Throughout the Native American short story unit, students practiced paragraph writing. By beginning with evidence (blue), students can build analysis (green) that is specific to the text and then construct topic sentences (yellow). Targeting key words in the evidence will help students avoid recycled or repeated ideas. Prior to generating a thesis statement (purple), gathering evidence is essential.
To the right is an outine or scaffolding tool for students to use while crafting analysis of one Native American story or poem:
Raven Steals the Light
Once the World Was Perfect
The Man to Send Rainclouds
Buried Alive
OR
The Shawl
Nat Amer Essay Scaff.pdf
EssayDevANDChecklist.docx
An attempt to scaffold analytical essays; see docs below to break it down more.
IB Essay vs 5 Par.pdf
To avoid recycled/repeated ideas, specify analysis to textual evidence.
The Four Part Chart.docx
Created with students . . . alternating structures fosters rhythm to the writing.
Sentence Fluency.docx
Also, consider paragraph length variety to add a sense of music to the writing.
Body Paragraph Buddy.pdf
Also, created in collaboration with students.
GraphicOrganizers.doc
Courtesy of LRC teachers.
Textual Analysis Chart.docx
The IB English Exam requires students to demonstrate mastery of roughly eight literary devices to illustrate proficiency. The Textual Analysis Chart above, while narrow in scope, provides more than enough devices to yield excellent results.
FORMALISMCHART.doc
Older but good . . . might be a bit over the top for IB English Exam preparation.
Essay Feedback.doc
To expedite feedback, without sacrificing clarity, the acronyms and abbreviations in this document reflect feedback gleaned from multiple sources (e.g., numerous IB trainings). Comments revolve primarily around literary analysis.