Fantastic Responses to the OEQ! Everything you ever wanted to know… How exciting is this?

It all begins with a STEP TAKE A STEP TOWARDS GREAT WRITING! S s tate the question, problem, or issue with your T T hesis or T opic sentence E E vidence Linking and Extending are great here. P P owerfully P araphrase in your conclusion and try to bring it to a higher level

Let’s work together to answer this open-ended question relating to The Fan Club: Rachel is very uncomfortable presenting her speech in English class. Identify one of the details the author gives us to show that she is awkward and uncomfortable. Who is the “real” Laura? Is she the one who felt bad for Rachel when she watched Rachel deliver her speech or is the real Laura the one who joined the in-crowd to mock Rachel at the end of the story? Use specific information from the passage as well as any additional insight.

Oh no! What do I do? Stay calm. OEQ’s are easy to respond to. The first thing you have to do is identify how many different parts of the question you have to answer and use a STEP for each. That’s easy. This question asks me two things: I need a detail that shows Rachel was uncomfortable presenting her speech and I need to explain who the “real” Laura is. That’s 2 questions, which means 2 paragraphs, which means 2 steps.

The first bullet told me: Rachel is very uncomfortable presenting her speech in English class. Identify one of the details the author gives us to show that she is awkward and uncomfortable. S T It is clear that the character of Rachel in The Fan Club is very uncomfortable when she delivers her speech in her English class. The author provides us with a lot of evidence that Rachel is feeling awkward during her speech. E Rachel drops her box of shells and stutters. Link Time! Use a signal phrase and a quote: At one point in Rachel’s oral presentation, she can’t find one of her shells and according to the text, “Her broad face had turned bright pink again.” The color of Rachel’s face shows us that she is embarrassed and awkward. P Sometimes an author’s small details tell us a lot about what a character is thinking or feeling.

Look at the awesome paragraph this becomes… It is clear that the character of Rachel in The Fan Club is very uncomfortable when she delivers her speech in her English class. The author provides us with a lot of evidence that Rachel is feeling awkward during her speech. Rachel drops her box of shells and stutters. At one point in Rachel’s oral presentation, she can’t find one of her shells and according to the text, “Her broad face had turned bright pink again.” The color of Rachel’s face shows us that she is embarrassed and awkward. Sometimes an author’s small details tell us a lot about what a character is thinking or feeling.

The second bullet asked me: Who is the “real” Laura? Is she the one who felt bad for Rachel when she watched Rachel deliver her speech or is the real Laura the one who joined the in-crowd to mock Rachel at the end of the story? S T Laura feels very strongly that bullying and discrimination are wrong, yet at the end of the story, she joins in the bullying herself. This is not the real Laura, but a result of peer pressure E The real Laura is an insecure teenage girl trying to fit in. When Rachel began to give her speech and Steve was cracking jokes, Laura thought to herself, “Why were they so cruel, so thoughtless?” This proves that the real Laura is the kind of person who is opposed to treating others this way. In the last moment of the story, Laura makes the mistake of joining in with the bullies. As she does this, she notices Rachel’s “frightened face” and “stricken look.” Extend Time! Laura gave into the peer pressure the same way many teens do when urged to drink, try drugs, or use the internet inappropriately P Laura made a mistake, like many teens do when faced with peer pressure, but instead of judging her too harshly, maybe we can learn from her mistake.

Look at the awesome paragraph this becomes… Laura feels very strongly that bullying and discrimination are wrong, yet at the end of the story, she joins in the bullying herself. This is not the real Laura, but a result of peer pressure. The real Laura is an insecure teenage girl trying to fit in. When Rachel began to give her speech and Steve was cracking jokes, Laura thought to herself, “Why were they so cruel, so thoughtless?” This proves that the real Laura is the kind of person who is opposed to treating others this way. In the last moment of the story, Laura makes the mistake of joining in with the bullies. As she does this, she notices Rachel’s “frightened face” and “stricken look.” Laura gave into the peer pressure the same way many teens do when urged to drink, try drugs, or use the Internet inappropriately. Laura made a mistake, like many teens do when faced with peer pressure, but instead of judging her too harshly, maybe we can learn from her mistake.

AND…DRUM ROLL PLEASE…. It is clear that the character of Rachel in The Fan Club is very uncomfortable when she delivers her speech in her English class. The author provides us with a lot of evidence that Rachel is feeling awkward during her speech. Rachel drops her box of shells and stutters. At one point in Rachel’s oral presentation, she can’t find one of her shells and according to the text, “Her broad face had turned bright pink again.” The color of Rachel’s face shows us that she is embarrassed and awkward. Sometimes an author’s small details tell us a lot about what a character is thinking or feeling. Laura feels very strongly that bullying and discrimination are wrong, yet at the end of the story, she joins in the bullying herself. This is not the real Laura, but a result of peer pressure. The real Laura is an insecure teenage girl trying to fit in. When Rachel began to give her speech and Steve was cracking jokes, Laura thought to herself, “Why were they so cruel, so thoughtless?” This proves that the real Laura is the kind of person who is opposed to treating others this way. In the last moment of the story, Laura makes the mistake of joining in with the bullies. As she does this, she notices Rachel’s “frightened face” and “stricken look.” Laura gave into the peer pressure the same way many teens do when urged to drink, try drugs, or use the Internet inappropriately. Laura made a mistake, like many teens do when faced with peer pressure, but instead of judging her too harshly, maybe we can learn from her mistake.

ISN’T THAT GREAT? REMEMBER, IT ALL BEGAN WITH A STEP.