CAPT Response to Literature Strategies

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CAPT Response to Literature Strategies

• How to Succeed at Answering the Four Questions
  (in about 40 minutes)

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The First Three Steps to Take

• Follow these first steps while reading the story

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1. Brainstorm the Title

• What do you know about it or any of the words in
  it already?
• Make connections to it.
• Make a prediction about it.

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2. Annotate the Text

• THIS WILL HELP YOU LOCATE SUPPORT FOR WHAT YOU
  WILL NEED TO WRITE AND WILL SAVE YOU WRITING
  TIME.
• Circle important character names where they do
  something significant.
• Where a passage is confusing or you have a
  question use a ?
• For passages that grab your attention use
• For connections (experiences you have had or
  something else you have read or seen) use
• Underline phrases that are colorful in their
  sensory detail
• Jot down short notes to yourself in the margins

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3. After reading, briefly jot down what you now
know about

• Setting
• Characters
• Static or Dynamic?
• Protagonist or Antagonist?
• Round or Flat?
• Conflict
• Person vs. person
• Person vs. self this is an internal conflict
• Person vs. society
• Person vs. nature
• Solution
• Mood
• Motivation - Why did the characters take the
  actions they did?

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Answering the Questions

• After reading the story you will have to answer
  ALL FOUR short essay prompts

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Answering Question 1

• THE TEST WILL ASK
• What are your thoughts and questions about the
  story? You might reflect upon the characters,
  their problems, the title, or other ideas about
  the story.

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Answering Question 1 (cont.)

• TAKE YOUR PENCIL AND CROSS THROUGH THE PART OF
  THE QUESTION THAT SAYS What are your thoughts
  and questions about the story?
• LOOK AT THE SECOND SENTENCE OF THE QUESTION

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Answering Question 1 (cont.)

• SHOW YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE STORY BY GIVING
  EXAMPLES AND DISCUSSING THE
• Title
• Characters
• Plot or problems
• Solution
• Other ideas about the story
• Do NOT retell the story tell what it means or
  how it was significant

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Answering Question 2

• THE TEST WILL ASK EITHER
• - How does the main character change from the
  beginning of the story to the end? What do you
  think causes this change?
• - OR -
• - Choose one of the following quotes from the
  story. Explain what you think the quote means as
  it relates to the elements of the story such as
  the characters or the theme. (They will give you
  three quotes from the story to choose)

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Answering Question 2 Character Change

• Make a statement about the character at the
  beginning and support it with examples from the
  story.
• Make a statement about the character at the end
  and support it with examples from the story.
• Give your thoughts on WHY the character changed
  and support it with ideas from the story.

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Answering Question 2 Choose a Quote

• You must identify the character and explain, with
  examples from the story as support, what it told
  you about the character.
• You should also discuss, with examples as
  support, what happened in the story because the
  character was that way.

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Answering Question 3

• THE TEST WILL ASK
• What does this story say about people in general?
  In what ways does it remind you of people you
  have known or experiences you have had? You may
  also write about stories or books you have read,
  or movies, works of art, or TV programs you have
  seen. Use examples from the story to explain
  your thinking.

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Answering Question 3 (cont.)

• Show that you could personally relate to a part
  or parts of the story and understood the big idea
  it presented.
• Make a statement about what the story said about
  people in general.
• Ex. - How are ALL people like one of the
  characters? Was there a universal idea or theme
  you recognized?

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Answering Question 3 (cont.)

• Make connections to the story
• personal connection something that happened to
  you or someone you know
• - AND -
• a book or short story you read or a movie or
  television show
• You should already have these identified in the
  story with a .

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Answering Question 3 (cont.)

• Explain your connection in some detail (but not
  TOO much).
• Relate your connection back to the story how
  was it like a specific incident or character?
• Tell how the connection helped you better
  understand the story.

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Answering Question 4

• THE TEST WILL ASK
• How successful was the author in creating a good
  piece of literature? Use examples from the story
  to explain your thinking.

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Answering Question 4 (cont.)

• Include the authors name and the title of the
  story at the beginning of the response.
• Give your supported opinion on the authors
  success at creating an effective story.
• Even if you did not enjoy the story, it is easier
  to find support for the stance that the author
  DID write an effective story.

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Answering Question 4 (cont.)

• Identify literary elements that the author used
  well. Consider these
• Realistic characters
• Vivid description
• Exciting scenes
• Suspense
• Thought-provoking conflict
• Satisfying ending
• Surprises
• Clear plot development
• Universal meaning
• Artful use of language
• Characters that incite empathy
• Fantasy
• Settings that are exotic and fanciful
• Any other literary element you have learned in
  English class

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Answering Question 4 (cont.)

• Give specific examples of 3 or 4 literary
  elements the author used effectively.
• If you annotated the text as you read, you should
  be able to quickly find examples of these
  literary elements to include in your answer.
  (characters circled, descriptive language
  underlined, beside passages that grabbed your
  attention.)
• Tell HOW each element made the story effective.

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THE END!