What is SEER Format? This is how you should answer all questions that require support, data, or evidence. Questions like... What is the theme of this book? What is your favorite color to wear? How does the author use figurative language to develop the short story's tone?

Why Use the SEER format? SEER is a useful organizational strategy in creating well-written paragraphs that have depth. SEER creates insightful and thoughtful verbal responses.

SEER—Ways to answer strongly State Your Topic- What are you claiming in this paragraph? What are you trying to prove? Evidence or Examples - Include data from the text to support, or prove, your claim. This should be in the form of a quote (with a citation) or specific examples from the text. If it is not a text-based question, then you must use data from your own readings, observations, or personal experiences. Explanation / Support - Connect the data to the claim. How does your data prove/support your claim? Elaborate as needed. Restate your topic - Make a concluding statement to bring your answer to an end.

BAD EXAMPLE Shizuko’s Daughter is all about independence. Yuki cuts her hair. She drops the saki bowl (Mori 5). So you can see there is independence there.

SEER S--Shizuko’s Daughter explores the theme of independence. E--For example, Yuki removes the gray jumper her aunt wants her to wear to her mother’s funeral and hides in the closet (Mori 5). E--By doing this, she shows that she is a willful young child. R--This early, seemingly innocent action by the main character underscores the theme of independence that permeates the story.

Weak Answer High school sports teach athletes time management skills. They go to practice and have to keep up good grades. It is hard to do it all. So sports teach athletes good time management skills.

SEER High school sports teach athletes valuable time management skills. Most sports require hours of practice which could occur before, after, or even during school. Meanwhile, many athletes need to maintain a C average or higher in order to stay on the team. A successful athlete must figure out how to get his or her homework done, while also fully engaging in every practice. They may struggle, but in the end each athlete that stays on the team learns strategies for getting it all done. These time management skills, learned through high school sports, will remain with a student throughout his or her life.

What is the most beautiful sight you have ever seen? State Your Topic Sentence - I have seen many beautiful things, but the most beautiful was Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia's Red Square. Evidence/Examples - The cathedral is like no other I have ever seen before with its nine golden onion-domed towers and vividly- painted ornate walls. Explanation/Support - While most of the cathedrals that I have seen are beautiful, they are not as architecturally-interesting and brightly colored as Saint Basil's. Restate your topic - The combination of unique architecture and vivid colors easily make Saint Basil's Cathedral the most beautiful sight I have ever seen.

Assignment Choose one of the topics that you wrote in your warm up thesis at the beginning of class. Claim/Topic Sentence - What are you claiming? What are you trying to prove? Data (Quotes/Examples)- Include data from the text to support, or prove, your claim. This should be in the form of a quote (with a citation) or specific examples from the text. If it is not a text-based question, then you must use data from your own readings, observations, or personal experiences. Explanation/Support- Connect the data to the claim. How does your data prove/support your claim? Elaborate as needed. Conclusion - Make a concluding statement to bring your answer to an end.