What is AEC?

1. What is AEC?

2. Assertion • AKA: controlling idea or thesis • The job of the assertion is to state the idea/main point clearly. • The assertion is a single-sentence, direct “answer” to the question or prompt. • It presents a conclusion or an inference that can be supported with evidence/reasons, rather than just a statement of fact.

3. EVIDENCE • The job of the evidence is to prove without a doubt that the assertion is correct. • When writing a Short-Answer Response for a novel, your evidence will come directly from the text. • Remember to “embed” the evidence, which means make the quote a seamless part of your own sentence.

4. Commentary • The commentary explains why and how the evidence proves the assertion is true. • Remember: • - Focus is critical. Your response should focus on a single idea – the assertion. • - No fluff! Everything has to support the assertion!

5. Sample sar Question: How does author Dylan Thomas show the idea of struggle in the poem “Do Not Go Gentle”?

6. Sample sar • Answer using AEC: • Assertion:In the poem “Do Not Go Gentle,” author Dylan Thomas shows the idea of struggle through the various responses men have to their approaching deaths. • Evidence: The men experience regrets that they have not accomplished as much as they wanted – not speaking words that “forked […] lightning” or being too “grave.” • Commentary: These men realize the inevitability of death but “rage against” it nevertheless.

7. Put it all together… • In the poem “Do Not Go Gentle,” author Dylan Thomas shows the idea of struggle through the various responses men have to their approaching deaths. The men experience regrets that they have not accomplished as much as they wanted – not speaking words that “forked […] lightning” or being too “grave.” These men realize the inevitability of death but “rage against” it nevertheless.