1. Aim: How do we organize a written response? How should a paragraph response be structured? Do Now: What is the first sentence of a paragraph called? What is its purpose? Explain in 2-3 complete sentences. English 910/30/15 – 11/2/15 Mr. Verutes

2. A Paragraph Response A well-constructed paragraph should begin with a topic sentence which can also be called your claim. A topic sentence provides the overall answer to a prompt or question and states the main idea of the entire paragraph. After your topic sentence you must provide supporting points and supports Each supporting point should explain a specific idea that helps to prove or explain your topic sentence Each support is made up of details and information from the text (quotes with citations) that prove each supporting point Your paragraph should end with a concluding statement that summarizes the information presented

3. Structuring a Paragraph Response 1.Start with a single sentence that introduces the character or text and outlines what the rest of the paragraph will go on to prove [topic sentence] 2.Next, include a supporting point that shows one specific way or one reason why your topic sentence is true that makes reference to details from the text[supporting point] 3.Then, introduce a quote that proves your supporting point by providing the “who” and the “when” of the quote (who is involved and at what point in the text?) [introduce support] 4.After you have introduced the quote, provide the quote and include the citation for it [provide support] 5.Next, explain how the quote relates to and proves your supporting point [analyze support] 6.Add 1-2 more supporting points and quotes [repeat steps 2-5 one to two more times] 7.End your paragraph with a concluding statement that summarizes the points you have presented [concluding statement]

4. How does Nora meet the requirements of a dynamic character? Explain how Nora meets this definition using details and examples from the story to prove your points. In “Plainswoman,” by Williams Forrest Nora is a dynamic character, and her personality and view of the plains changes over the course of the story. [topic sentence] At the start of the text, Nora is very fearful about life on the plains and is in conflict over whether to have her baby there or return home to New England. [supporting point 1] When the narrator describes Nora in the exposition of the story, her fearful nature is revealed: [introduce support 1] “Her pregnancy told her that she should hurry back East before the solemn grip of winter fell on the land. She was afraid to have the child touch her within [and]…gusts of wind and a forbidding iron shadow n the hills told her that the greatest brutality of this ranch world was about to start” (8). [provide support 1] Nora is placed in conflict over whether to remain on the plains, and her fear over what she considers to be the brutal lifestyle of the plains and the danger it poses to her unborn baby are made clear to the reader. [analyze support 1] In the rising action of the short story, Nora’s belief that the plains is a brutal and uncivilized place is made clear when she is horrified that her husband Rolf is more concerned about getting back in time for the spring cattle roundup than he is about the pregnant woman who has just given birth. The character Pleny tries to communicate to Nora that although people on the plains, at times, can seem uncaring or uncivilized, they are only prioritizing their own and the other ranchers’ survival. [supporting point 2] When Nora and Pleny sit down for dinner together during the spring roundup, Pleny tries to communicate this important lesson to Nora. [introduce support 2] Nora comments, “It seems to me that living here would be a lot better if people thought more about people,” and Pleny replies, “Do. That’s why cattle’s more important…cattle’s money and money’s bread. Not jus’ steak, but bread, living…Can’t make out well enough to have a wife and kids without you have cattle” (15). [provide support 2]

5. Pleny tries to make Nora understand that even though, from her point of view, Rolf seems uncaring, he is actually showing his concern about providing for her by placing so much importance on the roundup. [analyze support 2] After reflecting on her interactions with her husband and the other people of the plains on her trip from New England, Nora finally realizes that, despite the fact that the lifestyle of the plains is unfamiliar to her, it is not as frightening or as brutal as she initially believes. This gives her the confidence to remain on the plains and to raise her baby there. [supporting point 3] After Nora amputates Pleny’s finger during the story’s climax, her new confident attitude and carefree nature are communicated through the narration that describes her as she awaits Rolf’s return. [introduce support 3] “Suddenly, in a way that would have shocked her mother, in a way that would have shocked herself not so long ago, she threw back her head and laughed, a fierce song of love and expectancy. She made bread and was kicked; she expected her man and she laughed, fiercely and tenderly. She was kicked, and a child of the plains had awakened within her” (19). [provide support 3] Nora realizes that life on the plains may be less comfortable that it was in New England or at times can demand that she do something she considers uncivilized to survive, but she discovers that she is able to by putting Pleny’s survival above her own fear or discomfort. As a result, she no longer is afraid of remaining there and laughs at her own surprise. This clearly demonstrates the change she has undergone as a character. [analyze support 3] Nora changes from a frightened, fearful woman who clings to her New England values at the start of the story to a confident and stronger plainswoman by the end of the story. Her view of the plains as a wild, uncivilized place changes to a view of the plains as a place where people do what must be done at times to survive but where people value other people just as much as in New England. The changes she undergoes as a character make her a clear example of a dynamic character. [concluding statement]

6. Classwork Answer on a separate sheet of loose-leaf paper in the classwork section of your binder. Make sure to include your heading. In a well-constructed paragraph, discuss the conflicts at work in the short story “Plainswoman.” Identify at least two types of conflict that the main character Nora faces and explain how each conflict is communicated to the reader. Make sure to provide quotes with citations as your supports.

7. Classwork Share What conflicts did you identify in the text? How is each communicated to the reader?