Sometimes you might choose a topic. What are you going to write about? icon Sometimes you are given the topic or prompt. PROMPT NO PROMPT National RtI Writing Demonstration Project

What is a Prompt? For example, a prompt might instruct you to write about… a story you have read your opinion on a topic something you have experienced a research topic Basically, a prompt is a question or an instruction that tells you what you're supposed to write. National RtI Writing Demonstration Project

Deconstructing a Prompt To deconstruct a prompt: 1. Read it 2. Take it apart 3. Understand what you need to do 4. Determine how to respond to the prompt correctly (constructing means to build) Deconstructing means to take apart How do I do that? National RtI Writing Demonstration Project

Role What role do you take as the writer? (student, citizen, expert) Audience Who is your audience? (class, parent, teacher, friend) Format What kind of response are you writing? (essay, letter, descriptive) What are the verbs in the prompt asking you to do? (advise your classmate, justify your opinion, explain why…) Task Strong key words What are the key words that you need to include in your response? Hint: Use these words to construct your thesis statement. You can use the word RAFTS to help you remember how to deconstruct a prompt. Identifying Key Parts of a Written Prompt

Role What role do you take as the writer? (student, citizen, expert) Audience Who is your audience? (class, parent, teacher, friend) Format What kind of response are you writing? What are the verbs in the prompt asking you to do? Task Strong key words What are the key words that you need to include in your response? Doing a Good Job Select a person you know who does a good job in his or her profession. This person may be an entertainer, an athlete, a character in a story, or simply a successful family member. Write a multi-paragraph essay describing why you think this individual is so good at his or her job. Include specific examples and details to support your response. I am writing this as a student. My audience will be the teacher. I am writing a descriptive multi-paragraph essay. Select a person, write an essay describing why he/she is good at his/her job, include examples and details Profession, successful Example of Deconstructing a Prompt

Your Turn Form Pairs Re-read the prompt and deconstruct it by writing your response for: RoleTaskAudience Prompt: Lots of people try to give us advice—parents, friends, brothers or sisters, teachers, etc. Tell a true story about a time you were given or gave advice. Tell if the advice was followed or not and the results. National RtI Writing Demonstration Project Format Strong Key Words

Role Audience Format Task Strong key words Lots of people try to give us advice—parents, friends, brothers or sisters, teachers, etc. Tell a true story about a time you were given or gave advice. Tell if the advice was followed or not and the results. Practice Writing Prompt

Writing to a Prompt Review Write one to two complete sentences describing how you deconstruct a prompt. Read your sentences to a partner. National RtI Writing Demonstration Project