English 30-1 The Personal Response

How to Start

O Read the Question first!

O Highlight key words from the question

O Look up these key words in the dictionary –

even if you THINK you know what they mean

O For example:

O Once you are familiar with what the words

means – look up synonyms and make a list

on your planning sheet

Try This One?

O What do these texts suggest about the role

adversity plays in shaping an individual’s

identity? Support your idea (s) with

reference to one or more of the texts

presented and to your previous knowledge

and/or experience.

Caution!

O Be careful!

O There are lots of words to choose from in

your thesaurus. But some you might not

know, and others might be a very poor

choice.

O For example, adversity is also synonymous

with ill-luck. But this word would be a poor

choice in the context of the question.

O Be careful what synonyms you use!

Go Back and Read

O Read each section very carefully!

O You should spend the same amount of time reading, analyzing or looking at each text.

O The markers want you to read and REFLECT on the selections.

O That means, you didn’t just read the texts – you read them, and THOUGHT about them in the context of the question.

O Sometimes there is one idea or symbol that is found throughout all three texts.

Tackling the Poem

O Don’t let poetry scare you. Sometimes the

poem is the most accessible!

O Read the title carefully. Note: It’s The

Stricken Children not The Stricken Chicken

O Underline key phrases and words that deal

with adversity and shaping an identity

O Next to each stanza, write a few words

summarizing what the stanza is about.

The Short Story

O Read the information leading into the

excerpt. This might provide some important

information about the plot or theme.

O Read the excerpt carefully and again,

underline and words or sentences that

relate back to the idea of adversity and

shaping of identity.

O Summarize important paragraphs and look

at theme.

The visual

O Don’t just select the image because you think it’s going to be the easiest. More often than not, it’s not the easiest choice.

O Examine the image for the same length of time it took you to read the short story.

O Write down the details you see and then try to interpret these details within the context of the question.

O What do you see in the image that relates back to adversity and shaping an identity?

Answering the Question

O Before you start your response, be sure to read the paragraph that summarizes the three texts. Sometimes this will provide you with clues about the themes of the texts.

O On your planning page, make a one statement response to the question asked. This should be your directing statement regardless of what form you chose. .

O If the question has an “and” you need to talk about both parts – if it has an “or” you only need to talk about one

Too many choices?

O For a personal response, you have many

options.

However, if you do any of the following, you

could end up with an INS (INS = 0%)

(1) Write poetry instead of prose

(2) Don’t mention the texts

(3) Don’t answer the question

(4) Your response is too short

Planning Page

O On you planning page – write what text you

are referring to in your response.

Too many choices?

O You can:

O Write a critical essay (i.e. examine each text

in a paragraph)

O Write a personal essay (i.e. examine a text

and relate it back to your own personal life)

O Write a creative response (i.e. short story,

journal entry, memoir, etc.)

O Write a script

Best Practices when deciding to go creative

O Don’t go too far away from your own experiences.

O Use your own knowledge to help build and create a character.

O For example, talk about a high school teenager who faces adversity in high school and this changes who she is today.

O Don’t have a cliché ending

O Unifying effect in a creative response is very important

Too Many Choices?

O But remember…..

O Don’t do anything on the diploma that you’ve never done before. For example, the diploma is not the place you want to find out if you’re good at writing scripts.

O Fantasy and Science Fiction writing can be a huge risk.

O Don’t go with the first idea that comes to mind – it’s probably the same first idea as hundreds of other students.

Journals? Diaries? Scripts?

O Lots of students choose this form

(disadvantage)

O But if you decide to go this route, think

about: the developing character, dates, and

length of entries

O If you decide to write a script, you need to

include lighting, set, props and intro to your

characters.

Creative Approach

O The biggest risk with a creative approach is

that you might become so involved in your

creativity that you lose sight of the question.

O ALWAYS keep the question in mind.

O Always think of plausibility, motivation and

consistency of characters

Planning

O Planning is ESSENTIAL for the Personal

Response

O On your planning page, write what text you

are referring to and what the connection to

your personal response will be:

O For example:

Planning Page

O I am writing a short story and I’m going to use the idea of the man trapped within the prism in the untitled image to explore how adversity can sometimes be such a confining force that we are unable to move towards our goals (therefore shapes our identity). Like the character in the image, my protagonist will be “numb” to the adversity, until a significant event allows that individual to break free and change.

Things to consider

O Lots of students choose the personal essay

(intro, analyze a text, personal story,

conclusion). Therefore it has to be really

good to move from the S to the Pf in “Ideas

and Impressions.”

O Responses that show ambiguity in reflection

of the text (s) and the question tend to be

the strongest.

Proofread

O Title?

O Spelling?

O Sentence Starters?

O Keep in mind that you can use personal

pronouns in a personal response

Last minute Thoughts

O You have 60 minutes! (absolute maximum)

O 10 - 15 minutes reading, analyzing and

planning

O 45-50 minutes to complete the writing

assignment