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33 Responding to Literature Prompts

Page
237
from
Writers Express

Responding to Literature Prompts

Start-Up Activity

Present this prompt to your students:

In an essay, show how a character changed from the beginning to the end of a story.

Then give students 5 minutes to plan their writing. They should quickly analyze the prompt, choose a character, and list what happens to him or her. After 5 minutes, see if students were able to complete these tasks. Discuss the experience as a class, and then explain that this chapter provides a simple, step-by-step process for responding to a literature prompt. 

Think About It

“Write clearly, write concisely, write about specific incidents and specific characters.”  

—E.L. Konigsburg

State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.4

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.4

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.3

LAFS Covered in This Chapter

LAFS.4.W.1.2

LAFS.4.W.2.4

LAFS.5.W.1.2

LAFS.5.W.2.4

LAFS.4.RL.1.1

LAFS.4.RL.1.2

LAFS.5.RL.1.1

LAFS.5.RL.1.2

LAFS.4.RL.1.3

LAFS.5.RL.1.3

LAFS.4.L.1.1

LAFS.4.L.1.2

LAFS.4.L.2.3

LAFS.5.L.1.1

LAFS.5.L.1.2

LAFS.5.L.2.3

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

110.6.b.11.B

110.6.b.12.B

110.6.b.11.A

110.7.b.11

110.7.b.12.B

110.7.b.11.A

110.6.b.8

110.6.b.8.A

110.7.b.8.A

110.7.b.7.C

110.6.b.8.B

110.7.b.8.B

110.7.b.8.C

110.7.b.8.D

110.6.b.1.C

110.6.b.11.D

110.6.b.11.D.ix

110.6.b.11.D.x

110.6.b.11.D.xi

110.7.b.1.C

110.7.b.11.D

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

Page 238 from Writers Express

Writing to a Literature Prompt

Lead your students through the parts of the PAST strategy to help them take stock of literature prompts. PAST stands for Purpose, Audience, Subject, and Type. By asking questions about each part of PAST, your students will gain a clearer understanding of what literature prompts are asking them to accomplish. Students can use the strategy anytime they encounter a writing prompt on an essay test or high-stakes assessment. 

Related Minilesson:
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.4.W.1.2
TEKS Standard:
110.6.b.11.B, 110.6.b.12.B
NE ELA Standard:
LA 4.2.1.b, LA 4.2.2, LA 4.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 4Grade 5
Mode:
Response to Literature
Form:
Response to Prompt

Page 239 from Writers Express

Sample Literature Prompt

Read aloud the sample literature prompt and PAST analysis. Then have students read the sample literature response to themselves, or ask for a volunteer to read the response out loud to the class. Discuss the side notes and key features in the sample. Note how the writer uses specific details from the story to support the main points. 

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.4.RL.1.1
TEKS Standard:
110.6.b.8
NE ELA Standard:
LA 4.1.6.d, LA 4.1.6.b

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 4Grade 5
Mode:
Response to Literature
Form:
Literary Analysis
English Language Arts:
Reading

Page 240 from Writers Express

Sample Literature Prompt (Continued)

Have your students read through the remainder of the sample literature response. Point out that each middle paragraph discusses a different aspect of the story and shows how it supports the theme. 

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.4.RL.1.1
TEKS Standard:
110.6.b.8
NE ELA Standard:
LA 4.1.6.d, LA 4.1.6.b

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 4Grade 5
Mode:
Response to Literature
Form:
Literary Analysis
English Language Arts:
Reading

Page 241 from Writers Express

Prewriting: Reading the Literature

Review the prewriting steps for responding to a literature prompt. Recommend that your students take notes about the key parts of the story while they read or shortly after they finish reading. If your students are struggling to identify a theme, introduce these additional discussion questions:

  • How am I changed by reading this story?
  • What is the writer of this story trying to say about life? 
Related Minilesson:
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.4.RL.1.1
TEKS Standard:
110.6.b.8
NE ELA Standard:
LA 4.1.6.d, LA 4.1.6.b

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 4Grade 5
Mode:
Response to Literature
Form:
Literary Analysis
English Language Arts:
Reading

Page 242 from Writers Express

Writing and Revising Your Response

Lead your students through the steps of writing and revising responses to literature prompts. Reiterate the importance of using specific details and quotations from the story to develop and support the main ideas in their responses.

If students are responding to a prompt for an in-class test or exam, consider allowing them to use the sample revising checklist, which you can download and print below.

Once students understand the process of responding to a literature prompt, give them practice by having them analyze and respond to this prompt:

Think of a favorite character from a story or book. What qualities do you admire in your favorite character? Write an essay that describes the character to your classmates and explains the qualities that make this character especially interesting to you.

Downloads:
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.4.W.1.2
TEKS Standard:
110.6.b.11.B, 110.6.b.12.B
NE ELA Standard:
LA 4.2.1.b, LA 4.2.2, LA 4.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 4Grade 5
Mode:
Response to Literature
Form:
Response to Prompt
English Language Arts:
WritingRevising

Page 243 from Writers Express

Responding Review

Review the summary of steps for responding to a literature prompt. Direct students to this summary as a quick brush-up before they take a test with a literature prompt.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.4.W.1.2
TEKS Standard:
110.6.b.11.B, 110.6.b.12.B
NE ELA Standard:
LA 4.2.1.b, LA 4.2.2, LA 4.2.2.a

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 4Grade 5
Mode:
Response to Literature
Form:
Response to Prompt