English II 3 rd Six Weeks Writing Product How to Dissect A Prompt

How To Attack A Writing Prompt These steps will help you plan and write a successful paper 1 Read Background Info and Prompt 2 Re-read the prompt and dissect what is being asked of you 3 Plan your paper (outline) before you write!

Read Background Info and Prompt Read, Comprehend, Understand 1

The Full Prompt At a recent conference at the University of Chicago, David Walsh of the National Institute on Media and the Family presented a paper titled “ Video Game Violence and Public Policy.” The paper stated that “79% of American children now play computer or video games on a regular basis. Children between the ages of 7 and 17 play for an average of 8 hours a week.” The subset of games that feature violence, gore, and antisocial behavior has corrupted this generation of children. Because of these video games, all children will participate in some sort of gang violence, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. Compose an essay arguing that video games are not responsible for a child’s motivation and ambition to lead a life of criminal activity.

Read the background information and summarize what is being communicated. Getting Started – The Background At a recent conference at the University of Chicago, David Walsh of the National Institute on Media and the Family presented a paper titled “ Video Game Violence and Public Policy.” The paper stated that “79% of American children now play computer or video games on a regular basis. Children between the ages of seven and 17 play for an average of eight hours a week.” The subset of games that feature violence, gore, and antisocial behavior has corrupted this generation of children. Because of these video games, all children will participate in some sort of gang violence, armed robbery, and aggravated assault.

Getting Started – The Prompt Now, read the prompt. What is your TASK? Compose an essay arguing that video games are not responsible for a child’s motivation and ambition to lead a life of criminal activity.

Understanding the Reading Go back and read the prompt. Make sure you understand what is going on, and what is being communicated. *What is the main idea? *What is going on? *Who is involved/affected? Compose an essay arguing that video games are not responsible for a child’s motivation and ambition to lead a life of criminal activity.

2 Enrich Your Understanding Read, Analyze, Apply

It’s not just about understanding what you read, but understanding what is being asked of you.

1. What will your paper be about? 2. What genre will you be writing? 3. What do you need to include? 4. How does the background information help you? Let’s see.

Let’s see… What is my TASK? 1.Compose an essay arguing… I have to write an essay arguing something. What am I arguing? 2. that video games are not responsible for a child’s motivation and ambition… I have to argue that video games are NOT responsible for motivating children. Motivating them to do what? 3. to lead a life of criminal activity. I have to argue that video games are NOT responsible for making kids, or motivating kids to get involved with crime. How am I going to do this?

Understanding the Reading Once you understand what you are being asked to do, start making the connections between what has been read (Background Info), and what the is being asked of you (Prompt). *What does the author claim? *What reasons does the author give for his claim? *What evidence does the author give for his reasons? Compose an essay arguing that video games are not responsible for a child’s motivation and ambition to lead a life of criminal activity. Your TASK How are you going to use the background info? What will your argument be?

Let’s see…What do I have? “79% of American children now play computer or video games on a regular basis. Children between the ages of 7 and 17 play for an average of 8 hours a week.” The subset of games that feature violence, gore, and antisocial behavior has corrupted this generation of children. Because of these video games, all children will participate in some sort of gang violence, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. Sooooo….. How can I use this?

*What does the author claim? Because of these video games, all children will participate in some sort of gang violence, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. *What reasons does the author give for his claim? The subset of games that feature violence, gore, and antisocial behavior has corrupted this generation of children. *What evidence does the author give for his reasons? “79% of American children now play computer or video games on a regular basis. Children between the ages of 7 and 17 play for an average of 8 hours a week.”

3 Plan Your Essay Using the information given, outline your paper.

I. Thesis II. Point 1 III. Point 2 IV. Point 3 V. Counter Argument/Opposing View VI. Main Argument Lets Do This!

I. Thesis- Although many psychiatrists and psychologists believe that video games are responsible for a life of criminal activity, this is not true; video games do not encourage children to join gangs, games do not motivate them to commit an armed robbery, and nor do they glamourize aggravated assault. II. Point 1- Games do not encourage children to join gangs. A. Not all games are geared around gangs, in fact, many games are centered around one person carrying out the task at hand. B. Most of the games that call for teens to operate in groups are military based; therefore, the game is encouraging patriotism, not gang violence/activity. III. Point 2- Games do not motivate children to commit an armed robbery. A. Yes, some games to allow the player to commit an armed robbery during the game; however, game makers have ensured that the player realizes the consequences of his/her actions. B. The game has law enforcement in place to make chase down and reprimand the player for his/her bad decisions. IV. Point 3- Aggravated assault is not glamourized during game play A. Many of the games out are violent; however, the games are usually some sort of respected version of fighting. For instance, wresting and UFC fighting. I. Counter/Opposing- However, some people believe that video games are the sole reason for teenage violence. A. TV shows are more of a culprit than video games when it comes to showcasing teenage violence. Unlike the video game, TV shows are made to appear as though they are reality; therefore, the sense of right and wrong detachment comes more from TV than it does video games. II. Main Argument- Although many parents, psychiatrists, and psychologists believe that video games are to blame for the up rise in teenage violence, video games are not a contributing factor. Example Outline:

What’s Your Message? ANY QUESTIONS?