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Rethinking basic parts of your argument, including your presentation of that argument,
1
DIFFERENTIATION Analyzing Short Fiction puts forth an argument for your interpretation of the passage or story?
Collaborative Learning
After reviewing an exemplar essay in
class, ask students to peer review each
other’s paragraphs using the checklist
ovided. Y
ou may wish to cr
eate a form for
pr
provided. You may wish to create a form for
© Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.
students to provide specific feedback for
each bullet point.
TRM Graded Student Sample Essays
Additional graded student sample essays
can be found in the Teacher’s Resource
Materials.
DIFFERENTIATION
Collaborative Learning
Ask small groups of students to “peer
review” the sample essay using the bullet
points on the page. You may wish to ask
each student group to focus on one or two
points, and then share their observations
with the entire class. You might wish to
paste this essay into a shared Google
Doc so the class can see what each group
has shared. 46
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02_SheaTEL&C3e_40437_ch01_001_053.indd 46
is where the real work comes in. You may find the following questions helpful for guiding
your revision of a prose fiction analysis essay:
• Reread the entire essay for comprehension. Is there a clear line of reasoning that
• Reread your introduction and thesis statement. Is the thesis clear? Have you taken
a position that goes beyond summary or paraphrase? Does it respond to the prompt
by presenting an argument for how literary elements and techniques create meaning?
• Reread each topic sentence. Does it accurately reflect a claim in your thesis?
Does it provide a bridge between the line of reasoning in your thesis and the
evidence in the paragraph?
• Check your evidence. Do the quotations you’ve chosen to use clearly support the
claim in the topic sentence of each body paragraph?
• Evaluate your commentary. Does it explain the relationship between the textual
evidence you’ve selected and the topic sentence in the body paragraphs?
• Reread for spelling and grammar. Do you have run-ons? Misspelled words?
• Read your writing aloud to yourself. Does it sound right? Can you tighten
anything up?
• If possible, step away from it. Clear your mind for a few hours — a day if you can.
Return to your work with fresh eyes as a reader instead of as the writer.
• Reread one final time with a clear head. Just a tune-up. Are there small changes
you can make to improve word choice and sentence structure?
®
Analyzing a Sample AP Prose Fiction Analysis Essay
The following student essay responds to the prompt we introduced on page 38. As you
read it, think about how you would provide feedback to help this student revise
her draft.
“Girl”
Selin Selcuker
In her short story “Girl,” Jamaica Kincaid comments on society’s values through a
mother’s expectations for her daughter. Her words offer a series of demonstrations of
how to act like a proper woman of society, placing femininity as a top priority for
young girls. Kincaid’s short story shapes the complex relationship between the
mother and her daughter by the usage of informal diction that contrasts the formality
of the mother’s expectations, the accusatory tone of the mother, and the parallel
structure evoking the strong feelings of the mother toward her daughter’s success.
A mother’s role is to provide her daughter with the tools she needs to succeed in
society without her. The mother in the story does just that: she offers clear,
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chapter 1 / Analyzing Short Fiction
18/02/22 1:42 PM