TAP and Writing Prompts How to deconstruct a writing prompt

What is TAP? T – topic (What is the prompt asking me to write about?) A – audience (Who will be reading my essay?) P – purpose (Why am I writing this essay?)

Wait, there’s different types of writing prompts?! Yes! There are 3 different types of prompts: Literary Analysis Research Simulation Narrative Task

Literary Analysis Asks you to carefully consider literary elements Think about what ANALYZE means… STUDY!!! What is Literature? Literary Analysis=study something written (fiction or non fiction) Asks you to carefully consider literary elements Asks you to compose an analytical essay

Research Simulation Think about what SIMULATION means. You are PRETENDING to do a research project. You will be given a topic and sources Asks you to analyze an information topic presented in several articles Asks you to synthesize (put together) information from multiple sources in order to write an analytical essay.

Narrative Hint: Think about what the word MEANS! (narrator, narration, narrative) Asks you to do one of the following: Write a story Detail a scientific process Write a historical account of important figures Describe an account of event, scenes or objects might be Fiction or Nonfiction

First Things First Before you can write your essay, you have to be able to: Identify the task type Flip the prompt into a question so that you can use R.A.C.E. If you don’t have a clear understanding of what you’re supposed to do, you won’t score well.

Goal REMEMBER, YOUR GOAL IS TO: Deconstruct the prompt using TAP, flip the prompts into questions to help you clearly see WHAT YOUR ESSAY WILL BE ABOUT Restate the writing prompt to use for your thesis statement and Use R.A.C.E.S. format for your body paragraphs in your essay response

When looking for clues to help you determine what type of task it is, look for words such as: story, characters, plot, novel, events, essay, research, information, analyze, sources (Be careful! ANALYZE could be used in all three types of tasks!)

Let’s try it. Write an essay explaining how the author shows he can love all of his pets equally. Use details and examples from the poem to support this central message. T – how the author shows he loves his pets equally A – my teacher P – to explain how the author shows he loves his pets equally What kind of writing prompt is it? Literary analysis Thesis Statement:

January 6, 2017 Today, you will read two stories titled “Johnny Chuck Finds the Best Thing in the World” and “Me First.” As you read, think about the actions of the characters and the events of the stories. Answer the questions to help you write an essay…. ESSAY PROMPT: Old Mother West Wind and the Sandwitch both try to teach important lessons to characters in the stories. Write an essay that explains how Old Mother West Wind’s and the Sandwitch’s words and actions are important to the plots of the stories. Use what you learned about the characters to support your essay.

T- How are Old Mother West Wind’s and the Sandwitch’s words and actions important to the plot of the stories? A- Teacher P- To explain how the words and actions are important to the plot of the stories. Type: Literary Analysis Thesis Statment

January 9, 2017 Today you will read two articles and watch a video about the survival or wild horses on Assateague Island in Maryland and Chincoteague Island in Virginia. As you review these sources, you will gather information and answer questions so that you can write an essay. Essay Prompt: Your class has been studying about the survival of the ponies on Assateague Island. Using information from the articles and the video, describe the roles that both the horses and humans play in the horses’ survival. Use the evidence from the articles and the video to support your answer.

T- Describe the roles that both the horses and humans play in the horses’ survival A-My Teacher P-To explain the roles that both horses and humans play in the horses’ survival Type: Research Simulation

January 17, 2017 Today you will read a passage from the story “The Growin’ of Paul Bunyan.” As you read, pay close attention to the character’s thoughts. This will help you answer questions and prepare to write a narrative story. You have read a passage from “The Growin’ of Paul Bunyan.” Think about how the story would be different if it were told from Johnny’s point of view. Write a narrative story retelling the story from the point of view of Johnny. Be sure to use supporting details from the passage. Use T.A.P., identify the prompt type and create a thesis statement

January 23, 2017 Today, you will read and think about the passage from the novel titled Boy’s Life and the fable “Emancipation: A Life Fable.” As you read these texts, you will gather information and answer questions about comparing themes and topics so you can write an essay. You have read the passage from Boy’s Life and “Emancipation: A Life Fable.” Both texts develop the theme of freedom. Write an essay that compares and contrasts the approaches each text uses to develop the theme of freedom. Use T.A.P., identify the prompt type and create a thesis statement

January 30, 2017 You have read a website entry and an article and watched a video describing Amelia Earhart. All three include information that supports the claim that Earhart was a brave, courageous person. The three texts are: “The Biography of Amelia Earhart,” “Earhart’s Final Resting Place Believed Found,” “Amelia Earhart’s Life and Disappearance.” (video) Consider the argument each author uses to demonstrate Earhart’s bravery. Write an essay that analyzes the strength of the arguments related to Earhart’s bravery in at least two of the three supporting materials. Remember to use textual evidence to support your ideas. Use T.A.P., identify the prompt type and create a thesis statement

February 6, 2017 Today you will read and answer questions on a story about a man seeking to complete an important mission. When you have finished reading and answering questions, you will write a narrative story using details from your reading. Write a continuation of Bahauddin Shah using details from the passage. Describe what you think might happen after Bahauddin Shah climbs out of the Salt Caverns. What obstacles might he face and what actions might he take to overcome them? Use T.A.P., identify the prompt type and create a thesis statement