RACE Paragraph Example Using “My Favorite Chaperone”

R: Restate the Question Question: What pictures does the author create in your mind? Remove question words: What & Does Restate: The author of “My Favorite Chaperone,” Jean Davies Okimoto, creates many pictures in my mind as I read her short story.

A: Answer the Question The pictures that appear in my mind while reading Okimoto’s story include Maya flying in the air while doing gymnastics, and finding a sort of freedom in the air.

C: Cite Textual Evidence When Maya describes the feeling she had when performing on the uneven bars at gymnastics practice, I can almost see her flying through the air as she describes, “I love to swing up and up, higher and higher, and as I fly through the air, a wonderful thing happens and suddenly I have no worries and no fears. I’m free!” (Okimoto 5).

E: Explain The author Jean Davies Okimoto describes the exhilarating experience of swinging through the air on the uneven bars for Maya in a way that creates a sort of mental movie for me. The repetition of the words “up and up,” and “higher and higher” create a rhythm that allows me to feel and see what Maya experiences on the bars. Using words like “fly” helps to solidify the imagine of Maya picking up speed while she swings, creating an experience close to flight.

E: Extend As Maya faces the struggles and difficulties that come along with adapting to a new country and culture, gymnastics becomes a sort of escape for her. Gymnastics allows Maya to have a taste of freedom that she otherwise does not have at home due to strict parents and cultural differences. When people adjust to a new lifestyle, they often need something positive in their life to help them balance new struggles with great passions. The way Maya finds freedom through gymnastics is the same way people in a new country or even a new school continue to grow with the help of their liberating passions.