9 Week Project

Things to Consider Each of the 8 responses should do the following: Prove you read the book (and not just Sparknotes). Prove you have thought and reflected on what you read. Prove you understand how to effectively support your answer with evidence from the text (which means you should have paraphrasing AND quote(s) in each answer).

Paraphrasing is when you restate an event or section of the book in your own words. Direct quotes are when you are taking words directly from the text and placing them into your paper.

Reminder about using quotes Make sure when you use quotes, you review the quote notes you received at the beginning of the year. Lead into quotes using your own words. When Delia sees the police cars pull up to her driveway, “everything inside [her] goes to stone” (Picoult 24). Her reaction implies that even though she knew her father had kidnapped her as a child, she forgives him and does not want him to be punished by the law. Only use the most important part of the quote. Less than 15% of your answer should be directly quoted.

Reminder about using quotes Make sure whatever is before and after the quote applies to the quote itself. Do not end paragraphs with a quote. When Delia sees the police cars pull up to her driveway, “everything inside [her] goes to stone” (Picoult 24). Her reaction implies that even though she knew her father had kidnapped her as a child, she forgives him and does not want him to be punished by the law.

Frequent Errors Make sure you do not begin sentences with coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). Make sure you are keeping consistent verb tense throughout your writing. Myop had few cares, but when she realized the impact of the Civil War, her attitude was significantly altered. NOT Myop had few cares, but when she realized the impact of the Civil War, her attitude is significantly altered.

Frequent Errors Consistent verb tense applies to quotes as well! You can change words to either clarify or correct verb tense. You simply use brackets [word]. When Delia sees the police cars pull up to her driveway, “everything inside [her] goes to stone” (Picoult 24). When Delia saw the police cars pull up to her driveway, “everything inside [her went] to stone” (Picoult 24).

Frequent Errors Make sure your response clearly relates to the question. I should be able to tell what question was asked simply based on your answer. Vary word choice to increase sentence fluency. Ellie and David fight over many things that typical couples fight about. Instead of using the word fight twice in a sentence, find a synonym. Ellie and David fight over many things that typical couples argue about.

Frequent Errors Vary sentence length and structure to increase sentence fluency. Matt went to school. He didn’t pay attention to Emily until after practice. It hurt Emily’s feelings. Matt went to school, but he didn’t pay attention to Emily until after practice. This hurt Emily’s feelings.