Literary
Explain stanza in your own words.
A stanza is a group of lines within a poem. It is similar to a paragraph within a story.
Explain central idea in your own words.
Central idea refers to the main idea of a text. It can be thought of as a single sentence that summaries the entire text. Texts can have more than one central idea.
Explain claim in your own words.
A claim is an author's position on a topic/issue. The rest of an argument supports the main claim.
Explain thesis statement in your own words.
A thesis statement is the main claim that is supported throughout a piece of writing. It is similar to the RA (restate and answer) from RACES, and it is located in the introductory paragraph. An effective thesis statement that directly answers the prompt is the first step to successful writing.
Explain summary in your own words.
A summary provides a basic overview of the most important details from a text. Ideas that show up repeatedly throughout a text should be included. If an idea is only mentioned once/briefly, then it should not be included in a summary.
Explain theme in your own words.
Theme is the overall message of a literary text. It must be inferred based on events, details, and character changes within a story.
Explain author's purpose in your own words.
An author's purpose is the goal of a piece of writing. Typically, these goals are to inform an audience about a topic, persuade an audience to agree with a claim, instruct an audience on how to complete a task, or entertain an audience.
Explain argument in your own words.
Argument is a debate between multiple sides of a topic/issue. It is rooted in facts and logic, and it avoids overly emotional reasoning.
Explain evidence in your own words.
Evidence refers to ideas taken directly from a text to support your thesis. In order to quote evidence correctly, you must place quotation marks around any line taken word-for-word from a text. You must also include the source.
Example: This is shown when Leib explains that "citizens are seeking ways to decrease food waste."
Explain context clues in your own words.
Context clues are hints that can help a reader determine a word's meaning. They may be located near the word in a text, or they may be base parts of a word that hold meaning.
Explain point of view in your own words.
The point of view is the position from which the narrator tells the story (as an active participant or as an observer). This affects a reader's understanding by changing the amount/type of information that they receive.
Explain audience in your own words.
Audience refers to the intended readers for a piece of writing. For example, an article intended for scientists will be written quite different from an article written for 4th graders.
Explain counterclaim in your own words.
A counterclaim is where an author addresses what the disagreeing side would think. If an author was for a topic, then the counterclaim would be against that topic. An effective counterclaim often offers a reason why the opposing side might hold that belief (why the other side thinks they are correct).
Explain multi-paragraph in your own words.
Multi-paragraph literally means "multiple paragraphs." When writing a multi-paragraph response, you should include an introduction, at least two body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Explain suggest in your own words.
Suggest means to imply. Something that is suggested is not directly stated. If a question asks what a phrase/detail suggests, then it is likely asking you to determine what this is showing about a character/topic.
Explain perspective in your own words.
Perspective is the way that characters understand and feel about situations, events, and other characters within a literary text. It is influenced by character background, opinions, and past experiences.
Explain structure in your own words.
Structure refers to the way that information is organized within a text. Common text structures include descriptive, problem/solution, compare/contrast, cause/effect, and sequential.
Explain rebuttal in your own words.
A rebuttal explains why a counterclaim is wrong. For example: "Others may believe that . . . because . . ." would be a counterclaim and "However, this is wrong because . . ." would be a rebuttal.
Explain explanations in your own words.
Explanations connect your evidence back to your thesis statement or your main claim/topic for that paragraph. You use your own words and your own brain to prove how the evidence proves the point that you are trying to make. Detailed explanations make it clear to your audience why your evidence matters.
Explain emphasize in your own words.
To emphasize means to focus or to clearly prove. If a question asks about ideas that are emphasized, then it is likely wanting you to identify which ideas are the main focus of a paragraph/text. If a question asks about how a detail emphasizes something, then it is asking you what that detail proves.
Explain affect in your own words.
If one element of a text affects another, then it causes a change or reaction. These reactions then affect other elements of a story, and this cycle drives a story forward.
Explain tone in your own words.
Tone is an author's attitude towards the subject matter of a text. It is similar to mood; however, mood refers to an overall atmosphere for a reader while tone refers to the author's approach (sarcastic, appreciative, defensive, etc.).
Explain credibility in your own words.
An argument that is credible is an argument that is believable. Credibility is created by the use of factual evidence and logical reasoning.
Explain which elements you should include in your written responses for Ohio's state tests.
Multiple paragraphs, thesis statement, main claim/topic at the beginning of each body paragraph, multiple pieces of textual evidence (with sources), thorough explanations.
* If argumentative: counterclaim and rebuttal
Explain analyze in your own words.
If a question asks you to analyze, then it is likely asking you to do one of two things:
1. Offer specific details about different aspects of given topic
2. Address the deeper meaning or impact of a given topic
You will often see analyze as the task for an informational writing prompt.