Elaboration Strategies

Anecdotes An anecdote is a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. The other day, I went to the cupboard to get the peanut butter to make a sandwich. When I opened the jar, there were large red globs of jam mixed in with the peanut butter. On top of that, there were swirls of whitish-yellow butter. Both reminded me of an infected, puss filled sore. It made me nauseous and no longer in the mood for a sandwich.

Scenario A scenario is a brief description of an event, real or imagined. Picture this. You are in a room full of people. You and your friend are people watching, making comments to each other about the funny things people are doing or the way they look. Just as you make a snide remark about how the large lady with electric pink hair is dressed, the room falls silent and your negative comments ring out as clearly as if you had used an intercom.

Example One that serves as a pattern to be imitated or not to be imitated. Bend it like Beckham. Ever heard that phrase? Have you ever watched Beckham take a corner kick? No one else can hook a shot from the corner to the goal like David Beckham.

Definition A statement of what a thing is. According to Webster, resourceful is “able to act effectively or imaginatively, especially in difficult situations.” If someone waits to be told what to do, is that person being resourceful? If that same person blames others for his problems, is he resourceful?

Statistics & Facts Statistics - numerical data Facts - something that actually exists; reality; truth According to the American Sleep Disorders Association, the average teenager needs around 9.5 hours of sleep per night. Yet, most teens sleep approximately 7.4 hours.

Quotations A quote is to repeat (a passage, phrase, etc.) from a book, speech, or the like, as by way of authority, illustration. “I don’t wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work.” ~ Pearl Buck.

Cause & Effect Cause and effect are an action-reaction combination. The cause is the reason something happens, and the effect is what happens as a result. A car enters an intersection when it should have stopped at the red light. Another car smashes into the side of that car. A child in the back seat is severely injured in the crash and may never walk again. Because the car failed to stop at the red light, the child was injured.

Comparison Comparison is a statement or estimate of similarities and differences. I’ve often heard the phrase “they are as different as night and day.” How different is night and day? Yes, one is dark and the other light so that makes them different. Yet aren’t they also similar?