1. S.A.F. How to Use Strong Answer Format
SASI English II

2. Your Teacher Asks You This:
After reading the poem “Human Family” by Maya Angelou, identify how literary devices are used to develop a theme. Include two examples from the poem to support your answer.
How would you answer that? It seems difficult, doesn’t it?
Identify KEY WORDS.
What is it asking you to do?

3. Use
The SAF method!
Claim
Data/Evidence
Warrant
Conclusion

4. Claim Make a claim. What are you trying to prove?
You should restate the prompt while making your claim. Use the language of the prompt.
In Maya Angelou’s poem “Human Family” ______ is used to develop the theme of _______.

5. Now you try It!
Get out your poem and write a claim for the prompt given.

6. Data/Evidence Cite evidence from the text.
Provide specific quotes from the text.
Quote with page number/line: “we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike” (35).
Quote with author: “we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike” (Angelou).
Use transitions between each example (for example, for instance, additionally, likewise, similarly, etc.)
**For our example we will use line numbers, since it is a poem. -

7. Now you try It!
Get out your poem and write a claim for the prompt given.

8. Answer the “So What?”; what does this example mean or show?
Warrant
Explain your answer in detail. Don’t just LIST an example! You are connecting your data to your claim in this explanation.
Answer the “So What?”; what does this example mean or show?
Explain each example before you present your next example.

9. Now you try it!

10. Conclusion Sum up everything (your argument) you’ve written.
Add a concluding sentence that summarizes your response to the prompt.
Use a transition word/phrase:
In conclusion
To summarize
In summation
Again
Using our example:
“The literary device was _____, and this is shown by (example 1) and (example 2), developing the theme of _______.

11. Now you try it!

12. NO contractions (can’t, won’t, doesn’t, etc.)!
Other Reminders:
NO contractions (can’t, won’t, doesn’t, etc.)!
NO first- or second-person pronouns (I, we, our, my, you, your)!
NO informal language (‘cause, ur, etc.)!
REREAD your response to make sure it makes sense!

13. Who is the best athlete/musician?
Claim-
Data-
Warrant-
Conclusion-

15. Who is the strongest character in A Raisin in the Sun so far?
Claim –Many characters in Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun show strength is trying times, but Ruth is by far the strongest character.
Data – Mama says about Ruth “When the world gets ugly enough—a woman will do anything for her family. The part that’s already living” (Hansberry 75).
Warrant – Mama realizes the length to which Ruth will go in order to keep her family intact, even to the point of having an abortion since her family can’t afford to raise another baby. Ruth realizes that her family is suffering, so much so that she contemplates aborting her child in order to preserve her family.
Conclusion –Ruth’s strength is seen in her actions but she is also seen by other characters as strong in her sacrifices for her family.

16. Claim- connect character in play to the poem.
The character ______________ in Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun relates to the poem “Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes.
Data- how is the character like a line in the poem? Choose a line from the poem that describes your character at a point in the play. Find an example quote from the play.
“line from poem”
“line from play”
Warrant- explain the above quote/example
Data- how is the character like a line in the poem? Choose a line from the poem that describes your character at a point in the play. Find an example quote from the play.
Conclusion- restate my claim

17. Pick one character
Pick two lines from the poem
For each line, pick ONE example from the play
Claim=character
Data=line from the poem
Warrant= line from the play that explains how it reflects your character + your explanation
Data=second line from poem
Warrant=line/explanation from the play that explains how it reflects your character +your explanation
Conclusion=sum it up