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Deconstructing A Prompt Using Rafts

This document provides guidance on how to deconstruct and understand a writing prompt. It discusses identifying the key parts of a prompt, including the role, audience, task, and format. It encourages readers to read the prompt carefully, take it apart, understand what is being asked, and determine how to correctly respond. The document also introduces the RAFTS method to help remember the parts of a prompt - Role, Audience, Format, Task, Strong words. It then provides examples of writing prompts and guides readers through deconstructing them. The overall message is that carefully understanding the requirements of a prompt is an important pre-writing step.

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373 views28 pages

Deconstructing A Prompt Using Rafts

This document provides guidance on how to deconstruct and understand a writing prompt. It discusses identifying the key parts of a prompt, including the role, audience, task, and format. It encourages readers to read the prompt carefully, take it apart, understand what is being asked, and determine how to correctly respond. The document also introduces the RAFTS method to help remember the parts of a prompt - Role, Audience, Format, Task, Strong words. It then provides examples of writing prompts and guides readers through deconstructing them. The overall message is that carefully understanding the requirements of a prompt is an important pre-writing step.

Uploaded by

api-265553935
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Deconstructing a Prompt

Machelle Maxwell

The Prewriting Stage lesson is


about...

Prompt

Topic

No
prompt

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

Lets look at writing to a prompt...

Prompt

Topic

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

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

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

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

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).

Identifying Key Parts of a Writing


Prompt
You can use the word RAFTS to help you
remember how to deconstruct a prompt.

Role

What role
do you take
as the
writer?
(student,
citizen,
expert)

Audien Who is your


ce
audience?
(class,
parent,

Task

What are the


verbs in the
prompt
asking you to
do?
(advise your
classmate,
justify your
opinion,
explain
why)

Your Turn:

Prompt:
Lots of people try to give us adviceparents, 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.

How to Deconstruct a Prompt

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?

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.

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

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.

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

READ THIS WRITING PROMPT CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR


WRITING.
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.

READ THIS WRITING PROMPT CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN


YOUR WRITING.
Moving Away from Home
Write an expository essay explaining the authors changing tone about
moving to an unfamiliar place. Analyze the impact Cahans 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.

READ THIS WRITING PROMPT CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR


WRITING.

Technological Advancement
Write an essay in which you delineate Emersons claims that
technological advancement sometimes hinders society by increasing
peoples reliance on machines. Evaluate Emersons 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.

READ THIS WRITING PROMPT CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR


WRITING.
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.

READ THIS WRITING PROMPT CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR


WRITING.
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.

READ THIS WRITING PROMPT CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR


WRITING.
Harmful Products
Write an argumentative essay in which you delineate and evaluate the
authors 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

Re-read the prompt and deconstruct it by


writing your response for:
Role

Audience

Format

Task

Strong Words

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

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

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