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Writing the Virginia Hamilton Response to Literature

There are a few things you need to include in your body paragraphs:
1.Discuss (briefly) the plot of the book
2.Discuss the theme
3.Add 1 quote to prove that theme.
4.Discuss how that quote proves the theme


Dear 7th grader,

Since you are reading this letter, you probably have many questions about Gary Soto. I am here to help answer as many of those questions as I can. Gary Soto is an award winning novelist and poet who writes mostly about Mexican-American adolescents. He was born in Fresno, California in 1952. Coincidentally, Soto often sets his stories in or around Fresno. As I began to read more stories by Gary Soto, I noticed a particular theme start to immerge. That theme, the search for love, can be seen throughout three stories in particular.

In a play called Novio Boy, by Gary Soto, we learn about a boy named Rudy and a girl named Patricia. Both of the main characters are new to dating and neither of them have a lot of money. But as the story progresses, we learn that each of them really likes one another. We also learn early on that Rudy is very concerned about his date with Patricia. As he is talking with his friend Alex, we see that Rudy really wants to make a good impression:
“Rudy: Sorry? You mean I should be sorry I look like Tom Cruise? (pause) You’re cold, homes. You’re no help at all.
Alex: (giggling) Just joking, Rudy. Listen, man, you got to start simple. Break the ice. Ask her…what her favorite color is or something,” (Pg. 1).
While each character is joking around, we see how serious they are taking this date. While friends will be friends, the search for love will always be taken seriously.

In a short story very similar to Novio Boy is “The 7th Grade,” also by Gary Soto. In this story the main character, Victor, is desperately trying to get a girl named Teresa to notice him on the first day of school. He is constantly trying different ways to get noticed and even pretends to know French! Just like in Novio Boy, the search for love in “The 7th Grade” is a very important theme. During the opening pages of “The 7th Grade” Victor says that “Teresa is going to be my girl this year,” (pg. 52). This quote proves how big of a crush Victor has on Teresa and how willing he is to impress her…in any way possible.

Along with plays and short stories, Gary Soto also writes a lot of poetry. In the poem “Between Words,” Soto discusses the search for love through the use of metaphor and figurative language. Soto describes love as being “between clouds/And we’re between words/That could deepen/But never arrive,” (lines 16-18). In this way, we learn that love is more than something to be named. It is a thing that exists between two people that do not need to say anything to one another to feel the love that exists between them. Just like in Novio Boy and “The 7th Grade” we see a character trying to make sense of his/her feelings over someone that they feel strongly towards.






Writing the Conclusion

1.Recap the name of the stories you discussed
2.Restate the purpose for writing the letter
3.Discuss why the theme/lesson you chose is important


As you can see, Gary Soto writes in a lot of different genres. I hope I was able to answer most of your questions about him and are now looking forward to reading more of his stories. Whether it is in Novio Boy, “The 7th Grade,” or “Between Words,” the search for love plays a tremendous role in Soto’s writing. Without this theme, much of the tenderness would be missing. We learn a lot about each character through their search for love and it is here that we begin to understand just how important love can be in anyone’s life.

"Eliza"

There is a runaway slave character called Eliza who escapes from Kentucky over ice floes in the Ohio River in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Mrs. Stowe said her book was a “collection and arrangement of real incidents” and that the chase across the ice floes was drawn from an actual rescue involving her husband, Calvin Ellis Stowe, a clergyman, and her brother, Henry Ward Beecher.

The real-life Eliza escaped from Kentucky with her baby in her arms. When she came to the Ohio River, she saw large chunks of ice floating on it. But that didn’t stop her, for the slave hunters were in hot pursuit. She leaped from one ice floe to the next in an agonizing act of courage until she reached the freedom shore.

Eliza was rescued by the family of the Reverend John Rankin and stayed in their house above the river. Levi Coffin then aided her on the difficult journey to Canada.

As Eliza left the Rankin Underground station, she told John Rankin that she would come back for her other children, still slaves in Kentucky, in June of the following year. Reverend Rankin doubted that he would ever see her again. But a year later, in June, a man came climbing up to the garden of the Rankin house. It was Eliza, wearing men’s clothing, ready to get her children and bring them out.

The Rankins helped her back across the Ohio River into Kentucky. Because it was Sunday, the plantation owner and his wife were away visiting. Eliza hastened to carry off her five children – and two hundred pounds of household goods!

The heavy load slowed them down. By the time they reached the river again, the sun was up and fog on the water was lifting. The Rankins waited for Eliza on the Ohio side, their guns at the ready. They saw dogs and men on horseback spread out on the Kentucky shore. One Rankin son, dressed as a slave woman, slipped across the river. He quickly attracted the slave hunters’ attention and left them on a wild-goose chase away from where Eliza and her brood were hidden.

For hours, the slave posse chased the disguised Rankin son. Finally darkness fell and the hunters lost him. A Rankin helper had by then guided Eliza, her family, and all their belongings back across the river to the safe house on the Ohio bluff.

Two weeks later, Eliza and her children were conducted along the Underground Railroad line to Canada.

"Carrying the Running-Aways"

Never had any idea of carryin the runnin-away slaves over the river. Even though I was right there on the plantation, right by that big river, it never got in my mind to do something like that. But one night the woman whose house I had gone courting to said she knew a pretty girl wanted to cross the river and I would take her. Well, I met the girl and she was awful pretty. And soon the woman was telling me how to get across, how to go, and when to leave.

Well, I had to think about it. But each day, that girl or the woman would come around, ask me would I row the girl across the river to a place called Ripley. Well, I finally said I would. And one night I went over to the woman’s house. My owner trusted me and let me come and go as I please, long as I didn’t try to read or write anything. For writin and reading was forbidden to slaves.

Now, I had heard about the other side of the river from the other slaves. But I thought it was just like the side where we lived on the plantation. I thought there were slaves and masters over there, too, and overseers and rawhide whips they used on us. That’s why I was so scared. I thought I’d land the girl over there and some overseer didn’t know us would bear us for bein out at night. They could do that, you know.

Well, I did it. Oh, It was a long rowin time in the cold, with me worryin. But pretty soon I see alight way up high. Then I remembered the woman told me watch for a light. Told me to row to the light, which is what I did. And then I got to it, there were two men. They reached down and grabbed the girl. Then one of the men took me by the arm. Said “Your about hungry?” And if he hadn’t been holdin me, I would of fell out of that rowboat.

Well, that was my first trip. I was scared for a long time after that. But pretty soon I got over it, as other folks asked me to take them across the river. Two and three at a time, I’d take them. I got used to makin three or four trips every month.

Now it was funny. I never saw me passengers after that first girl. Because I took them on the nights when the moon was not showin, it was cloudy. And I always met them in the open or in a house with no light. So I never saw them, couldn’t recognize them, and couldn’t describe them. But I would say to them, “What you say?” And they would say the password. Sounds like “Menare.” Seemed the word came from the Bible somewhere, but I don’t know. And they would have to say that word before I took them across.

Well, there in Ripley was a man named Mr. Rankins, the rest was John, I think. He had a “station” there for escaping slaves. Ohio was a free state, I found out, so once the got across, Mr. Rankins would see to them. We went at night so we could continue back for more and to be sure no slave catchers would follow us there.

Mr. Rankins had a big light about thirty feet high up and it burned all night. It meant freedom for slaves if they could get to that bright flame.

I worked hard and almost got caught. I’d been rowin fugitives for almost four years. It was in 1863 and it was a ngiht I carried twelve runnin-aways across the river to Mr. Rankins’. I stepped out of the boat back in Kentucky and they were after me. Don’t know how they found out. But the slave catchers, didn’t know them, were on my trail. I ran away from the plantation and all who I knew there. I lived in the fields and in the woods. Even in caves. Sometimes I slept up in tree branches. Or in a hay pile. I couldn’t get across the river now, it was watched so closely.

Finally, I did get across. Late one night me and my wife went. I had finally gone back to the plantation to get her. Mr. Rankins had him a bell this time, along with the light. We were rowin and rowin. We could see the light and hear that bell, but it seemed we weren’t getting any closer. It took forever, it seemed. That was because we were so scared and it was so dark and we knew we could get caught and never get gone.

Well, we did get there. We pulled up there and went on to freedom. It was only a few months before all the slaves was freed.

We didn’t stay on at Ripley. We went on to Detroit because I wasn’t takin any chances. I have children and grandchildren now. Well, you know, the bigger ones don’t care so much to hear about those times. But the little ones, well, they never get tired of hearin how their grandpa brought emancipation to loads of slaves he could touch and feel in the dark but never ever see.

"How Nehemiah Got Free"

In slavery time, there was smart slaves and they did most what they wanted to do by usin just their wits. Hangin around the big house, they kept the slaveowners laughin. They had to “bow and scrape” some, but they often was able to draw the least hard tasks.
Nehemiah was a one who believed that if he must be a slave, he’d best be a smart one. No one who callin himself Master of Nehemiah had ever been able to make him work hard for nothing. Nehemiah would always have a funny lie to tell or he made some laughin remark whenever the so-called Master had a question or a scoldin.
Nehemiah was always bein moved from one plantation to another. For as soon as the slaveowner realized Nehemiah was outwittin him, he sold Nehemiah as quick as he could to some other slaveholder.
One day, the man known as the most cruel slaveowner in that part of the state hear about Nehemiah.
“Oh, I bet I can make that slave do what I tell him to,” the slaveowner said. And he went to Nehemiah’s owner and bargained for him.
“Nehemiah’s new owner was Mister Warton, and he told Nehemiah, “I’ve bought you. Now tomorra, you are goin to work for me over there at my plantation, and you are goin to pick four hundred pounds of cotton a day.”
“Well, Mas, suh,” Nehemiah says, “that’s all right, far as it goes. But if I make you laugh, you won’t lemme off for tomorra?”
“Well,” said Warton, who had never been known to laugh, “if you make me laugh, I won’t only let you off for tomorra, but I’ll give you your freedom right then and there!”
“Well, I declare, Mas, suh, you sure a good-lookin man,” says Nehemiah.
“I’m sorry I can’t say the same about you, Nehemiah,” answered the slaveowner.
“Oh, yes, Mas, you could,” Nehemiah said, laughin. “You could if you told as big a lie as I just did.”
Warton threw back his head and laughed. It was a long, loud bellow. He had laughed before he thought. But true is true and facts are facts. And Nehemiah got his freedom.

"A Wolf and Little Daughter"

One day Little Daughter was pickin some flowers. There was a fence around the house she lived in with her papa. Papa didn’t want Little Daughter to run in the forest, where there were wolves. He told Little Daughter never to go out the gate alone.
“Oh, I won’t, Papa,” said Little Daughter.
One morning her papa had to go away for something. And Little Daughter thought she’d go huntin for flowers. She just thought it wouldn’t harm anything to peep through the gate. And that’s what she did. She saw a wild yellow flower so near the gate that she stepped outside and picked it.
Little Daughter was outside the fence now. She saw another pretty flower. She skipped over and got it, held it in her hand. It smelled sweet. She saw another and she got it, too. Put it with the others. She was makin a pretty bunch to put in her vase for the table. and so Little daughter got farther and farther away from the cabin. She picked flowers, and the whole time she sang a sweet song.
All at once Little Daughter heard a noise. She looked up and saw a great big wolf. The wolf said to her, in a low, gruff voice, said, “Sing that sweetest, goodest song again.”
So the little child sang it, sang

“Tray-bla, tray-bla, cum qua, kimo.”

And, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, Little Daughter tiptoed toward the gate. She’s goin back home. But she hears big and heavy, PIT-APAT, PIT-A-PAT, comin behind her. And there’s the wolf. He says, “Did you move?” in a gruff voice.
Little Daughter says, “Oh, no, dear wolf, what occasion have I to move?”
“Well, sing that sweetest, goodest song again,” says the wolf.

“Tray-bla, tray-bla, cum qua, kimo.”

A the wolf is gone again.
The child goes back some more, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, softly on tippy-toes toward the gate.
But she soon hears very loud, PIT-A-PAT, PIT-A-PAT, comin behind her. And there is the great big wolf, and he says to her, says, “I think you moved.”
“Oh, no, dear wolf,” Little Daughter tells him, “what occasion have I to move?”
So he says, “Sing that sweetest, goodest song again.”
Little Daughter begins:

“Tray-bla, tray-bla, tray-bla, cum qua, kimo.”

The wolf is gone.
But, PIT-A-PAT, PIT-A-PAT, PIT-A-PAT, comin on behind her. There’s the wolf. He says to her, says, “You moved.”
She says, “Oh, no, dear wolf, what occasion do I have to move?”
“Sing that sweetest, goodest song again,” says the big, bad wolf.
She sang:

“Tray-bla, tray-bla,tray-bla, cum qua, kimo.”

The wolf is gone again.
And she, Little Daughter, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, pit-a-patin away home. She is so close to the gate now. And this time she hears PIT-A-PAT, PIT-A-PAT, PIT-A-PAT comin on quick behind her.
Little Daughter slips inside the gate. She shuts it – CRACK! PLICK! – right in that big, bad wolf’s face.
She sweetest, goodest, safe!

"He Lion, Bruh Bear and Bruh Rabbit"

Say that he Lion would get up each and every mornin. Stretch and walk around. He’d roar, “ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF,” like that. Scare all the little animals so they were afraid to come outside in the sunshine. Afraid to go huntin or fishin or whatever the little animals wanted to do.
“What we gone do about it” they asked one another. Squirrel leapin from branch to branch, just scared. Possum playin dead, couldn’t hardly move him.
“He Lion just went on, stickin out his chest and roarin, “ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF.”
The little animals held a sit-down talk, and one by one and two by two and all by all, they decide to go see Bruh Bear and Bruh Rabbit. For they know that Bruh Bear been around. And Bruh Rabbit say he has, too.
So they went to Bruh Bear and Bruh Rabbit. Said, “We have some trouble. Old he Lion, him scarin everybody, roarin every morning and all day. ‘ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF,’ like that.”
“Why he Lion want to do that?” Bruh Bear said.
“Is that all he Lion have to say?” Bruh Rabbit asked.
“We don’t know why, but that’s all he Lion can tell us and we didn’t ask him to tell us that,” said the little animals. “And him scarin the children with it. And we wish him to stop it.”
“Well, I’ll go see him, talk to him. I’ve known he Lion a long kind of time,” Bruh Bear said.
“I’ll go with you,” said Bruh Rabbit. “I’ve known he Lion most long as you.”
That bear and that rabbit went off through the forest. They kept hearin something. Mumble, mumble. Couldn’t make it out. They got farther in the forest. They heard it plain now. “ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF.”
“Well, well, well” said Bruh Bear. He wasn’t scared. He’d been around the whole forest, seen a lot.
“My, my, my,” said Bruh Rabbit. He’d seen enough to know not to be afraid of the old he lion. Now old he lions could be dangerous, but you had to know how to handle them.
The bear and the rabbit climbed up and up the cliff where he Lion had his lair. They found him. Kept their distance. He watch them and they watchin him. Everybody actin cordial.
“Hear tell you are scarin everybody, all the little animals with your roarin all the time,” Bruh Rabbit said.
“I roars when I pleases,” he Lion said.
“Well, might could you leave off the noise first thing in the mornin, so the little animals can get what they want to eat and drink?” asked Bruh Bear.
“Listen,” said he Lion, and then he roared: “ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF. Nobody tell me what not to do,” he said. “I’m the king of the forest, me and myself.”
“Better had let me tell you somethin,” Bruh Rabbit said, “for I’ve seen Man, and I know him the real king of the forest.”
He Lion was quiet awhile. He looked straight through that scrawny lil Rabbit like he was nothin atall. He looked and Bruh Bear and figured he’d talk to him.
“You, Bear, you been around,” he Lion said.
“That’s true,” said old Bruh Bear. “I been about everywhere. I’ve been around the whole forest.”
“Then you must know something,” he Lion said.
“I know lots,” said Bruh Bear, slow and quiet-like.
“Tell me what you know about Man,” he Lion said. “He think him the king of he forest?”
“Well, now, I’ll tell you,” said Bruh Bear, “I been around, but I haven’t ever come across Man that I know of. Couldn’t tell you nothing about him.”
So he Lion had to turn back to Bruh Rabbit. He didn’t want to but he had to. “So what?” he said to that lil scrawny hare.
“Well, you got to come down from there if you want to see Man,” Bruh Rabbit said. “Come down from there and I’ll show you him.”
He Lion thought a minute, an hour, and a whole day. Then, the next day, he came down.
He roared just once, “ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF. Now,” he said, “come show me Man.”
So they set out. He Lion, Bruh Bear, and Bruh Rabbit. They go alond and they go along, rangin the forest. Pretty soon, they come to a clearin. And playin in it is a little fellow about nine years old.
“Is that there Man?” asked he Lion.
“Why no, that one is called Will Be, but it sure is not Man,” said Bruh Rabbit.
So they went along and they went along. Pretty soon, they come upon a shade tree. And sleepin under it is an old, olden fellow, about ninety years olden.
“There must like Man,” spoke he Lion. “I knew him wasn’t gone be much.”
“That’s not Man,” said Bruh Rabbit. “That fell is Was Once. You’ll know it when you see Man.”
So they went along. He Lion is gettin tired of strollin. So he roars, “ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF.” Upsets Bear so that Bear doubles over and runs and climbs a tree.
“Come down from there,” Bruh Rabbit tellin him. So after a while Bear comes down. He keepin his distance from he Lion, anyhow. And they set out some more. Goin along quiet and slow.
In a little while they come to a road. And comin on way down the road, Bruh Rabbit sees Main comin. Man about twenty-one years old. Big and strong, with a big gun over his shoulder.
“There!” Bruh Rabbit says. “See there, he Lion? There’s Man. You better go meet him.”
“I will,” says he Lion. And he sticks out his chest and he roars, “ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF.” All the way to Man he’s roarin proud, “ME AND MYSELF, ME AND MYSELF!”
“Come on, Bruh Bear, let’s go!” Bruh Rabbit says.
“What for?” Bruh Bear wants to know.
“You better come one!” And Bruh Rabbit takes ahold of Bruh Bear and half drags him to a thicket. And there he makin the Bear hide with him.
For here comes Man. He sees old he Lion real good now. He drops to one knee and he takes aim with his big gun.
Old he Lion is roarin his head off: “ME AND MSYELF! ME AND MYSELF!”
The big gun goes off: PA-LOOOM!
He Lion falls back hard on his tail.
The gun goes off again. PA-LOOOM!
He Lion is flyin through the air. He lands in the thicket.
“Well, did you see man?” asked Bruh Bear.
“I seen him,” said he Lion. “Man spoken to me unkind, and got a great long stick him keeping on his shoulder. Then Man taken that stick down and him speakin real mean. Thunderin at me and lightning comin from that stick, awful bad. Made me sick. I had to turn around. And Man pointing that stick again and thunderin ant me some more. So I come in here, cause it seem like him throwed some stickers at me each time in thunder, too.”
“So you’ve met Man, and you know zactly what that kind of him is,” says Bruh Rabbit.
“I surely do know that,” he Lion said back.
Awhile after he Lion met Man, things were some better in the forest. Bruh Bear knew what Man looked like so he could keep out of his way. The rabbit always did know to keep out of Man’s way. The little animals could go out in the morning because he Lion was more peaceable. He didn’t walk around roarin at the top of his voice al the time. And when he Lion did life that voice of his, it was like “Me and Myself and Man. Me and Myself and Man.” Like that.
Wasn’t too loud atall.

"Bruh Lizard and Bruh Rabbit"

“Bruh Lizard and Bruh Rabbit”

Don’t know some animal tells. Hear um but forget um. Do know about Bruh Lizard and Bruh Rabbit, though. You never hear em tell how Bruh Lizard bested Bruh Rabbit? Well, that lizard was a hard worker. He had a big sword he use to cut his crop. Sword knew how to work by herself and it cut so fine, there was nothing left, once something was cut. Bruh Lizard speakin words to the sword and Sword do all the work. That’s how it went.
Now, Bruh Rabbit, he is smart. He don’t have him a sword like the lizard has, and he wants one. So he hides behind a bush and he watches Sword working for Bruh Lizard. He wants it very bad, too.
One day Bruh Lizard has to go away. And Bruh Rabbit, he sneak up and he steal Bruh Lizard’s sword. Bruh Rabbit laughs to himself because he now got Sword. He think he knows the words that Lizard say to Sword, so he calls out, “Go-ee-tell,” like that. And Sword starts workin, just a-cuttin and a-slashin this way and that and all around.
Pretty soon, old Sword finish up the crop and the rabbit want it to stop. Sword is comin very close to the other crop the rabbit is keeping to live on.
So Bruh Rabbit, he yells out to the Sword, “Go-ee-tell. Go-ee-tell!” like that. That just make the Sword work that much faster. Sword go on and cut down everything Rabbit have. It don’t leave nothing, not one leaf cabbage.
Now Bruh Lizard, he been hidin behind a bush. He sees the whole thing. He is laughin and laughin to herself at Bruh Rabbit, cause that Rabbit think he so smart when he steal Sword. And now Bruh Rabbit got nothin to eat all winter long.
Bruh Rabbit spies the lizard, and he calls over there, “Lizard, Bruh, stop Sword!”
Bruh Lizard, he call right back, “It my Sword.”
Bruh Rabbit, he says then, “That’s so. It’s your Sword, but please stop it. It ain’t got no sense. It cut down everythin I got.”
Lizard say, “Sword work faster every time he hear “Go-ee-tell.’” The lizard laughs again, and he calls out real loud, “Go-ee-pom!” Sword stop.
The lizard grinning to herself all over the place. Then he slide out there and pick up Sword and take it on home,
Rabbit watch him go.
That’s all.

Book Group Role: The Reporter

Reporters report the news, highlighting the important events and giving enough background so their audience can understand the people, background and importance of the day’s events. Reporters summarize. Their reports are short and succinct, but they include all the important information

A reporter who was covering “Bruh Lizard and Bruh Rabbit,” for example, might begin the report by saying that Bruh Rabbit stole Bruh Lizzard’s sword to cut his crops, but everything went out of control.

This general statement might be followed by some of the events of the story: that the sword cuts the crops itself, that Rabbit wanted it, that he stole it and used Lizard’s words to get it started, and that he realized, too late, that he did not know how to stop it. It cut down everything. Lizard found out what happened, laughed at Rabbit, and took the sword back.

During the next meeting of your book group, you will be the person who will provide a quick summary that sums up the main highlights, the essence of the reading thus far. If there are several events to cover, use numbered lines to list them.

Summary:___________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Main Events:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Book Group Role: Reverberator

Reverberators focus on echoes and patterns, finding similarities between what they are now reading and what they have already read, seen or done. A reverberator might read “He Lion, Bruh Bear, and Bruh Rabbit,” for example, and think about other stories, films or TV shows about animals, gangsters, hunting, or folk tales. A reverberator might also think about someone he or she knows, perhaps a hunter or someone who is tough or aggressive. The story might remind a reverberator of an incident from their own life, too, - perhaps a hunting trip, or a time when the convinced someone to be a bit more cooperative.

When you read, experiences, memories and pictures from the real world reverberate – they echo one another and help you make connections between the words on the page and life as real people live it.

As today’s story is read, you will be a reverberator, one who will make connections and share them. List the stories, experiences, films, etc., that come to mind in the left column and explain the connection briefly in the right column

Virginia Hamilton: A Brief Biography

Virginia Hamilton was the most honored American writer of books for children. Born and raised in Ohio, she grew up hearing the stories of her grandfather, a man who escaped slavery when he was just a boy. She also heard tales about his friends, Underground Railroad conductors and organizers. Of mixed ancestry herself (Cherokee, Patawatami and African American), Virginia Hamilton weaves history, culture and the voices of the elders into each and every one of her books.

Virginia Hamilton’s family was one of storytellers, and her books about childhood, adolescence, race, culture, history, folktales, biographies, traditions, and fantasy have earned countless awards.

Her greatest award, however, was knowing that her stories contributed to the lives of “…children who didn’t have family storytellers to tell them of their rich ethnic culture.” Virginia Hamilton wrote, published, researched, and celebrated the rich fabric of American life and supported the writers and teachers who wish to share this with others.

Executive Summary

Click here for my example of the executive summary

Writing the Introduction:

The ______(Issue being explored/problem)____ are/is _____(why it’s a problem- for whom, in what ways, etc.)_____________, and unless __________(proposed solution/action)_________, _____(predict the effect)________may/will happen.

Example:
The students at I.S 93 are not allowed to take their laptops home which makes it impossible for many students to complete their schoolwork. Unless the school takes notice of this problem, and grant students the right to take the laptops home, students will never learn responsibility nor achieve the academic success in which they are capable of.

Writing the Issue Section:

• You are not looking for ways to fix this problem nor are you looking to analyze the data. You are simply stating the facts and trying to prove that there is, in fact, a problem

Of the 100 people surveyed, 95% believe that students should be allowed to take their laptops home. Furthermore, the data shows that 98% of those surveyed say they would use the laptops to complete school work while at home. 78% say there was not enough time to finish class work and 56% say they have problems transferring files between their home/library and school. This result is important because even while 55% of students have a computer at home, if a student cannot access their school files, those computers are essentially worthless. With that said, Mr. Wright, an expert on computer development in I.S. 93 stated that “things went very well” when another class was given permission to take the laptops home as a test. Along those same lines, many students, according to Mr. Wright say that they “don't have Internet or Microsoft Office suite [at home].” If students were allowed to bring their laptops home, this would not be an issue.

Writing the Discussion Section:

In this section, you must discuss possible solutions.

A solution is only a solution if it:

• Makes the situation better
• it is acceptable to those who are involved
• it is possible
• it requires a manageable amount of energy and/or resources
  
  What are some possible solutions?
  What makes this solution better than another one?

Example:

If the students were allowed to take the laptops home, many respondents have stated that this will make them more responsible as a student. In this manner, students will be able to have the responsibility of taking care of the laptops and will, as a consequence, allow teachers to trust students more. Many respondents offered possible solutions to this problem. One respondent said that “Students could be allowed to take the laptops home for a trial period. At the end of the trial period, an assessment should be given. If the laptops are in good condition and it seems that students are being responsible, a decision could be made to allow students to take home the laptops on a more permanent basis.” This might prove as an efficient way to see if students are serious about this commitment.

According to Mr. Wright, a computer expert at I.S93, “We've already had a group go out of the building. Ms. Ochoa's class took some Apple computers home over the Christmas vacation as a sort of test, and it went really well.” This shows that it is, in fact, possible.

Writing the Closing

· State the problem
· Make sure you explain (again) what will happen if no action is taken (should be something bad)
· Explain the recommended course of action
· What will that action accomplish?


Example:
Since the students at I.S 93 are not allowed to take their laptops home, many are finding it difficult to complete school work and to stay up to date in their classes. Unless the school takes notice of this problem, the students’ grades will suffer, and, consequently, they might be held back for that year. The administration should give students a chance to prove themselves responsible enough to take the laptops home. This will improve the quality of their education dramatically.

The Executive Summary

Executive summaries, also called briefings, flood our lives: They're in our mailboxes at school, on our desks, on our classroom walls. They're in our homes, too; the mail brings some everyday, and they're printed on our bottles, our pillows, and our appliances.

Everyone, it seems, wants to brief us about something: The principal wants to brief us on the dress code and gum violations, and the fire marshal wants to brief us about getting us out of a classroom in case of an emergency. Salesmen have solutions for us; politicians want our vote; and shampoo makers, pillow producers, and hair-dryer manufacturers want to brief us on using their products wisely.

These people know that we're busy and that reading all the dress-code rationale and policies concerning gum will simply take too long. Some of us won't do it. Some of us will put off reading it and possibly find ourselves unprepared for an emergency.

If it's short, we may read it.

Executive summaries are the short, focused pieces that say "This is what you need to know about _________, and this is what you should do." They often synthesize big issues and big ideas for readers who are in a hurry, under pressure, and/or not yet interested in the subject at hand.

In the world of business, briefings are often called executive summaries because the quickly summarize the information necessary to make an executive decision.

Your task will be to complete the following four sections:

Introduction: A statement of purpose. The purpose of the report quickly orients the reader about information that’s been gathered and its significance.

Issue: A brief synthesis of the situation. Depending on the situation, this information may have been gathered through observation, survey, interviews, and/or review of printed documents. The most important points are presented in clear, crisp language. In other words, this is the section in which you explain your introduction in more detail. The seriousness will be shown through comments, statistics, and graphs.

Discussion: An outline of the criteria for choosing a course of action, along with the most promising options. In other words, this is the section in which you describe a possible solution.

Conclusion/Recommendation: A recommendation about the actions to be taken, along with the rationale.

Writing the Polling Report

By now you have completed your graphs/polls. It is now time to begin writing about them.

Section #1:

1. State the problem
2. Explain why it is a problem

This is the paragraph in which you explain the who, what, where, when, and why.

Section #2

This is the paragraph that you begin to discuss the results of your polls. I do not want you to explain them yet, however. Just tell me what the results are for the most important graphs. Be sure not to give both percentages, though. Only give the percentage that expresses the point of view that you wish to communicate.

Section #3

This is the paragraph that you begin to analyze the data. In the last paragraph you discussed the data, here you begin to interpret the data.

Section #4

Here, you begin to use the open-ended questions from your survey. Go through your surveys and find the most interesting/important comments. These comments should have something to do with a possible solution to your research problem.

Section #5

The closing: In this section you will recap your findings in a short, concise manner (don't forget the who, what, where, when, why and how).

Basically, you need to recap each paragraph in one sentence. Use the following list to help:

1. state the problem/why it is a problem
2. the most important finding
3. explain that finding
4. offer a possible solution to the problem

Here is an example of my polling report:

At Intermediate School 93 in Ridgewood, New York, students are in possession of a personal laptop. These laptops are considered their own while on school property; however, students are not allowed to take these laptops home. This is frustrating to some of the students because many believe that the laptops would have a greater benefit on their education if they were to be taken home.

I surveyed 100 students from grades 6,7, and 8 on the week of April 12th, 2007. Of those surveyed, 95% believe that students should be allowed to take their laptops home. Furthermore, the data shows that 98% of those surveyed say they would use the laptops to complete school work while at home. 78% say there was not enough time to finish class work and 56% say they have problems transferring files between their home/library and school. This result is important because even while 55% of students have a computer at home, if a student cannot access their school files, those computers are essentially worthless.

With that said, many students do not have a computer at home (45%), if students were allowed to take the laptops home, this would give them a means to complete their schoolwork. Likewise, if the students were allowed to take the laptops home, many say this will make them more responsible as a student (60%). In this manner, students will be able to have the responsibility of taking care of the laptops and will, as a consequence, allow teachers to trust students more.

Of the 100 people surveyed, many offered possible solutions to this problem. One respondent said that “Students could be allowed to take the laptops home for a trial period. At the end of the trial period, an assessment should be given. If the laptops are in good condition and it seems that students are being responsible, a decision could be made to allow students to take home the laptops on a more permanent basis.” This might prove as an efficient way to see of students are serious about this commitment.

Many believe that in not allowing students to take their laptops home, their academics are being adversely affected. 95% of the students surveyed feel that they should be allowed to take their laptops home. Likewise, most students believe that being allowed to take the laptops home will, in turn, make them more responsible. A possible solution to this problem is to give students their laptops on a trial basis. Give the students the chance to prove themselves.

The Polling Report

Alongside the use of bar graphs and pie charts, you will be required to verbally explain the data. Here is a list of some information that will help you to do just that!

Features of a polling report:

• Usually quite brief


• General introduction with brief explanation of survey process, most interesting/important results at the beginning, followed by other results grouped by topic


• The tone is generally neutral, though occasionally writers note inconsistencies and/or raise new questions
  
  
  1. What to Include. What is important to report? What is significant?
  2. How to Begin. What will be most interesting/important to the audience?
  3. How to Organize. Which pieces of information connect with which other pieces of information? What is the most logical part?
  4. How to Use the Open-Ended Responses. Which comments would add to the readers’ understanding of the information? Which comments are most interesting? Which ones might be used at the beginning, to hook the readers’ attention? Which would be most useful at the end, to give the reader a sense of completion.

Checklist:

1. ___I presented the major findings of my poll of people’s opinions about this issue.



2. ___I included an introduction that told my reader what issue I was exploring, who I surveyed, and how I collected my data.



3. ___I organized the results of my poll so that they are presented logically and clearly for my reader.



4. ___I included at least one graph to dramatize public opinion.



5. ___I explained the significance of my graphs within the text of my paper.



6. ___I included some of the responses to my open-ended questions as well as those from forced-choice and rank-order questions.

Bar Graphs and Pie Charts

Task: For each forced-choice question within your survey, you will be constructing a bar graph or pie chart within a new document entitled "polling report."


Microsoft Word:
Insert - Picture - Chart

Spring Break Homework

Overview: Over the break you are required to read a book and complete a reader response on that book. On top of that, you are going to have to give a 2-3minute presentation in which you describe your book and discuss how your "artistic representation" relates to that book. See the task below for more information on the reader's response and the oral presentation.

Reader Response.

TASK: Complete a reader response for the book you read over break. It must include the following:

Information about the book:

• Title, author, genre and number of pages

A summary of the text which includes the conflict and enough infomration to demonstrate you understood what you have read. It should not give away the ending of the story.

• For nonfiction, your summary should demonstrate that you know what the text was about. You may choose two or three interesting things tha tyou learned and tell why they were important.

A response to the text that answers one or more of the following:

• What do you like/dislike about the way the text was written?
• How did the text make you feel?
• What do you remember most about the text?
• What does the text remind you of?

For nonfiction, your response might include what made the text interesting. It could also include how the author put the information together that made it easy or difficult for you to understand.

A recommendation that tells who else should consider reading this book

In order to receive a grade of "Exceeds Expectations," you must include a quote or excerpt from the text. It might do one of the following:

• Reflect a significant part of the text
• Contain an example of interesting language use by the author

ORAL PRESENTATION

When you come back from break, along with your reader response, you will be required to give an oral presentation on one of the following:

Draw or illustrate two or more of the following story elements:
· Main characters – choose any one or group of characters
· Settings
· An important event
· Parts of plot – beginning, climax, end

Design a poster that will advertise or “sell” your book

Using pictures from magazines, newspapers, etc., design a collage that represents an important aspect of your book

Write a poem about the book

Create and illustrate a timeline of your book

Executive Summary: A Sample Interview With Mr. Wright

Q-1: Have many students, parents, and teachers asked you to allow students to take laptops home? What are some of the common reasons you hear?

• Response to Q-1

Q-2: What do you mean by "out-of-the-box?"

• Response to Q-2

Q-3: What are some of the reasons that students cannot take home the laptops?

• Response to Q-3

Q-4: Is there a possibility that sometime in the future laptops will be allowed to leave the building?

• Response to Q-4

Q-5: Some laptops have left the building? I didn't know that. What would have to take place in order for more classes to have this privilege?

• Response to Q-5

Q-6: Many students are unable to quickly complete their work for classes because their work is on their laptops. What suggestions can you give these students for completing their work more quickly?

• Response to Q-6

Q-7: Are you saying that teachers should avoid assigning work that requires programs that students may not have at home?

• Response to Q-7

Close-Ended, Open-Ended and Probing Questions

Over the past week or so we have been discussing the use of close-ended, open-ended and probing questions. So lets recap:

Close-ended questions: These questions are questions that can be answered with only one word. That is not to say that they have to answered in one word, only that the interviewee can answer it in one word and have that answer make sense. For example, if I were to ask someone if they liked the Yankees, they could respond with one word: yes. I did not ask them to elaborate at all.

Open-ended questions: These questions, unlike close-ended questions, ask the interviewee to elaborate (and you cannot answer them with only one word). After you ask the person if they like the Yankees, you might follow that with: Why do you like the Yankees? Instead of a yes or no response, the interviewer has to explain why.

Probing questions: These are the kind of questions that you cannot make before an interview. Probing questions, like open-ended questions, ask the interviewee to elaborate on something they previously said. Say, for example, the interviewee said in answer to the previous open-ended question, that they really like the Yankees work ethic. A probing question might then be something like: What do you mean by work ethic?

Probing questions make the interviewee explain their opinions. Remember, you need to get as much information from this interview as possible and probing questions will help to make that possible.

The basic setup for an interview is as follows:

Close-ended question
Open-ended question
Probe

Close-ended question
Open-ended question
Probe

Close-ended question
Open-ended question
Probe

You might not be able to probe every response, just as you might not start with a close-ended question, so you need to stay flexible and “role with the punches.”

Reading an interview is like eavesdropping though print, allowing us not only to hear the answers to a series of questions but to get a sense of a person as well. For this reason, interviews are one of the most popular forms of general reading. For writers, they hold yet another appeal: They provide easy access to lots of information.

Interview skills are research skills. In order to prepare for an interview, writers must explore a topic enough to establish their own credibility and identify the information needed. They must then identify useful information and formulate questions that will inspire them to reveal what they know.

Interview skills are formal conversation skills.

For young writers, interviews are opportunities to interact with people whom they might not normally meet and to explore a more formal use of oral language than conversations with peers.

In this part of the executive summary genre study, you will read interviews, look at the structures of questions, use your writing skills to draft a series of questions about your issue, review your note-taking skills, and transcribe the interview so that others learn more about community issues and people.

Some examples of popular culture interviews with:

• J.K. Rowling


• Sean Paul


• Mary J. Blidge

Executive Summary

Finishing the Survey

Remember, the most difficult thing about using survey data, is getting the data. If your survey is confusing in any way, people will not take the time to do it. This is why you have to make sure your survey adheres to the following guidlines:

Survey Checklist

1. Start with demographic questions
2. Then yes/no and true/false
3. Proceed to other forced choice questions
4. Then rank order questions
5. And finally open ended question (do not have more than 2)
6. You should have a minimum of 10 questions (no more than 15)
7. Your name and class number should be given along with my name on the top of the page (along with the instructions)
8. Each question should be individually numbered
9. Answers should be bolded and capitalized
10. Instructions should be italicized
11. Important phrases capitalized
12. Include a page border
13. Add a symbol to the upper left-hand corner of your survey.
14. Include a title on the top of the page
15. Adjust your margins so that you can fit as much on one page as possible
16. Use one 12 point Times New Roman black font

Click here for an example of the propper format (Your survey should look very similar to this when you are finished.).

Executive Summary

Over the past week we have been discussing the new executive summary unit. You have selected a topic (a problem that you would like to fix within the school) and have begun to construct a survey. Some of the elements of a survey include forced choice questions, rank order questions and open-ended questions.

Here are some examples of each:

Forced Choice Questions

True/False Questions:

Earlier this year, there wasn't enough time to type the Narrative Accounts and All About Nonfiction Books

I have had problems transferring files between my home computer and school computer.

Yes/No Questions:

Do you think students should be allowed to take home their laptops?

If you were allowed to take you laptop home, would you use it to complete your work for school?

Best Answer Questions:

What would be the best system for taking laptops home?

• allow students to take them home every night
• allow students to take them home only on weeknights
• allow students to take them home only on weekends
• allow students to take them home only when teachers assign work to be done on the laptops

How many people share the computer you use at home?

• I don't have a computer at home
• I have my own computer at home
• 1-2 people share
• 3-4 people share
• More than 4 people share

Check All That Apply Questions

If I could take my laptop home, I would use it to do assignments for the following classes (check all that apply):
ELA
Math
Social Studies
Science
Other

Scale Questions

How would you rate the school food? On a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being great and 1 being awful, rank your answer.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Rank Order Questions

If you were allowed to take your school laptop home, what would you spend the most time using it for? (Rank from 1-6, with six being the most time spent and one being the least time spent)

___To practice typing
___To research school material
___To complete schoolwork
___To communicate with teachers and students about school-related work
___To communicate about work unrelated to school
___To communicate


Why do you need to take your laptop home? (Rank from 1-5, with five being the most important reason and one being the least important reason)

___My home does not have a computer
___The computer(s) I have at home is/are not always accessible to me
___My computer cannot connect to the Internet
___My home computer does not have the software I need for school
___I want to continue working on my classwork while at home

Rank from 1-7 the following reasons students aren't allowed to take laptops home, with 7 being the most the most legitimate reason and 1 being the least legitimate reason.

___The laptops will be lost.
___The laptops will be broken.
___The laptops will be stolen.
___Students will be attacked for their laptops.
___Students will forget to bring their laptops back.
___Students will forget to charge their laptops at home.
___Students will use their laptops improperly.

Open-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions do not give the respondent the option of picking a choice. They need to answer the question themselves

Why do you think the school has not yet allowed students to bring their laptops home?

What would the laptop mainly be used for at home?

Explain how taking your laptop home will affect your school performance.

Conclusions

Good writers make connections and you want to make those connections as well. One way to do that is to relate information that you put into your introduction into your conclusion. For example, you want to mention that important fact or interesting question from your introduction in to your conlusion.

Things you have to do in a conclusion:

1. Relate everything back to your controlling idea
2. Summarize your book
3. Explain to the reader what they should have learned
4. Clarify and restate your fact/question from the introduction.
5. Leave the reader wanting more.

Use the color coding to help you find the similarities between the introduction and the conclusion.

Introduction:

In the 1930's Ed Rickenbacker invented the electric guitar, changing the way we would listen to music forever. As rock and roll (a mixture of different kinds of music) often uses an electric guitar, it could be said that this instrument helped to shape the genre of music into what it has become today. Throughout the course of this book, you will learn about the importance of rock and roll and how it has changed throughout the ages

Conclusion:

Throughout the course of this book, we have learned that rock and roll is more than just music and we have seen how it has shaped the American culture. When Ed Rickenbacker invented the electric guitar, little did he know how important his invention would become. From that moment on, rock and roll took a new turn. Where will rock and roll go next?

• Relating back to my interesting fact.
• Instead of telling the reader what the will be learning, now we tell them what they have learned!
• Leave the reader wanting more. Do not confuse that with leaving the reader with questions. Your goal is to make your reader want to find out more information about your topic. Remember, your topic is only as interesting as you make it.

Nonfiction Documents

Use these documents to help you construct your nonfiction book:

• Project Proposal
• Storyboard
• Basic computer tools
• Subtopic box-chart
• Nonfiction Task
• Nonfiction Rubric

Creating a Glossary

As you continue to write your children’s nonfiction book, you will undoubtedly come across some difficult words. That will be your first clue. If they are difficult for you, they will most certainly be difficult for your audience. You need to help your reader understand your book through definitions. There are a few different ways to do this, one of them, is to create a glossary.

A glossary (located in the back of your book) is a place where a reader can go to find the definitions of difficult words. While creating a glossary, keep in mind the following:

1. Only bold words which are important and relating specifically to your topic.
2. You have to alphabetize the glossary from A-Z
3. Use the dictionary to help you define the words, but don’t be afraid to change the definition to make it easier for the reader to understand.
   
   Example:
   
   In the 1930's Ed Rickenbacker invented the electric guitar, changing the way we would listen to music forever. As rock and roll (a mixture of different kinds of music) often uses an electric guitar, it could be said that this instrument helped to shape the genre of music into what it has become today. Throughout the course of this book, you will learn about importance of rock and roll and how it has changed throughout the ages.

Glossary

• Ed Rickenbacker: The man who invented the electric guitar in 1934.
• Electric Guitar: A guitar that uses electricity to make sound through the use of an amplifier.
• Rock and Roll: A mixture of different styles of music (Blues, country, gospel). Became popular during the early 1940’s.

Nonfiction Introduction Examples

Here are some of the introductions we have been working on in class:

Starting the introduction with a question:

How is it possible that a song can change a person’s mood in a blink of an eye? Ever since the 1940’s, rock and roll has been doing just that. As rock and roll is a mix of many different styles of music, many believe it to be the most influential style of music ever! Through the course of this book, you will learn how rock and roll started and where it is today!

1. The question
2. Explaining of the question
3. Relating to my controlling idea
4. Explaining what will come next

• See if you can find these same elements (only without the question) in the next few examples...

Starting the introduction with an interesting fact:

• In 2004, an earthquake in the Indian Ocean created a giant tsunami which killed over 225,000 people! All over the world, natural disasters are shaping the way we live. Natural disasters, from avalanches in the north pole, to tornadoes in the Midwest United States, are showing us that nature is still a force to be reckoned with. In the upcoming pages, you will learn about the different kinds of natural disasters and how they affect the people of the world.

• On Sunday February 9th, 1964, the Beatles made their television debut on the Ed Sullivan show kicking off the British Invasion in the United States. Many considered the Beatles as the band which kicked off a new era in rock and roll. Rock and roll, a mixture of different styles of music, has been very influential throughout the ages. Throughout this book, you will learn not only about the Beatles, but about how and why rock and roll became so popular.

• In the 1930's Ed Rickenbacker invented the electric guitar, changing the way we would listen to music forever. As rock and roll (a mixture of different kinds of music) often uses an electric guitar, it could be said that this instrument helped to shape the genre of music into what it has become today. Throughout the course of this book, you will learn about importance of rock and roll and how it has changed throughout the ages.

• In 1981, Music Television (or MTV) forever changed the way we would listen to music. MTV changed the way we listen to music and turned it into something visual (almost like going to the movies!). Instead of listening to music, now we can watch it too! MTV is just one step in the changing face of rock and roll. Throughout this book, you will learn the influences of rock and roll and just why it is important.

Nonfiction: Writing the Introduction

Have you ever walked in on the middle of a play or movie? You generally have no idea what is going on and unless someone explains it to you, you often never really understand the plot. That is what happens when an author leaves out the introduction of a piece of writing.
An introduction serves several purposes. It gets the reader's attention. An introduction also gives a brief summary of the piece. It also describes the intention of the author and what s/he intends to accomplish with the particular piece of writing. An introduction brings order to writing. Just as a conclusion wraps it up, the introduction opens it up. It lets the reader know what's going on.

All pieces of writing require an introduction of some kind. Whether you are writing a letter, a research paper, an editorial, an essay, a short story, a narrative, or, as in this case, a children's nonfiction book, you need an introduction. So how do you write one? Here are some basic steps:

• Get the reader's attention. It doesn't matter how good your writing is if the reader isn't engaged or interested. Here are several useful attention-getters:
• Ask your reader a question pertaining to your topic. Make it a personal experience question. 'Have you ever...' type questions work well (sometimes). Beginning your story with a question gets the reader thinking. It also gets them involved by calling on their personal experience. Your question should set the tone of your paper (casual, personal, informative, formal).
• State an interesting fact or statistic related to your topic. You can combine the question and fact techniques with a 'Did you know that...' question.
  Relate a funny incident which has to do with your topic. It shouldn't be demeaning or crude, just funny.
• State the purpose of your writing or what you intend to prove. The author generally gives a brief overview of the story. Your reader needs a frame of reference to understand what you are going to write about. Be clear and specific. Use techniques of description here to create for the reader the mood you want.

The introduction is a small but crucial part of any piece of writing. Your reader needs the introduction to understand your article and to connect with you, the author. If the introduction is left out, the whole piece of writing lacks structure and usually doesn't make sense.

Everything Nonfiction

Introduction
While some readers enjoy getting lost in the imaginary world of fiction, others prefer the authenticity of stories from real life. Nonfiction is writing about real people, places and events.

Autobiography
An autobiography is the true story of a person’s life, told by that person. It is almost always written using the first-person point of view. An autobiography is usually book length because it covers a long period of the writer’s life. However, there are shorter types of autobiographical writing such as journals, diaries, and memoirs.

Biography
A biography is the true story of a person’s life told by someone else. The writer, or biographer, interviews the subject if possible and also researches the person’s life by reading letters, books, diaries, and any other information he or she can find.
As you can see, biographies and autobiographies often seem like fiction because they contain many of the same elements such as character, setting, and plot.

Essay
An essay is a short piece of nonfiction writing that deals with one subject. Essays are often found in newspapers and magazines. The writer might share an opinion, try to entertain or persuade the reader, or simply describe an incident that has special significance.

Signposts:

Nonfiction texts contain lots of cues that signal important information for the reader...Just follow the signs!

Graphics:
Illustrations
Photographs
Diagrams
Maps
Tables
Charts
graphs

Fonts and special effects:
Titles
Headings
Boldface print
Color print
Italics
Bullets
Captions

Structure:
Table of contents
Introduction
Preface
Index
Glossary
Appendix
Epilogue

Signal words:
For example
For instance
In fact
In conclusion
Most important
But
Therefore
On the other hand
Such as

*Compliments of Mrs. Ovadia*