Responding to Text

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Responding to Text

• Writing a Response Essay

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Step 1  Pre-read

• Look at the title, predict what the poem or story
  is about.
• Read any italicized introductory material
  and think about how it might relate.
• Read captions, look at any illustrations.
• Think of something you already know about the
  main idea of the work, or even something related
  in any way.

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Step 2  Read

• Visualize what you are reading.
• Ask questions in the margin of text.
• Make judgments about characters or events in the
  margin what can you guess is true but not said?
• Underline images that grab you as you read.
  Notice literary devices.
• Monitor your understanding slow down or speed up
  your reading if you have to.
• Re-read parts you are fuzzy on.
• Use graphics to help you understand something
  complicated. (Maybe a family tree or timeline or
  map helps!)

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Step 3  THINK .

• Try summarizing the main idea of the story or
  poem into one sentence.
• Ask how bits of the poem or story might relate to
   real-life issues or situations.
• Think about other texts, experiences, or
  situations you know about which might relate to
  the text.
• Brainstorm some ideas you had about the story or
  poem as you read...consult your margin notes.
• Come up with some critical observations you
  made as you read.
• Organize your ideas into categoriesdo they all
  have to do with a character? The plot? Theme?

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Step 4  Pick an Approach

• Survey all your thoughts and choose one.
• Avoid trying to include all your ideas about the
  text.
• Focus on one aspect of the text to respond to,
  and create a thesis statement.  Example   "In
  The Birthmark Nathanial Hawthorne writes about a
  character who goes overboard in his search for
  perfection but is portrayed with sympathy to the
  reader."
• Polish up the thesis statement.

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Step 5  Create the Outline

• Think carefully about your body paragraphs. 
• Make sure they all are focused on your
  interpretation.
• Indicate what support and explanation you will
  include in each paragraph.  Be able to include a
  quote from the text in each paragraph (for this
  paper assignment).
• Allow for counterarguments (While its true
  Aylmer winds up killing his bride, he only does
  so because...) and decide the best place for
  them.
• Consider the order of your paragraphs.
• Make sure you have properly interpreted the
  quotes you used and didnt misread a line.

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Step 6 Proofread

• Be sure you can guarantee accuracy. All quotes
  from the text must be word for word, all
  paraphrases in YOUR words.
• Pay attention to how you've incorporated quotes
  into your sentences and paragraphsare they part
  of the sentences? 
• Double check your parenthetical citations.
• Double check your bibliographic entry at the end.
  
• Check your tone and diction.

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THINK for yourself!

• Your ideas about a poem or story are something
  only you can offer!
• If you have lines from the poem or story to back
  up your idea, it cant be wrong!