1. Deconstructing a Prompt
Machelle Maxwell

2. The Prewriting Stage lesson is about...
Topic
Prompt
No prompt

3. What are you going to write about?
Prompt
Sometimes you are given the topic or prompt.
No Prompt
Sometimes you might have to choose the prompt

4. Let’s look at writing to a prompt...
Topic
Prompt

5. What is a prompt? Basically, a prompt is a question
or an instruction that tells you what you're supposed to write.

6. a prompt might instruct you to write about…
For example,
a prompt might instruct you to write about…
* a story you have read
• * your opinion on a topic
• something you have experienced
• a research topic

7. Deconstructing a Prompt
(constructing means to build) Deconstructing means to take apart

8. To deconstruct a prompt:
1. Read it
2. Take it apart
3. Understand what you need to do
4. Determine how to respond to the prompt correctly

9. Identifying Key Parts of a Written Prompt
Hint:
Does the prompt give you suggestions to get started?
• Pay careful attention to the wording of the prompt.
•Look for suggestions in the prompt to get you started
• Use keywords from the prompt to construct
your thesis statement.
(ideas to think about, verbs that tell you what to do).

10. Identifying Key Parts of a Writing Prompt
You can use the word RAFTS to help you remember how to deconstruct a prompt.

11. Role
What role do you take as the writer? (student, citizen, expert)
Audience
Who is your audience? (class, parent, teacher, friend)
Format
What kind of response are you writing?
(essay, letter, descriptive)

12. Task
What are the verbs in the prompt asking you to do?
(advise your classmate, justify your opinion, explain why…)
Strong Key Words
What are the key words that you need to include in your response?
Hint: Use these words to construct your thesis statement.

13. Prompt:
Lots of people try to give us advice—parents, friends, brothers or sisters, teachers, etc. Tell a true story about a time you were given or gave advice. Tell if the advice was followed or not and the results.
Your Turn:

14. How to Deconstruct a Prompt

15. Prompt:
It is no secret that sometimes great discoveries come as a result of really big mistakes. But are they always worth the problems they cause? Sometimes the mistakes lead to greatness and sometimes they lead to disasters. Are mistakes key to making discoveries?

16. Write an essay in which you take a position on whether or not mistakes are key part of discovery. Use the information presented in the passages to support your points. Make sure to include information from all the passages in your essay.

17. Manage your time carefully so that you can
1. Plan your essay
2. Write your essay
3. Revise and edit your essay
Be sure to
1. Include a claim
2. Address counterclaims
3. Use evidence from multiple sources
4. Do not over rely on one source

18. Your written response should be in the form of multi paragraph essay
Your written response should be in the form of multi paragraph essay. Spend about 60 minutes on this essay, including the time you spend reading, planning, writing, revising, and editing.

19. The Future of Winter Olympics?
The snow on the slopes at Sochi may look pristine and brand new, but officials there began stockpiling snow a year ago in preparation for the Olympics. The effort underscores a topic of concern to all ski and snowboard enthusiasts: How will climate change affect snow conditions in the future? Talk about some of the specific effects a warming climate will have on the snowpack on mountains in the eastern and western United States, and what effect it may have on the future locations of Winter Olympic Games

20. READ THIS WRITING PROMPT CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR
Technological Advancement
Write a narrative essay tracing the advancements of communications
technology. Draw evidence from the timeline to support your
reflections. Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context, and
organize an event sequence that unfolds logically. Use precise words and
phrases, relevant descriptive detail, and sensory language to convey the
events that shaped the technological advancements. Demonstrate
command of the conventions of standard English, capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling in your response.
You may use the space below for prewriting. However, only the lined pages of your
answer document will be scored. You will have a time limit of 60 minutes.

21. READ THIS WRITING PROMPT CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN
YOUR WRITING.
Moving Away from Home
Write an expository essay explaining the author’s changing tone about
moving to an unfamiliar place. Analyze the impact Cahan’s specific
word choices have on establishing tone, including analogies and
allusions. Draw evidence from the passage to support your analysis.
Develop your topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, concrete details, or
other information and examples. Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English, capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling in your response.
You may use the space below for prewriting. However, only the lined pages of your
answer document will be scored. You will have a time limit of 60 minutes.

22. Technological Advancement
READ THIS WRITING PROMPT CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR
WRITING.
Technological Advancement
Write an essay in which you delineate Emerson’s claims that
technological advancement sometimes hinders society by increasing
people’s reliance on machines. Evaluate Emerson’s arguments and
specific claims, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the
evidence is relevant and sufficient. Draw evidence from the passage to
support your analysis. Develop your topic with relevant, well-chosen
facts, concrete details, or other information and examples. Demonstrate
command of the conventions of standard English, capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling in your response.
You may use the space below for prewriting. However, only the lined pages of your
answer document will be scored. You will have a time limit of 60 minutes.

23. READ THIS WRITING PROMPT CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR
Life on Another Planet
Write a narrative essay describing what steps a human would need to
take in order to adapt to life on planet GJ 667Cc. Draw evidence from
the passage to support your reflection. Use narrative techniques, as well
as precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive detail, and sensory
language to capture the action and convey the experiences and events of
the traveler. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard
English, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in your response.
You may use the space below for prewriting. However, only the lined pages of your
answer document will be scored. You will have a time limit of 60 minutes.

24. READ THIS WRITING PROMPT CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR
Settling New Lands
Write an expository essay comparing and contrasting how reasons for
colonization have changed from settling America to attempting to settle
space. Analyze how the texts provide conflicting information about why
settling new lands is important. Draw evidence from the passages to
support your analysis. Develop your topic with relevant, well-chosen
facts, concrete details, or other information and examples. Demonstrate
command of the conventions of standard English, capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling in your response.
You may use the space below for prewriting. However, only the lined pages of your
answer document will be scored. You will have a time limit of 60 minutes.

25. READ THIS WRITING PROMPT CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR
Harmful Products
Write an argumentative essay in which you delineate and evaluate the
author’s specific claims about these household products, assessing
whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and
sufficient. Draw evidence from the passage to support your analysis.
Introduce your claims, and organize your evidence logically. Support
your claims with logical reasoning and relevant evidence from the
passage. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English,
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in your response.
You may use the space below for prewriting. However, only the lined pages of your
answer document will be scored. You will have a time limit of 60 minutes

26. Re-read the prompt and deconstruct it by writing your response for:
Role Audience Format Task Strong Words

27. The most important pre-writing activity is to think about what you are going to write about.
Good writing is about…
• Clarifying the topic/deconstructing the prompt
• Identifying strong feelings about the topic
• Forming an opinion about the topic

28. Write one to two complete sentences describing
Writing to a Prompt
Review
Write one to two complete sentences describing
how you deconstruct a prompt.
Read your sentences to a partner.