Analyzing "Song of the Trees" Through RACE Strategy
Enhance your writing skills by utilizing the RACE strategy to analyze "Song of the Trees." Understand how to restate the question, provide a comprehensive answer, and support it with evidence. Explore the nuances of effective response writing to improve your analytical capabilities and comprehension.
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Song of the Trees Written Response Take a minute to look over your response. Look at the question and writing directions. Look at the rubric comments. Look at any comments that are written on your paper. Be prepared to listen. You will have an opportunity to earn more points on your response.
Restate the Question (the R in RACE) Answer the Question (the A" in "RACE") 0Sometimes, when you restate the question you will also answer the question in the same sentence, depending on the type of question you are given. What color is the sky? The color of the sky is blue. Where did you go for vacation this year? This year for vacation, I went to Disney World. How many states have you visited? I have visited twelve different states.
Restate the Question (the "R" in "RACE") 0 Sometimes, you won t answer the question in your topic sentence. You will write a general sentence that restates the question. 0 Example Question: How does the author in The Most Dangerous Game use indirect characterization to develop the main character s personality? 0 Example Answer: The author in the story, The Most Dangerous Game, uses indirect characterization to develop the main character s personality.
Answer the Question (the A" in "RACE") 0 When you give a general topic sentence, your next few sentences will answer the question. 0 Example: The author in the story, The Most Dangerous Game, uses indirect characterization to develop the main character s personality. Through the character s actions, it is clear that he is an adventurous person. He likes to hunt and go on ocean cruises. For example, the text states, 0 Sometimes, you will need to give some information about the text or story. Imagine that the person who will read your answer has never read the story. You may need to explain the situation before giving evidence.
0Answer the question and explain the situation before you give a quotation.
0Answer the question and explain the situation before you give a quotation. 0 State your evidence.
0Answer the question and explain the situation before you give a quotation. 0 State your evidence. 0 Then explain how your evidence supports your answer.
Answer the question and explain the situation before you give a quotation. State your evidence. Then explain how your evidence supports your answer. Example 1 = A theme for the story, Song of the Trees, by Mildred D. Taylor, is stand up for what you believe is right. In the story, Papa states, And it don't make me any difference if I die today or tomorrow. Just as long as I die right. This shows that he stands up for what he believes is right. Example 2 = A theme for the story, Song of the Trees, by Mildred D. Taylor, is stand up for what you believe is right. In the story, a man named Mr. Andersen wanted to cut down the Logan s trees. Papa Logan didn t want him to do that, so he threatened to blow up the forest so that Mr. Andersen couldn t have the trees. Mr. Andersen accused Papa of bluffing, and Papa said, And it don't make me any difference if I die today or tomorrow. Just as long as I die right. Papa believed that letting Mr. Andersen cut the trees was wrong, and he was willing to die for what he believed. This shows that he stood up for his beliefs.
Cite the Evidence (the "C" in "RACE") Most response questions will require you to support your answers with details from the reading passage. You can do this in a few ways: with a direct quotation The passage states, with a paraphrase As the passage says, . (in your own words) Be careful don t quote too much! You can combine paraphrasing details from the text with a direct quote.
Explain how the Evidence Supports your Answer (the "E" in "RACE") 0 In addition to the evidence you've cited from the text, you will need to supply your own reasoning for why you think your answer is correct and how your evidence supports your answer. 0 This shows . 0 This means . 0 Therefore . 0 It is evident that 0 You can use these sentence starters, but you must actually explain why and/or how the evidence supports your answer. You just can t give a quote and write, This shows that Cassie stands up for what she believes.
Describe the main character from the passage. Tell about the character traits that make her a special person and use details from the text to support your answer. Tracey is the main character in the passage and has many character traits that make her a special person. She is a good friend, a caring mother, and an intelligent business woman. The author explains that Tracy is always there when her best friend needs someone to talk to. When her friend, Linda, was upset about losing her job, Tracy spent time with her and took her out to dinner. This makes her a good friend because it shows that Tracey listens and tries to help her friend through difficult times. In addition, Tracey is a caring mother. In the story, she takes her children to the doctor when they are sick, and she also makes sure that they have the chance to laugh a lot, like the time she took them to the zoo to see the baby gorillas. The passage states that, Tracey will do anything to keep her children safe and happy. Visits to the doctor and special trips support the fact that she is caring. Furthermore, Tracey works hard to help her company be successful, and she has creative ideas. According to the passage, Tracey works many extra hours to complete projects and assist her customers. She is creative and is always developing new products to help her company keep growing. When there was a problem with the new accounting computer program, Tracy was on the only one who could fix it. It is evident that Tracy is a valued employee. These examples show that Tracey is kind, caring, and intelligent.
Points to Ponder You have to read the text to be able to answer the question effectively. When you quote or paraphrase evidence, you have to make sure that it supports your theme. Look up quotations so that you are quoting them exactly don t write what you think the text stated. Make sure that you don t just give quotations with no explanation. If all you do is quote, then you re not the one actually writing the response. When the prompt says to use several pieces of evidence, you should aim for the magic number three! You may not always find three pieces of good evidence, but try. For Song of the Trees, there was a lot of evidence to use.
More Points to Ponder 0 Don t use I think. You don t need it! 0 Don t write, I know this because If you can write the information, your reader will know that you know it! 0 Example 1: The theme of Song of the Trees, by Mildred D. Taylor, is stand up for what you believe. I know this is the theme because in the story Mr. Andersen was going to chop down the trees, and several members of the family tried to stop him. 0 Example 2: The theme of Song of the Trees, by Mildred D. Taylor, is stand up for what you believe. In the story Mr. Andersen was going to chop down the trees, and several members of the family tried to stop him.
Song of the Trees Written Response 0You can revise and rewrite your written response for a higher grade. 0This written response is worth a quiz grade. 0Sometimes students ask me for extra credit, and this is an extra credit opportunity!
