1. How To Use
TEEL

2. Introduction/Paragraph 1 Conclusion/Paragraph 6
QUESTION __________________________________________________________________________________________________
Text Response Essay Planner
Introduction/Paragraph 1 *
Paragraph 2 T E L
Paragraph 3 T E L
Paragraph 4 T E L
Paragraph 3 T
Paragraph 2 T
Conclusion/Paragraph 6

3. The Key Ideas Of The Essay
What are the Key Ideas of this question?
What are the main things we need to answer for this topic/question?
Event
Event
Event
Event
Key
Idea
Key
Idea
Events related to the key idea
Event
Event
Event
Event

4. What does TEEL stand for?

5. T = Topic sentence. What is the paragraph about?
Write one short sentence giving a basic idea of what your paragraph is going to talk about.
Eg. There are many different characters in the story ‘Over the Wall’.

6. E = Explanation
You must explain the topic of the paragraph in more detail.
Add to the topic sentence.
Eg. The characters include Frank, Peter and Gunter.

7. E = Example/evidence
Use a quote or more specific example/s to back up your point.
Eg. The main character is Frank who is a young boy whose parents are trying to help the family escape from East Germany. They wanted to escape because in East Germany they were not free to do what they wanted and they wanted a better life for their children.

8. L = Linking sentence
Write a sentence to link your paragraph back to the main question.
Remind the reader why your paragraph is important to answering the question.
Eg. The other characters all help the families to escape by building a hot air balloon that flies them over the wire fence into West Germany.

9. Introduction This paragraph provides an overview of the entire essay.
The introduction focuses on what your essay is going to show.
Look carefully at what you are writing in your body paragraphs. How can you talk about these things generally in your introduction?

10. Introduction continued…
Introduce the title of the novel (underline this) and the author in the first sentence.
Show that you have understood the question; re-write the essay question as a statement (in your own words). Make sure that point of view is clear to the reader.
Indicate what the main points/arguments
are going to be.
Eg.

11. Conclusion
Provide an overview of the ideas that you have discussed in your essay.
Summarize the points you have made in the essay.
Link what you have written back to the main question.
Don’t introduce any new ideas.

12. Conclusion continued…
Remind the reader how the points in the paragraphs answer the main question.

13. Putting The Essay Together
Write all of the information into your ‘TEEL Graphic Organiser’.
This will be your plan for writing your good copy of your essay.
You will need to elaborate on your information on the ‘TEEL Graphic
Organiser’ when you write
your good copy.

14. Have Fun ! 