3/27/2014- Unpacking Writing Prompts

I can unpack a writing prompt. 

The SAGE Writing Test starts on Monday. Today we worked on getting ready by unpacking or analyzing writing prompts. It's something that we have done before, but now we are going to look at it in a new way. For this activity we took notes in our writer's notebooks. You will need to copy notes from a neighbor or from the examples below.

After we took the notes, we looked at several writing prompts. Below you will find examples of prompts and pictures of T charts.

Sample #1
Describe how and why Manolo’s attitude and feelings changed about bullfighting. Support your idea with details and examples from the text. Connect your evidence to your main idea. Check your work for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar when complete.

Sample #2
Write a composition in which you explain how to make something. You might write about a food item, a handcrafted item, or anything else that you know how to make. Be sure to clearly explain each step in the process so that a reader could make the item the way you do.

Sample # 3
Read "Heeding the Call." Then, write an essay explaining how Martin Luther King, Jr.'s experiences as a young person shaped his beliefs and actions as an adult. Be sure to include specific information from the article to support your explanation. Do not merely summarize the article. Remember that your response will be evaluated in two ways—on your understanding of the article and on the quality of your writing.

Below you will find a worksheet with several more writing prompts. Use the prompts to get additional practice.