 Open-Ended Responses:
 A response to a question at the end of a
reading passage.
 Every bullet = one paragraph
 Should include evidence from the text (a
quote) and additional insight.
 FOLLOW the RACERR rubric
 PERSUASIVE WRITING:
 Includes five paragraphs: Intro, 3 body,
conclusion
 Also includes strong reasons and supporting
details to persuade the reader of your opinion.
 Speculative/Narrative Writing
 You will receive a writing prompt that will
lead you to write a story.
 Dialogue (when characters talk to each other)
 Figurative Language
 Theme/Moral or a lesson to be learned
 Literary devices:
 Foreshadow (a hint or a inclination about what
will happen in the future of the story.)
 Flashback- When the character remembers a
previous memory or event
 PLOT – exposition, rising action, climax, falling
action, conclusion
I.
Writing: Expository Writing
Time:
Task:
Students
will read a
quote,
adage or
universally
accessible
topic and
respond in
an
educated,
thoughtprovoking
essay.
“Early to bed, early to
rise…”
“To be or not to be…”
Types of Prompts:
“Harder, better faster,
stronger…”
· Quotes- famous quotations by historians, authors, politicians, etc. Example: “Do not
be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.”
· Adages- short, memorable sayings that have great meaning attached. Example: Life
is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you react to it.
· Universally Accessible Topic- Food for thought that is not attached to curriculum or
studies, but rather an idea formed from life experience. Example: Some say that love is
the most powerful emotion. Others think love is simply a reaction.
1. Aim for a 4-paragraph response (at a
minimum) which uses various cohesive
devices (think- transitions!).
2. Remember that this is all expository
(explanatory) not narrative (telling a
story).
3. You will need: an opening and a closing;
a well-developed, cohesive, single focus;
organization and logical progression
4. You will also need at least two welldeveloped examples, using vivid
details, that directly relate to the
prompt.
You will see the same set of
directions embedded in each prompt:
“Using an example from literature,
history, science, film, or your own
experience or observation, write an
essay analyzing…”
Let’s Get
Organized!
If one is asked to analyze a
quote and the significance of
its meaning, he/she should
follow the following format.
Turn to the next slide
Grab the reader’s attention [HOOK]
Copy the quote, adage or topic (put in
your own words)
Explain the significance
(importance) of the quote
Thesis statement or main idea
First Body Paragraph
 Personal example (2 or 3 )
 Text to self
Second Body Paragraph
Make a meaningful connection
 Text to text, text to media, text to world
 This counts as an ALLUSION (a reference to
something outside of the text).
 ALWAYS EXPLAIN HOW EACH EXAMPLE RELATES
BACK TO THE QUOTE/ADAGE/ OR SITUATION!!!
 Use connecting transition phrases such as: “just like” “just as”
“similarly” “similar to”.
Example(s) from your
own experience or
observation to
EXPLAIN the meaning
of the quote
You will write this as an
explanation, not a
narration (NO
DIALOGUE).
Do not be tempted to
relive the story; speak
about it with an
academic voice.
Example(s)
from
literature,
history,
science, or film. (Text to text, text to world,
text to media)
· ALLUSION – a reference to something
outside the text. (Current event, character
in
literature, pop
figure/event, etc.)
culture,
historical
You can actually study for this
because themes are UNIVERSAL.
part,
Think about some major novels that you
have read thus far and/or some historical
figures. Figure out what they stand for,
what themes they exemplify, and be ready
to work that into whatever prompt presents
itself.
Generate
final
remarks
without
introducing brand new examples
Unify and Summarize your ideas
•Restate the meaning or significance
of the quote.
•Identify a moral or lesson we can
apply in our own lives in the quote.
Remind the audience of your main
point / thesis
Use a thought-provoking question/
statement/ clincher (should connect
back to your introduction)
Is there a MORAL or a lesson learned
from this writing prompt/quote?
How can we apply this lesson in our
lives- be specific and detailed
Restate the writing prompt/quote and its
meaning.
As we grow and mature and
experience life, there are many
individuals we remember that leave a
great impact in our journey in life.
Write an essay identifying and
explaining at least one individual who
has left a meaningful impact on your
life. Describe the impact and why it
is/was so significant (important).
 Charlotte, the seventh-grade writer of
this model, organizes her essay into
paragraphs that describe different
aspects of her subject (the person she
chose to write about). The closing leaves
the reader with a clear idea of the
important place her grandfather holds
in her memory. Pay close attention to
the detail and descriptions she uses in
her expository essay.
Memory. The dictionary defines it as the mental
ability to recall past experiences. We think of it as
that picture we saw, the words she said. Who in your
life is so vivid in your memory that you could describe
him or her without a second thought? For me, it’s my
grandpa. But when I was small, I couldn’t say
“Grandpa,” so 13 years ago, Theodore Lazarus became
Paw Paw.
To all the grandkids, Paw Paw was full of fun
and games. We all remember his favorite expressions,
the ones that would pop out each time we saw him.
Luckily, we visited Paw Paw quite often.
We often overheard his little squabbles. “No way,
José!” Paw Paw would yell; in response, we would
shout back, “Yes way, José!” and burst into giggles.
My younger siblings and cousins would tell Paw Paw
about school, or ballet, or baseball, or their pet
iguana, and just when they got into the story, he’d
roar, “No kiddin’!” with a huge smile on his face. Paw
Paw helped us remember that life should be fun.
Being the oldest of all the grandchildren, I
remember more than my siblings and cousins do,
but we all remember how predictable Paw Paw’s
clothes would be.
Most likely, he’d be wearing a white cotton
shirt under another shirt, which was the kind
that is red or blue, has one or two breast
pockets, is plaid or striped, with buttons down
the front. Being loose, it covered his big, round
belly. He’d be sitting in the tall wooden chair in
the corner by his desk, shouting into the black
telephone with the big buttons. Or, if he wasn’t
there, he’d be in his black leather recliner,
watching a game on TV. Sometimes he’d let us
snuggle next to him.
When Paw Paw wasn’t relaxing, he’d be in the
backyard garden, weeding and pulling, planting
and potting, until the time came in the spring or
summer when the garden came alive with the colors
of the flowers and vegetables he raised. I remember
his old, worn hands that did everything: built the
wooden tree house for me to play in, built the
toolshed, plugged in the Barbie car so it would be
ready for me to ride when I came over, fixed the TVs
and VCRs so I could watch “Wee Sing,” and just
played blocks with his grandchildren. He always
took time to play with us.
He would never tell us, but I know he was proud
of all his nine grandkids. We ranged in age from 1-12
when he died last summer of a severe stroke. When I
remember Paw Paw now, I think of the pictures on
Grandmother’s cabinet—pictures of me and Paw Paw
when I was two years old and the only grandchild. In
one picture, we’re lying on the bed, me in my flowered
pajamas, him in his usual outfit. I had my bottle in one
hand, the Sunday comics in the other (upside down!).
He was reading the comics to me so we could laugh
together. I will remember that for the rest of my life,
and I will remember that he always loved me.
“Just as….”
“Just like…..”
“Similarly….”
“Similar to….”
We can also
connect our
meaningful
connections back
to the quote,
adage, topic,
theme, reason in a
body paragraph, or
question by using
the words from the
original theme,
question, topic,
reason, or quote to
make the
connection clear.
SYNTHESIZE
To receive a high score, you
must include compositional
risks such as figurative
language, literary devices, and
sophisticated vocabulary.
The following are examples
of figurative language and
literary devices:
 Language that appeals to the senses.
Descriptions of people or objects stated
in terms of our senses.
• Sight
• Hearing
• Touch
• Taste
• Smell
 A figure of speech which involves a
direct comparison between two unlike
things, usually with the words like or as.
Example: The muscles on his brawny arms
are as strong as iron bands.
 A figure of speech which involves an
implied comparison between two
relatively unlike things using a form of
be. The comparison is not announced by
like or as.
Example: The road was a ribbon
wrapping through the desolate desert.
 A figure of speech which gives the
qualities of a person to an animal, an
object, or an idea.
Example: “The wind screamed its fury
as it pushed us down the road with the
strength of a bull.”
The wind cannot yell. Only a living
thing can yell.
Examples:
The sleeping water reflected the
evening sky.
Humidity breathed in the girl's
face and ran its greasy fingers
through her hair.
The tree arrested the oncoming
car.
Joyet
2004
31
 The use of words that mimic
sounds.
Example: The firecracker made a
loud ka-boom!
 Repeated consonant sounds
occurring at the beginning of words
or within words.
Example: She was wide-eyed and
wondering while she waited for
Walter to waken.
 An exaggerated statement used to
heighten effect. It is not used to mislead
the reader, but to emphasize a point.
Example: She’s said so on several million
occasions.
 Use real-life examples: Personal examples have to be plausible
(believable) and significant (important)!
 ALL EXAMPLES must be connected to the
quote/adage/situation!
 Use connecting transition phrases:




“Just as….”
“Just like….”
“Similarly….”
“Similar to….”
 Be sure to “quote” words from the quote/adage/or situation.
 Check your essay for mistakes in: capitalization, punctuation,
spelling, and complete sentences!
 Use transition words!
 You must have an introduction and conclusion!
 WRITE MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU NEED!!
 “We should behave to our friends as we would wish our
friends to behave to us.” – Aristotle
 “I have learned that success is to be measured
not so much by the position that one has
reached in life as by the obstacles which he has
overcome while trying to succeed.” – Booker
T. Washington
 “Angels can fly because they take
themselves lightly.” - Unknown
 “Every problem is an opportunity in disguise” –
Unknown
 “Fall seven times, stand up the eighth time.” –
Japanese proverb
 “Whatever you can do or dream you
can, begin it. Boldness has genius,
power, and magic in it.” – Johann
Wolfgang Goethe