Five Paragraph Essay Writing Circle

1. Five Paragraph Essay Writing Circle

2. Writer’s jobs before the circle . . . • Highlight your thesis statement • Highlight the evidence/examples that you have provided to support the assertions you’ve made in your body paragraphs • Write a focus for feedback statement: “I would feedback on __________________.”

3. Writing Circle Mates • Listen closely. You may want the writer to re-read passages so that you can focus in on certain areas • Look closely. You may want to take a look at the writing to see mechanics and punctuation. • Use ‘I’ statements to provide feedback: “I noticed that the second body paragraph was lacking evidence. You seemed to talk about the topic of the paragraph but didn’t provide anything to show that what you were talking about was true.” • Make sure to provide suggest how the writer could act on this feedback: “You might want to provide your reader with a personal experience that demonstrates what you’re talking about in this paragraph.”

4. Writing Circle Mates • Pick a writer • Any other circle mate can jump in at any time • Focus on: • What the writer has asked you to focus on. • Thoughts and detail: Summarize the essay in one sentence: “What I think you’re trying to say is . . .” if this does not match up with what the writer means to say, changes need to be made. • Is the writer demonstrating something about being a teenager, or are they just talking about the topic? • Has the writer provided precise and concrete evidence? • Organization: Does the order of the paragraphs make sense? Is it easy to follow the discussion? • Does everything in the essay have a purpose? • Is the introduction engaging and is the conclusion thoughtful?

5. Narrative Paragraph Essay Writing Circle

6. Writer’s jobs before the circle . . . • Write a focus for feedback statement: “I would feedback on __________________.”

7. Writing Circle Mates • Listen closely. You may want the writer to re-read passages so that you can focus in on certain areas • Look closely. You may want to take a look at the writing to see mechanics and punctuation. • Use ‘I’ statements to provide feedback: “I noticed that the second body paragraph was lacking evidence. You seemed to talk about the topic of the paragraph but didn’t provide anything to show that what you were talking about was true.” • Make sure to provide suggestions how the writer could act on this feedback: “You might want to provide your reader with a personal experience that demonstrates what you’re talking about in this paragraph.”

8. ‘Responsible Reader’ Tasks • Task 1: • Is the SCOPE of the narrative appropriate? Is it capturing a moment? Or, is the timeline too long? • Provide feedback on the timeframe of the narrative. • Task 2: • Has the writer recreated the experience for you? Do you feel like you’re there as the narrative is unfolding? • Provide feedback on 5 sense imagery and detail. • Task 3: • Can you tell what the writer’s BIG IDEA is? Has the writer reminded you of it throughout the narrative? • Provide feedback on the effectiveness writer’s big idea.

9. Writers, after you’ve received feedback . . . • Make sure to jot down the feedback that your circle mates have given you. • The more you ask, the better feedback you’ll receive. • Make the changes to your draft directly after the writing circle. • KEEP YOUR DRAFT(S)! Must be handed in with your good copy.

10. Personal Response Writing Circle

11. Responsible Reader’ Tasks • Task 1: Main Idea • Are you able to summarize the main idea or purpose of the personal response: “What I think you’re trying to say is ________.” • Does this match with what the writer is trying to say? • Task 2: Details • Has the writer provided enough details to support his or her ideas? • Where could the writer use more details and what details might be effective? • Task 3: *Theme Statement – Mind Map • Has the writer chosen a Big Idea? • Is the writer tell you what is demonstrated about the Big Idea or how it is demonstrated? • Is the theme ‘universal’?