005 – Writing a text response

Last class we spoke about the importance of understanding how the director uses the experience of the characters in DPS to communicate a particular theme or idea; your homework was to complete the concept map that we began in class.

Today we are going to look at how to structure a text response and how the use a Lotus Diagram to plan our writing. Using your concept map and a completed Lotus Diagram you should be able to write a really good text response.

A text response is sometimes called a 5-paragraph essay because it often only contains 5 paragraphs.

In a text response these 5-paragraph are

1. An introductory paragraph that tells us a bit about the background on the text, it presents the essay question in your own words and signposts the three main ideas that you are going to present and it states your contention.
2. Main body paragraph one, which follows T.E.E.L.
3. Main body paragraph two, which follows T.E.E.L.
4. Main body paragraph three, which follows T.E.E.L.
5. Conclusion, which synthesizes all ideas into a new and unique understanding of the question

T.E.E.L

Your TOPIC sentence will contain the main idea of you paragraph

Beginning your EVIDENCE sentence:

• This can be seen when…
• One example of this is when…
• Evidence of this is found when…
• An example of this occurs at the moment when…

Beginning your EXPLANATION sentence:

• This illustrates that…
• This shows us…
• This means…
• This results in…

Beginning your LINK sentence:

• Based on this it is clear that…
• This supports the idea that…
• Given the evidence presented, it appears as though…

EXAMPLE OF T.E.E.L.
Mr. Keating inspires Neil to break the rules. One example of this is when he admits to being a part of the Dead Poets Society and this inspires Neil to re-start the club with his friends. This shows us that Mr Keating was partly responsible for Neil making a choice that got him into trouble. Based on this it is clear that Mr Keating did contribute, in some way, to the events that lead to Neil taking his own life.