their new words. I select some the best to read aloud. Students
receive 1pt if they can tell me whether the sentence is an insult or a compliment, and they
receive two points if they can explain why. If I’m working with seniors who are familiar
and friendly with each other, I’ll use the pronoun “ you.” If it’s a younger, or less mature
crowd, then I’ll substitute a nonsense name or cartoon character so as not to offend any
one in the class—or their brother! ( e.g. “Mickey Mouse made a cogent argument in the
debate. Was he just complimented or insulted?” “Complimented!”) What follows is a
sample multiple choice quiz that I would give at the end of a unit.
Are you being…
Insulted or Complimented?
the real reason you should study LATIN/GREEK roots
On your scantron form mark:
A = COMPLIMENT 0r
B= INSULT
1. You are a nascent scientist if I ever saw one.
2. You were voted most salubrious senior!
3. You made the most cogent arguments in the debate.
4. Your concern for your mother’s misfortune was clearly feigned.
5. Your speeches in rhetoric are the product of a turbid mind.
6. Your school spirit is exanimate.
7. You possess an innate talent for logic and reason.
8. No one in the class could refrain from giving an obloquy about you.
9. You’re emblematic of an “A+” student.
10. Your methodical note taking got you recognized by the teacher.
11. Your egregious behavior at the rally has never been imitated.
12. Your aunt said that you were very disingenuous at your uncle’s birthday party.
13. You are known by the vice principal for your peregrinations.
14. You should get an “A” in elocution.
15. Your grades have been episodic throughout your high school career.
16. I get the sense that your love for your friend is temporal.
17. Your teachers have never seen you diurnal.
18. Your hairstyle is very anachronistic.
19. The librarian said that you were the most loquacious student—ever!.
20. Your pusillanimous behavior on the battlefield will win you a special medal.
21. Your teacher said that you aspire to mediocrity.
22. Your presentation was in concordance of the grading rubric.
23. You would never intentionally deny anyone succor.
24. You find a way to be obsequious to every teacher.
25. Your essays contained numerous segues between ideas.
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26. I’ll bet that you will sojourn to a university.
27. Impious behavior like yours rarely goes unnoticed.
28. Your grandmother declared that she had never seen such execrable manners!
29. Your reputation on campus is said to be sacrosanct.
30. Your professors voted you most likely to be employed in a sinecure.
31. You made the most innocuous points in the debate round.
32. When it comes to dating, you sure are capricious.
33. You have an avocation for criminal behavior.
34. Your coach traduced your performance in the newspaper.
35. You have never had a problem being solicitous.
36. Your achievements at Analy are diachronic!
37. The cult leaders found that you have a very fictile mind.
38. Your boss capitulated when you ask him for a raise!
39. You were extremely reticent during the job interview.
40. When a teacher asks a tough question, she can always procure an answer from you.