Paragraph Structure
RACECES
stands for this analytical paragraph structure.
What is
Restate
Answer
Cite
Explain
Cite
Explain
Sum Up
This is the way a piece of writing makes the reader feel.
What is mood?
These should be used for the first letter of names (first and last), titles, states, cities, towns, and all proper nouns!
What are capital letters?
This is the difference between a topic and a theme/theme statement.
What is
a topic is what the piece is about (the subject matter), while a theme statement is the takeaway or central message of the piece.
In A Long Walk to Water, Salva observes what’s happening in his village: “Overhead, a jet plane veered away like a sleek, evil bird”(8).
This is an example of what literary device?
What is a simile?
This would be an excellent "R" (as in RACECES) for the following question:
In S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, how does the protagonist, Ponyboy Curtis, change throughout the story?
What is
In S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, protagonist, Ponyboy Curtis, changes significantly.
The use of this literary device appeals to the reader’s five senses.
What is imagery?
We use this punctuation when writing the titles of articles, poems, or short stories.
What are quotation marks?
This is an example of a topic in the short story “Seventh Grade” by Gary Soto.
What is:
Adolescence
First Crushes
Embarrassing moments
Haiku masters, Issa, Basho, and Buson, often use this literary device to make insects, animals, and nature appear more human-like.
What is personification?
This is the space used before beginning a paragraph.
What is an indent?
This is the author’s viewpoint or how the author feels about the subject.
What is tone?
We use this punctuation when writing the titles of full length movies or books.
What is an underline or italics?
This is a common theme from “Seventh Grade” and “Oranges” by Gary Soto. *Give in the form of theme statement.
What is (example):
Taking risks often pays off.
Adolescence is difficult and embarrassing.
When taking a multiple choice test, this is what you should first do after reading through all the answers.
What is cross out the obvious wrong answer?
In each paragraph, this is the ideal number of quotations you should use from the text to prove what you are trying to say.
What are two quotations?
This symbol, which could also be considered a motif for how often it appears throughout the book, represents “family” to Salva in A Long Walk to Water.
What is the color orange?
How you would you punctuate the lines from the following haiku by Buson if you were to cite it in a paragraph:
That snail-
one long horn, one short,
what’s on his mind?
What is
“That snail-/ one long horn, one short,/ what’s on his mind?”
Or
“That snail-/ one long horn, one short,/ what’s on his mind?”
These are two possible theme statements for the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.
Teacher’s discretion…. many answers.
What is
People often judge others before getting to know them.
Stereotyping is a part of our society, and it's impossible to avoid.
Your social class will often determine your path in life.
As a teenager, your friends have a greater influence on you than anyone.
These are the four mistakes made here when quoting lines from a poem. *This was taken from the middle of a student's RACECES.
In the poem, Oranges, Gary Soto compares the candy section of the store to bleachers. “I turned to the candies Tiered like bleachers, And asked what she wanted”.
What is
1. “Oranges” should be in quotation marks not italics
2. The quotation should be attached to the sentence introducing it.
3. The line breaks should be represented with backslashes.
4. The period should go inside the quotation marks.
This would be an excellent “RA” (as in RACECES) for the following question:
What is one important theme in A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park?
What is (example)
In A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, one important theme is that perseverance is necessary to overcome hardship.
Mosquito at my ear-
does it think
I’m deaf?
In this haiku by Issa, mood and tone are different; the mood is ______________ while the tone is _______________.
What is
a humorous mood and
an annoyed tone?
This is a great example of how to use an em dash in a sentence or poem.
What is (example)
The sunset is spectacular- it’s as if someone painted the sky in pink and red brushstrokes!
DAILY DOUBLE
This would be an excellent “RA” (as in RACECES) for the following question:
Many themes are explored in “The Monsters on Maple Street” by Rod Serling. Explain how one of themes in this teleplay relates to the Salem Witch Trials of the late 1600s.
What is (example):
“The Monsters on Maple Street” by Rod Serling explores the theme of scapegoating. This connects to the Salem Witch Trials of the late 1600s which shows that humans need someone to blame when they don't understand something.
This is a great example of a sentence that uses a semicolon.
Teacher’s discretion - many options:
What is
I prefer the extended cut of the The Outsiders film; it conveys the most important character building moments in the story.