Deconstructing the Prompt

Deconstructing the Prompt

What to do when you get an essay prompt...

• Read the prompt (You'd be surprised how many skip this)

• Take apart the prompt (What do you / don't you need?)

• Identify your role, your audience, and your register/tone.

• Identify the objectives, and chart how to respond to the prompt correctly and specifically. (A Do/What Chart)

Here is the prompt for your Literary Theory Essay:

Read over it. Pretty wordy, right? I did that on purpose because I'm an English teacher that likes to torture you. But, have no fear! We can figure this out!

Step Two: Take apart the prompt

Look at all this stuff we don't need to pay attention to right now! Although it gives you context. It's not helping you get to the core of what you have to DO.

Step Three: Identify your audience and register/tone.

Hopefully, this one is clear. This is an essay writing at the conclusion of a unit of study. You are being asked to write a literary analysis. So, you will be writing in a formal and academic tone to an audience of your incredible teacher.

Step Four: Identify Objective and How to Respond

• Find the verbs (highlighted in red)

• For each verb, identify WHAT the verb is actually asking you to do (highlighted in red

• Chart this in a Do/What Chart (next slide)

Congrats! We've deconstructed our prompt! Please answer the following questions and then proceed to choosing your poem & literary theory today!

Multiple Select

Which of the following are the 4 steps of deconstructing a prompt?

• Read the prompt

• Take apart the prompt

• Print the prompt

• Identify your role, audience, and register

• Identify the objectives

Multiple Choice

In Step 4, when you are identifying objectives and how to respond to the prompt correctly and specifically, what kind of chart can help you do this?

• An Identify / Do Chart

• A Do / What Chart

• A Read / Write Chart

• A Chicken / Egg Chart