Book Response- Analysis One extended 225 word paragraph Thesis statement - the main idea of your entire paper - states an opinion or point of view and previews the evidence you will use to support that opinion ◦ First or second sentence depending on “attention-getter” ◦ Three pronged -Contains the subject and three points to be discussed ◦ Address the prompt directly with an opinion or a judgment Three thorough examples - include details from a specific moment in the literary work that proves the general statement ◦ General statement: Mrs. Smith is a generous supporter of the arts. ◦ Specific Detail: This Thursday evening at the meeting of board of directors, Mrs. Smith gave six million dollars to the Museum of Fine Arts.

Quotes Use one correctly cited quote that is introduced and analyzed ◦ Includes author’s last name and page number of the quote ◦ No comma is used (Jones 124). ◦ End mark will be outside the parenthesis ◦ Short quotes (four typed lines or less) Introduce and analyze the quote ◦ Never drop in a quote without an explanation ◦ Always follow a quote with a discussion of how it proves your point – do not assume it speaks for itself – you are interpreting and explaining it’s meaning to the reader ◦ Refrain from referring to the quoted words as “the quote”  For example – instead of writing “This quote shows that…” write “Mrs. Smith’s donation shows…”

Analysis – Rules for Writing Avoid plot summary – answer the question that is asked in the prompt Conclude with a sentence or two that covers the entire paragraph, not just the last example Do not use the pronouns “I” or “you” in formal academic writing Creative Title – do not underline, bold, or put in quotes - do not use the title of the book or the assignment Example: The Outsiders Better: Conflict in The Outsiders Best: Opposing Forces  Double spaced in 12 font

Use “Literary Present” Tense When you read a book, everything sounds like it is happening right now. Your papers should sound the same way. When you write in a paper, the same tense avoids confusion for the reader. Ex: Johnny and Pony Boy hide in the church to escape the Socs. Fix this one: Johnny stabbed a Soc during a fight and then they left town.

Follow MLA Format: Follow MLA Format: 1” margins all around Double space 12 pt. Times New Roman Cite properly (author page) ex.(Hinton 45) Heading (top left corner):  Your Name  Mrs. Keppley  English Language Arts  23 September 2011

ReadersNotebookModel.pdf

The Naked Truth Highlight the thesis statement Use [brackets] and identify each of the 3 pieces of evidence and explanation – number them Highlight the conclusion Highlight the quote and underline the introduction and explanation of the quote Circle strong word choice and transitions Staple the sample paragraph into your writer’s notebook.