Plot Twist
Name the five major parts of a traditional plot in order.
1. Exposition
2. Rising action
3. Climax
4. Falling action
5. Resolution
What is a THEME?
A message or lesson about life, people, or the world that a reader can infer from a text.
Identify the point of view:
“I grabbed my backpack and raced toward the bus.”
First-person point of view.
What is a CLAIM?
The author’s main position or argument—the idea the author wants the audience to accept or believe.
What is the difference between REVISING and EDITING?
Revising improves ideas, clarity, organization, development, style, word choice, or sentence structure.
Editing corrects conventions such as grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
What are the three parts of CER?
1. Claim
2. Evidence
3. Reasoning / Explanation
What is the difference between INTERNAL conflict and EXTERNAL conflict?
Internal conflict happens within a character’s thoughts or feelings.
External conflict occurs between the character and an outside force, such as another person, society, nature, or a situation.
What TWO things should you use when making a strong inference?
Text evidence/details + what you already know or logical reasoning.
What is the difference between THIRD-PERSON LIMITED and THIRD-PERSON OMNISCIENT point of view?
Limited reveals the thoughts/feelings of one character; omniscient can reveal the thoughts/feelings of multiple characters.
What is the job of EVIDENCE in an argument?
Evidence supports the claim by providing facts, examples, details, statistics, quotations, or other relevant support.
Which transition BEST shows contrast: “for example,” “however,” or “therefore”?
However.
A student writes: Josh cares deeply about basketball.
What should come next to make this response stronger?
A. Another claim
B. Evidence from the text
C. A conclusion
D. The student's opinion
B. Evidence from the text
Jada desperately wants to audition for the school play, but she is terrified that everyone will laugh at her. What type of conflict is MOST clearly shown? Explain.
Internal conflict. Jada is struggling with her own fear and desire.
Luis practices free throws every afternoon. Even after missing ten shots in a row, he stays until he makes twenty. What can you INFER about Luis?
He is persistent, determined, hardworking, or unwilling to give up. The repeated practice and continuing after misses support the inference.
Identify the figurative language:
“The alarm clock screamed at me from across the room.” Explain your answer.
Personification. The alarm clock is given the human ability to scream.
Claim: “Middle school students should have a longer lunch period.”
Which is stronger evidence?
A: “Lunch is awesome.”
B: “Students often spend part of lunch waiting in line, leaving limited time to eat.”
Explain.
B. It provides a specific, relevant reason that directly supports why additional lunch time may be needed.
Revise for clarity: “Josh was upset about it because it was something that bothered him.”
“Josh was upset because the argument with his brother continued to bother him.”
Why isn't this enough for a body paragraph?
The text states, “Basketball is my life.”
The writer has evidence but hasn't explained how the evidence supports the claim/answer.
The response is missing reasoning.
A story begins with Malik refusing to speak in front of his class. During the story, several classmates encourage him, and he eventually volunteers to present their group project. How do Malik’s responses help develop the plot?
His initial fear creates a problem or challenge, while his later decision to present shows growth and moves the story toward its resolution.
A character repeatedly fails at something but continues practicing until she improves. Which theme is BEST supported: “Winning is everything” or “Growth requires persistence”? Explain.
Growth requires persistence, because the character continues working despite failure and eventually improves.
Read: “The hallway stretched endlessly ahead of Ava. Each footstep echoed against the empty lockers.”
What mood does the language create? Identify one detail that helps create it.
Lonely, eerie, tense, or uneasy, supported by “stretched endlessly,” “echoed,” or “empty lockers.”
An author argues that every child should receive a participation trophy because recognition encourages children to continue playing sports. Identify the CLAIM and the REASON.
Claim: Every child should receive a participation trophy.
Reason: Recognition may encourage children to continue participating in sports.
What four organizational elements should a focused essay include besides body-paragraph evidence and explanation?
1. An introduction
2. Purposeful transitions
3. Organization
4. A conclusion
Which explanation is stronger and why?
A. This shows that basketball is important to him.
B. This demonstrates that basketball is part of Josh's identity because he describes it as his “life,” showing that the sport affects how he sees himself.
B. It explains how and why the evidence supports the idea rather than simply repeating it.
A story is set in a town where students must walk several miles to school because no transportation is available. How could this SETTING influence both a character and the plot?
**Teacher decides if response qualifies for points**
A reader says the theme is “friendship.” Why is this NOT yet a strong theme statement, and how could you improve it?
“Friendship” is only a topic. A theme should communicate a complete message, such as “True friends support one another during difficult situations.”
An author tells a story using third-person limited point of view focused only on Jordan during an argument. What information does this choice give the reader—and what information does it withhold?
The reader understands Jordan’s thoughts, feelings, and interpretation but does not directly know what the other character is thinking or feeling.
An author gives strong evidence, but all of it is unrelated to the central claim. Is the argument strong? Explain why or why not.
No. Evidence must be relevant and logically support the claim. Evidence can be accurate but still fail to strengthen an argument if it does not connect to the claim.
A writer has strong evidence but the paragraph jumps randomly between ideas. What writing problem should the writer revise, and what could fix it?
Organization.
Reorder related ideas, use purposeful transitions, and make sure each sentence logically connects to the claim and surrounding sentences.
You have 10 minutes left and still need to finish your ECR. Put these actions in the best order:
Reread prompt → check claim → add/explain evidence → conclusion → revise/edit