Honors English SAGE Practice: Text Structures and Close Reading
READ THE PROMPTS CAREFULLY, and create a graphic organizer to fit each prompt. **Each
Graphic Organizer should be a full page (I will give you the blank paper), neatly written and include
the text structure you are using and the names of the texts you use. **
Use the Text Structure handout and specific details/quotations from the following texts (you need to
use all of them at least once) to create your graphic organizers:
Text #1 WWI Photos
Text # 5 “What We Are Not Fighting For”
Text #6 Peace Without Victory”
Text # 8 “Carry On: Letters in War Time”
Text #9 “Shot. Tell His Mother”
http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/
1. Writing Situation: This unit presents a series of informational texts with a variety of points of view
and accounts discussing World War I. Think about what you have learned from the voices of those in
battle, those at home, and those making critical decisions that affected the world. Refer back to your
graphic organizers and annotations to help guide your thinking.
Writing Directions: You have just read a number of texts that included different mediums: photos and
written texts describing the topic of the impact of war. In an informational/explanatory essay response,
describe what cause(s) led to the war and the effects the conditions the soldiers endured had on them.
Make sure you use examples from at least 2 of the texts, and elaborate on those examples to fully
answer the question. In your essay, you will need to:
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Introduce the topic (causes /effects of war conditions)
Develop the topic (how these conditions affected the soldiers)
Use examples from at least 2 of the texts to help develop the topic
Use transitions
Use precise language
Maintain a formal style and objective tone
Provide a conclusion
2. Writing Situation: This unit presents a series of informational texts with a variety of points of view
and accounts discussing World War I. Think about what you have learned from the voices of those in
battle, those at home, and those making critical decisions that affected the world. Refer back to your
graphic organizers and annotations to help guide your thinking.
Writing Directions: You have just read a number of texts that included different mediums: photos and
written texts describing the topic of the impact of war. Authors are very purposeful in the words they
choose to use to describe their thoughts. Select at least two texts that you found to have powerful
images and language. Select images, words and/or phrases from these texts that set the tone for each.
How do the authors’/artists’ choices impact their overall purposes in writing their pieces? In your essay,
you will need to:
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Introduce the topic (how word/image choice impacts tone in both texts)
Develop the topic (how and in what way the specific words, images and/or phrases affect the
tones and purposes of both texts)
Use examples from both texts to help develop the topic
Use transitions
Use precise language
Maintain a formal style and objective tone
Provide a conclusion
3. Writing Situation: This unit presents a series of informational texts with a variety of points of view
and accounts discussing World War I. Think about what you have learned from the voices of those in
battle, those at home, and those making critical decisions that affected the world. Refer back to your
graphic organizers and annotations to help guide your thinking.
Writing Directions: You have just read a number of texts that included different mediums: photos and
written texts describing the topic of the impact of war. In an informational/explanatory essay response,
describe the events and their impact on people/families at home in the United States/ Canada and at the
front during that time. Make sure you use examples from at least 2 of the texts, and elaborate on those
examples to fully answer the question. In your essay, you will need to:
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Introduce the topic (social implications of World War I)
Develop the topic (how these implications impacted the people at home as well as at the front)
Use examples from at least 2 of the texts to help develop the topic
Use transitions
Use precise language
Maintain a formal style and objective tone
Provide a conclusion
4. Writing Situation: This unit entitled Modern Battlefield presents a series of informational texts with a
variety of points of view and accounts discussing World War I. Think about what you have learned
from the voices of those in battle, those at home, and those making critical decisions that affected the
world. Refer back to your graphic organizers and annotations to help guide your thinking.
Writing Directions: You have just read a number of texts that included different mediums: photos and
written texts describing the topic of the impact of World War I. In an informational/explanatory essay
response, discuss the problem of achieving a lasting, democratic peace and possible solutions to attain
it. Make sure you use examples from at least 2 of the texts, and elaborate on those examples to fully
answer the question. In your essay, you will need to:
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Introduce the topic (achieving a lasting peace)
Develop the topic (how these implications impacted people in other countries)
Use examples from at least 2 of the texts to help develop the topic
Use transitions
Use precise language
Maintain a formal style and objective tone
Provide a conclusion
**Each Graphic Organizer should be a full page (I will give you the blank paper), neatly written and
include the text structure you are using and the names of the texts you use. **