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Responding to Text. Writing a Response Essay. Step 1: Pre-read. Look at the title, predict what the poem or story is about. Read any italicized introductory material and think about how it might relate. Read captions, look at any illustrations.
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Responding to Text Writing a Response Essay
Step 1: Pre-read • Look at the title, predict what the poem or story is about. • Read any italicized introductory material and think about how it might relate. • Read captions, look at any illustrations. • Think of something you already know about the main idea of the work, or even something related in any way.
Step 2: Read • Visualize what you are reading. • Ask questions in the margin of text. • Make judgments about characters or events in the margin; what can you guess is true but not said? • Underline images that grab you as you read. Notice literary devices. • Monitor your understanding; slow down or speed up your reading if you have to. • Re-read parts you are fuzzy on. • Use graphics to help you understand something complicated. (Maybe a family tree or timeline or map helps!)
Step 3: THINK . • Try summarizing the main idea of the story or poem into one sentence. • Ask how bits of the poem or story might relate to real-life issues or situations. • Think about other texts, experiences, or situations you know about which might relate to the text. • Brainstorm some ideas you had about the story or poem as you read...consult your margin notes. • Come up with some critical observations you made as you read. • Organize your ideas into categories…do they all have to do with a character? The plot? Theme?
Step 4: Pick an Approach • Survey all your thoughts and choose one. • Avoid trying to include all your ideas about the text. • Focus on one aspect of the text to respond to, and create a thesis statement. Example: "In The Birthmark Nathanial Hawthorne writes about a character who goes overboard in his search for perfection but is portrayed with sympathy to the reader." • Polish up the thesis statement.
Step 5: Create the Outline • Think carefully about your body paragraphs. • Make sure they all are focused on your interpretation. • Indicate what support and explanation you will include in each paragraph. Be able to include a quote from the text in each paragraph (for this paper assignment). • Allow for counterarguments (While it’s true Aylmer winds up killing his bride, he only does so because...) and decide the best place for them. • Consider the order of your paragraphs. • Make sure you have properly interpreted the quotes you used and didn’t misread a line.
Step 6: Proofread • Be sure you can guarantee accuracy. All quotes from the text must be word for word, all paraphrases in YOUR words. • Pay attention to how you've incorporated quotes into your sentences and paragraphs…are they part of the sentences? • Double check your parenthetical citations. • Double check your bibliographic entry at the end. • Check your tone and diction.
THINK for yourself! Your ideas about a poem or story are something only you can offer! If you have lines from the poem or story to back up your idea, it can’t be wrong!