ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
QUARTER 3 (January 4-March 18, 2016)
Dates:
Topic:
Curriculum & Instruction Responsibilities:
Target
Standard:
+ 7.RL.2.3: Analyze the interaction of elements in a work of literature (e.g., how setting shapes the characters
or plot).

Target Skill within standard: Analyze characters and their effect on plot
Continue to revisit this standard as you integrate the additional ‘RN’ standards from your weekly pacing.
Instructional
Suggestions:





Week 7
Feb. 1619
ConstructedResponse
Question
Stem(s):
ISTEP+
Practice
Writing
Prompt:
This standard requires students to apply multiple skills to a piece of literature they are reading. As the standard
states, this standard focuses on multiple literary elements present in a work of fiction. Students must have
prerequisite knowledge of setting, characterization, and basic plot structure. This standard also requires prerequisite
knowledge of other RL standards, such as making inferences (RL.2.1).
To make inferences about setting, characters, and plot, students must study the information presented in the text in
connection with their prior knowledge of the information.
In addition, this standard requires students to not only individually recognize each literary element within a text, but
take the analysis further by connecting the literary elements to each other in the text. Students must determine how
these elements affect each other, analyzing how a change in one element would affect the outcome of the story
overall.
As this skill will require multiple layers of analysis for multiple elements, a graphic organizer will help students
organize the textual evidence for each element and track their development throughout the literary work.
Words and phrases that are useful in the instruction of this standard and/or may appear on ISTEP+ in relation to
standard:
o plot (exposition, climax, conflict, resolution), characterization, indirect, direct, setting, effect, literary
elements
o What is the setting? How do you know? Has the setting affects the characters’ actions?
o Who is/are the character(s)? Have characters changed or interacted? If so, how?
o How would you describe the characters? Why?
o Are there any conflicts in the story? If so, have they been resolved?
Continue to revisit this standard as you integrate the additional ‘RN’ standards from your weekly pacing.
CR Question to Use:

How do the early interactions between Mrs. Hall and the stranger affect the rest of the plot in this excerpt? Support
your response with details from the excerpt.
The following questions stems reflect possible assessment questions related to this skill and standard:

An example of how the plot is shaped by the setting is _________.

An example of how a character evolves with the plot it ______________?

What can you infer about the character and how he is shaped by the setting?

How might the plot of the story be different if it occurred in a different setting?
ISTEP+ Practice Writing Prompt- Response to Literature:

Read the excerpts from Confetti Girl and Tortilla Sun, then analyze the response to literature prompt.

Synopsis of Prompt: Think about the points of view of both characters in each excerpt and consider the details in
each excerpt that demonstrate these differences. Using the events and details from both excerpts, write an essay
analyzing how the differences in points of view create tensions in both excerpts.

Remember, the purpose of this ISTEP+ Practice Writing Prompt is to simulate the environment and experience
students can expect on the writing portion of the ISTEP+.

Approximately 25 minutes should be given for students to read the texts and answer multiple choice questions. Then,
an additional 55 minutes should be given for students to complete the prompt (reflects ISTEP+ test time).
** During the week of February 22nd, the writing resources will return to text-based writing prompts that can be used in
conjunction with the rigorous read.**
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Test-Taking
Strategy:
Resources:
Response to Literature: Overall Structure/Outline and Thesis Writing

Resources have been provided to help students understand the structure of a strong response to literature essay.

Use the organization format document to teach the structure, then utilize the sample response to literature for
students to deconstruct a completed essay into its separate parts. This will help students identify each part of a
response to literature, helping inform the structure they will need to write.

Additionally included is a template and guidance to help teach students how to write a thesis statement for a
response to literature essay.

As thesis statements for response to literature essays are dependent upon the prompt, this provides another
opportunity to use the GATE structure with students to deconstruct the prompt.

AFTER administering the ISTEP+ Practice Writing Prompt, use that prompt to review deconstruction of prompts
with the GATE strategy and creating a thesis statement.
*Resources included in the final pages of this document*
Rigorous Read- from The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (This text should be used to provide students’ exposure to texts that
are at or above the higher end of your grade-level Lexile band. Additionally, the purpose of this text is to reinforce the skill
of the week.)
Online practice and resources:

http://www.englishworksheetsland.com/grade7/readingliterature/3/2elements.pdf

http://www.englishworksheetsland.com/grade7/readingliterature/3/5character.pdf
Graphic Organizer included (after text)- Comparison of two texts
Biweekly
Assessment
Assessment to gauge student performance on the target skills- interaction of characters and development of theme- will
be administered on February 26. The biweekly assessment will also determine student performance on the target skill
for week 8.
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Rigorous Read-Grade 7
Quarter 3, Week 7: February 16-19
from The Invisible Man
by H.G. Wells
1
The stranger came early in February, one wintry day, through a biting wind and a driving snow, the last snowfall
of the year, over the down, walking as it seemed from Bramblehurst railway station, and carrying a little black
portmanteau1 in his thickly gloved hand. He was wrapped up from head to foot, and the brim of his soft felt hat hid
every inch of his face but the shiny tip of his nose; the snow had piled itself against his shoulders and chest, and added a
white crest to the burden he carried. He staggered into the Coach and Horses, more dead than alive as it seemed, and
flung his portmanteau down. "A fire," he cried, "in the name of human charity! A room and a fire!" He stamped and
shook the snow from off himself in the bar, and followed Mrs. Hall into her guest parlor to strike his bargain. And with
that much introduction, that and a ready acquiescence2 to terms and a couple of sovereigns3 flung upon the table, he
took up his quarters in the inn.
2
Mrs. Hall lit the fire and left him there while she went to prepare him a meal with her own hands. A guest to
stop at Iping in the wintertime was an unheard-of piece of luck, let alone a guest who was no "haggler," and she was
resolved to show herself worth of her good fortune. As soon as the bacon was well under way, and Millie, her lymphatic4
aid, had been brisked up a bit by a few carefully chosen expressions of contempt5, she carried the cloth, plates, and
glasses into the parlor and began to lay them with the utmost eclat6. Although the fire was burning up briskly, she was
surprised to see that her visitor still wore his hat and coat, standing with his back to her and staring out of the window at
the falling snow in the yard. His gloved hands were clasped behind him, and he seemed to be lost in thought. She
noticed that the melting snow that still sprinkled his shoulders dropped upon her carpet. "Can I take your hat and coat,
sir?" she said, "and give them a good dry in the kitchen?"
3
"No," he said without turning.
4
She was not sure she had heard him, and was about to repeat her question.
5
He turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder. "I prefer to keep them on," he said with emphasis, and
she noticed that he wore big blue spectacles with sidelights, and had a bush side-whisker7 over his coat-collar that
completely hid his cheeks and face.
6
"Very well, sir," she said. "As you like. In a bit the room will be warmer."
7
He made no answer, and had turned his face away from her again, and Mrs. Hall, feeling that her conversational
advances were ill-timed, laid the rest of the table things in a quick staccato and whisked out of the room. When she
returned he was still standing there, like a man of stone, his back hunched, his collar turned up, his dripping hat-brim
turned down, hiding his face and ears completely. She put down the eggs and bacon with considerable emphasis, and
called rather than said to him, "Your lunch is served, sir."
8
"Thank you," he said at the same time, and did not stir until she was closing the door. Then he swung round and
approached the table with a certain eager quickness.
9
As she went behind the bar to the kitchen she heard a sound repeated at regular intervals. Chirk, chirk, chirk, it
went, the sound of a spoon being rapidly whisked round a basin. "That girl!" she said. "There! I clean forgot it. It’s her
being so long!" And while she herself finished mixing the mustard, she gave Millie a few verbal stabs for her excessive
slowness. She had cooked the ham and eggs, laid the table, and done everything, while Millie (help indeed!) had only
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
succeeded in delaying the mustard. And him a new guest and wanting to stay! Then she filled the mustard pot, and,
putting it with a certain stateliness upon a gold and black tea-tray, carried it into the parlour.
10
She rapped and entered promptly. As she did so her visitor moved quickly, so that she got but a glimpse of a
white object disappearing behind the table. It would seem he was picking something from the floor. She rapped down
the mustard pot on the table, and then she noticed the overcoat and hat had been taken off and put over a chair in front
of the fire, and a pair of wet boots threatened rust to her steel fender. She went to these things determinedly. "I
suppose I may have them to dry now," she said in a voice that accepted no denial.
11
"Leave the hat," said her visitor, in a muffled voice, and turning she saw he had raised his head and was sitting
and looking at her.
12
For a moment she stood gaping at him, too surprised to speak.
13
He held a white cloth -- it was a serviette8 he had brought with him -- over the lower part of his face, so that his
mouth and jaws were completely hidden, and that was the reason of his muffled voice. But it was not that which
startled Mrs. Hall. It was the fact that all his forehead above his blue glasses was covered by a white bandage, and that
another covered his ears, leaving not a scrap of his face exposed excepting only his pink, peaked nose. It was bright,
pink, and shiny just as it had been at first. He wore a dark-brown velvet jacket with a high, black, linen-lined collar turned
up about his neck. The thick black hair, escaping as it could below and between the cross bandages, projected in curious
tails and horns, giving him the strangest appearance conceivable. This muffled and bandaged head was so unlike what
she had anticipated, that for a moment she was rigid.
14
He did not remove the serviette, but remained holding it, as she saw now, with a brown gloved hand, and
regarding her with his inscrutable blue glasses. "Leave the hat," he said, speaking very distinctly through the white cloth.
15
Her nerves began to recover from the shock they had received. She placed the hat on the chair again by the fire.
"I don’t know, sir," she began, "that -- " and she stopped embarrassed.
16
"Thank you," he said drily, glancing from her to the door and then at her again.
17
"I’ll have them nicely dried, sir, at once," she said, and carried his clothes out of the room. She glanced at his
white-swathed head and blue goggles again as she was going out of the door; but his napkin was still in front of his face.
She shivered a little as she closed the door behind her, and her face was full of her surprise and perplexity.
Footnotes:
1
portmanteau- a large trunk or suitcase
acquiesence- to accept or agree to
3
sovereigns- gold coin of the United Kingdom
4
lymphatic- sluggish, slow, or inactive
5
contempt- feeling that a person or thing is worthless
6
eclat- confidence or style
7
bush side-whisker- the part of man’s beard which grows on the cheeks only
8
serviette- a table napkin
2
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
RL.2.3- Analyze interaction of elements
Name: _________________________________
Setting and Characters
Description of Setting:
How has the setting affected character 1?
How has the setting affected character 2?
Characters and Plot
Characters’ Actions (Characters 1 and 2)
How have characters’ actions affected events in
text?
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Grade 7- ISTEP+ Aligned Practice Writing Prompt #2
Directions: Read the following two excerpts from different novels and answer the questions about each individually, as
well as the questions analyzing both texts. Then, you will write an essay responding to the ideas presented in both
excerpts.
from Confetti Girl
by Diana López
1
Mom always had after-school projects waiting for me. “Can you help decorate cookies?” she’d say. Or, “Go
outside and pick some flowers.” Or, “Fix my nails, please.” She loved to paint them, but since she wasn’t coordinated
with her left hand, her right-hand nails looked like a preschooler’s coloring page.
2
I guess these projects were chores, but they were fun, too. Now when I come home, I’ve got to sweep, fold
towels, or scrub the bathroom sink. Dad helps, but sometimes he makes a big mess.
3
Like today. He’s got flour, potato skins, and crumpled napkins on the counter. The pot boils over with brown
scum. And I don’t want to talk to him because I’m still mad about the volleyball game, but I have to know what he’s up
to.
4
“What are you doing, Dad?”
5
“Making dinner. Thought I’d give you a break.”
6
Except for game nights, dinner’s my responsibility. I cook while Dad cleans— that’s our rule. And even though I
don’t cook as well as Mom did, Dad never complains.
7
“What are you going to make?” I ask.
8
“Carne guisada and papas fritas.”
9
“You need a recipe for that?”
10
“Are you kidding? I need a recipe for peanut butter sandwiches.”
11
How mad can a girl be at a man who makes fun of himself and wears a green frog apron that says KISS THE
COOK and tube socks over his hands for potholders?
12
We clear space on the table. Dinner’s served. The beef’s tough and the papas are mushy, but who cares? I
pretend it’s delicious because my dad lets me blabber about the Halloween carnival. He laughs out loud when I describe
Vanessa’s potato baby and Ms. Cantu’s creative cascarones1, so I don’t complain when I notice he served ranch-style
beans straight from the can instead of heating them up first.
13
Everything’s great until he asks about my English class.
14
“Any new vocabulary words?” he wants to know.
15
“I guess. Maybe. Super . . . super . . . super something. Can’t remember.”
16
“Was it supersede?” he asks. “Supercilious? Superfluous?”
17
“I don’t remember, Dad. It could have been super-duper or super-loop for all I care.”
18
He gets sarcasm from his students all the time so he’s good at ignoring it.
19
“Remember that super is a prefix that means ‘above and beyond,’” he says. “So no matter what the word is, you
can get its meaning if you take it apart.”
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
20
“Okay, Dad. I get it. So did I tell you we’re having a book sale for our next fundraiser?”
21
“What else are you doing in English?” he asks. “Reading any novels?”
22
I sigh, bored, but he doesn’t get the hint. He just waits for my answer. “Yes,” I finally say. “I don’t remember the
title, but it’s got a rabbit on the cover.”
23
“Is it Watership Down? It’s got to be Watership Down.”
24
“Yes, that’s it. But I left it in my locker. I guess I can’t do my homework.”
25
“Nonsense. I’ve got a copy somewhere. Let me look.”
26
He leaves the table to scan the bookshelves, and all of the sudden, I care about the tough beef, the mushy
potatoes, and the cold beans. Why should I eat when my own father has abandoned his food? Nothing’s more important
than his books and vocabulary words. He might say I matter, but when he goes on a scavenger hunt for a book, I realize
that I really don’t.
27
I take my plate to the kitchen, grab my half-finished soda, and head to my room. When I walk past him, he’s
kneeling to search the lower shelves. He’s got a paper towel and wipes it lovingly over the titles as if polishing a sports
car. He doesn’t hear my angry, stomping footsteps. I catch the last part of his sentence.
28
“. . . a classic epic journey,” he says as if he were in class with a bunch of students. I can’t stand it. I just can’t
stand it. I’d rather have Vanessa’s crazy mom.
29
Later, just as I write I love Luís for the three-hundredth time, my dad peeks through my bedroom door.
30
“Found my copy of Watership Down,” he says, handing me a paperback whose spine’s been taped a dozen
times. “How far do you have to read tonight?”
31
“The first four chapters,” I say.
32
“That’s a lot. You better get busy.”
33
“Sure, Dad. I’ll start reading right away.”
34
But I don’t. As soon as he leaves, I put the book on my nightstand and use it as a coaster. The condensation from
my soda makes a big, wet circle on the cover.
______________________
Footnotes:
1
cascarones- hollow eggs filled with confetti or toys
Source: PARCC Practice Tests. http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/english/
From CONFETTI GIRL by Diana López. Copyright © 2009 by Diana López. By permission of Little, Brown, and Company.
1. What attitude does the narrator of Confetti Girl display through her actions in paragraph 34?
a. concern about being able to finish her schoolwork
b. dishonestly in lying to her father about her homework
c. carelessness when it comes to doing household chores
d. resentment of her father’s efforts to force his interests on her
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Read the following excerpt from the novel Tortilla Sun and answer question 2.
from Tortilla Sun
by Jennifer Cervantes
1
Clang cla-clang, clang clang. The next morning, I found Mom in the kitchen with a chisel and hammer, chipping
away at the kitchen counter. Little flecks of white flew through the air like ceramic snow, landing softly on her olivecolored cheeks.
2
I ducked as a piece of tile flew at me. “Hey!”
3
She turned toward me with a look of surprise. “Morning, Izzy. I didn’t see you standing there.”
4
“Wha . . . what are you doing?” I asked.
5
She stepped back and surveyed the half-demolished counter the way someone stands back to study a newly
hung photograph. Wiping her cheek with the back of her hand she said, “There was this”—she searched the mess on the
floor— ”this one broken tile poking out and I thought I should fix it and . . .”
6
me.
I pushed past her to get the broom but she grabbed me by the elbow. A feeling of nervousness swelled inside
7
“Izzy, wait. I have something to tell you.”
8
There it was. My heart buckled in my chest. Something was wrong.
9
Mom leaned back against the counter and sucked in a great gulp of air. “It’s strange actually. I wasn’t expecting
it, but then at the last minute the funding came through.” She folded her arms across her waist. “I’m going to Costa Rica
to finish my research.”
10
Her words buzzed around me like a swarm of confused bees. “When? For how long?”
11
“I’ll be gone for most of the summer. I leave Tuesday.”
12
Mom wouldn’t leave me. We’d go together. Right? “But that’s only three days away.” I stepped away from Mom
and the shards of tile.
13
“I don’t have a choice.”
14
“But what am I supposed to do? That’s three whole months.”
15
“Two. I’ll be home at the end of July. And after this I can finally graduate. Our lives will change then.” She
reached over and stroked my hair. “For the better.”
16
I rolled those three words around in my mind: for the better.
17
Suddenly last night’s phone call made perfect sense. I inched closer and pushed at the broken tile with my toes.
18
“Are you sending me to Nana’s?” I asked. “In New Mexico?”
19
A flash of surprise crossed Mom’s face. Like she knew I had heard her phone conversation. “She’s so excited to
have you and . . .”
20
“What happened to all your talk about you guys not seeing eye to eye?” I asked.
21
“It’s not that we don’t see eye to eye. We just don’t see the world the same way.”
22
“Why can’t I go with you?” I said.
23
“Izzy . . .”
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
24
“New Mexico is worlds away from California. And what am I going to do for two whole months with someone I
haven’t seen since I was six? That was half my life ago. She’s a stranger!” I felt a sudden urge to bolt for the front door
and run.
25
Mom rolled her eyes. “Oh, Izzy. She’s hardly a stranger. She’s family. I already have your ticket. You leave
Monday.” Mom opened the refrigerator and took out a diet soda, pressing the cold can against her face before opening
it.
26
I stared at the mess on the floor. “Why can’t I stay here? Alone.” My voice quivered.
27
Mom took a swig of her soda, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she spoke
slowly and deliberately.
28
“You’re going to New Mexico and that’s final.”
29
I swallowed hard and tried not to cry. “Why do you always get to decide everything? We just unpacked and I—I
had plans.”
30
She raised her eyebrows, surprised. “Plans?”
31
Mom was always bugging me to make friends, which I didn’t see the point of, considering we moved every few
months. And we moved for all sorts of reasons: closer to the university for her, better school for me, quieter, prettier,
bigger, smaller.
32
“I was going to try and find some girls my age here in the complex so I wouldn’t have to be the new kid in school
again,” I said, trying to sound believable.
33
“Honey, you can make friends at your new school in the fall. Besides, this is a wonderful opportunity for you.”
34
“Opportunity? For me? Or for you?”
35
I stormed off to my room and threw myself onto my bed. I ached inside. Like the feeling you get watching a lost
balloon float far into the sky until it becomes an invisible nothing.
36
I reached for a story card and scribbled:
37
Gypsy was sent to prison for stealing the magic ball. And when she was tossed into the dungeon below the
castle she found the word “opportunity” written across the stone wall.
38
Staring at the card, I wondered what should happen next. Maybe a daring escape or a sorceress could rescue
her. When nothing came to me, I scratched out the word opportunity until it was a big blob of blue ink and tossed the
card on the floor.
39
I heard Mom’s footsteps coming toward my closed bedroom door. I held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t knock.
40
Tap. Tap.
41
Silence.
42
“Izzy?” she spoke quietly.
43
My hands wandered beneath my pillow and gripped the baseball I had hidden there. I squeezed my eyes closed
and whispered, “I wish I didn’t have to go. I wish I didn’t have to go.”
44
“I’ve brought your suitcase.” She stood outside my door for what seemed like forever. I pictured her on the
other side, arms crossed, head down.
45
“I think you’re going to like the village.” Her voice became a little muffled now, like her mouth was pressed right
up against the door. “It’s strange and beautiful at the same time and a perfect place to explore. You just might be
surprised what you find there.” She paused for a moment then continued. “Would you please talk to me?”
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
46
I burrowed my head under the pillow with the baseball. A tiny piece of me felt guilty for stealing it, but it
belonged to my dad and that made it special. That made it a part of me.
47
“I’ll just leave the suitcase here for you,” she said. Her bare feet slapped against the tile and carried her away.
Source: PARCC Practice Tests. http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/english/
From TORTILLA SUN, © 2010 by Jennifer Cervantes. Used with permission of Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco. Visit
ChronicleBooks.com.
_____________________
2. How do the phrases stormed off, float far, and invisible nothing in paragraph 35 contribute to the tone of the
passage?
a. They call attention to the narrator’s feelings of guilt and anger about the conversation with her mother.
b. They emphasize the narrator’s growing sense of hopelessness based on the current situation.
c. They reflect the narrator’s escape into comforting daydreams and the stories she creates.
d. They highlight the narrator’s strong sense of independence and her overall determination.
Refer to the passages from Confetti Girl and Tortilla Sun. Then answer question 3.
3. In both passages, what causes the primary conflict between the narrator and her parent?
a. The narrator takes some action that leads to disappointment for the parent.
b. The narrator misunderstands the reasons behind her parent’s actions.
c. The parent acts in a way that neglects the narrator’s interests and feelings.
d. The parent makes a mess that they expect the narrator to clean up.
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Grade 7 ISTEP+ Practice Writing Prompt #2
You have read the excerpts from Confetti Girl and Tortilla Sun. In both excerpts, the narrators have points of
view that differ from those of their parents. Think about the points of view of both characters in each excerpt
and consider the details in each excerpt that demonstrate these differences. Using the events and details from
both excerpts, write an essay analyzing how the differences in points of view create tensions in both excerpts.
Be sure to include
 the points of view of the narrator and their parent in each excerpt
 events and details from each excerpt that demonstrate the differences in point of view
 an explanation of how tension is created by specific details in both
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Test-Taking Strategies: Response to Literature Organization and Thesis Statements
Quarter 3, Week 7: February 16-19
Response to lit ESSAY Format
Title
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Sentence 1: QUICK SUMMARY - provide a brief summary of the piece of literature
Sentence 2: THESIS - your statement of belief; this directly answers the question asked in the writing prompt;
do not use “because” in the thesis
Sentence 3: INTRODUCE your 3 opinions/judgments that prove your thesis IN THE SAME ORDER THAT YOU WILL
BE WRITING THEM IN YOUR ESSAY
Paragraph 2: Body #1
Sentence 1: Topic sentence that connects to thesis (#1 of your opinion/judgment from intro)
Sentence 2: Evidence quoted directly or paraphrased from the literature
Sentence 3: Your analysis of the evidence
Sentence 4: Connection to text/self/world
Sentence 5: Transition to the topic of Body #2
Paragraph 3: Body #2
Sentence 1: Topic sentence that connects to thesis (#2 of your opinion/judgment from intro)
Sentence 2: Evidence quoted directly or paraphrased from the literature
Sentence 3: Your analysis of the evidence
Sentence 4: Connection to text/self/world
Sentence 5: Transition to the topic of Body #3
Paragraph 4: Body #3
Sentence 1: Topic sentence that connects to thesis (#3 of your opinion/judgment from intro)
Sentence 2: Evidence quoted directly or paraphrased from the literature
Sentence 3: Your analysis of the evidence
Sentence 4: Connection to text/self/world
Sentence 5: Transition to the conclusion
Paragraph 5: Conclusion
Sentence 1: Use a transition phrase such as “In conclusion” and then restate your thesis
Sentence 2: Summarize your convincing evidence
Sentence 3: Explain how your evidence demonstrates your thesis
Sentence 4: Explain how your evidence demonstrates your thesis
DO NOT ADD ANYTHING off-topic. If you think of something completely new, DO NOT SAY IT HERE.
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
Response to literature ESSAY Format
What is the question you are answering?__________________________________________________
(Your thesis should be a direct answer to this question. Do not use “because” in your thesis.)
Title: _________________________________
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Sentence 1: Quick Summary: ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Sentence 2: THESIS: ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Sentence 3: INTRODUCE your 3 opinions/judgments that prove your thesis IN THE SAME ORDER THAT YOU WILL
BE WRITING THEM IN YOUR ESSAY:
1._________________________________________________________________________________
2.__________________________________________________________________________________
3.__________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: Body #1
Sentence 1: TOPIC SENTENCE __________________________________________________________________
Sentence 2: EVIDENCE ________________________________________________________________________
Sentence 3: ANALYSIS ________________________________________________________________________
Sentence 4: CONNECTION _____________________________________________________________________
Sentence 5: TRANSITION _______________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 3: Body #2
Sentence 1: TOPIC SENTENCE __________________________________________________________________
Sentence 2: EVIDENCE ________________________________________________________________________
Sentence 3: ANALYSIS ________________________________________________________________________
Sentence 4: CONNECTION _____________________________________________________________________
Sentence 5: TRANSITION _______________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 4: Body #3
Sentence 1: TOPIC SENTENCE __________________________________________________________________
Sentence 2: EVIDENCE ________________________________________________________________________
Sentence 3: ANALYSIS ________________________________________________________________________
Sentence 4: CONNECTION _____________________________________________________________________
Sentence 5: TRANSITION _______________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 5: Conclusion
Sentence 1: In conclusion _____________________________________________________________________
Sentence 2: SUMMARY of EVIDENCE _____________________________________________________________
Sentence 3: CONNECT to THESIS________________________________________________________________
Sentence 4: CONNECT to THESIS________________________________________________________________
DO NOT ADD ANYTHING NEW. If you think of something else you want to say, DO NOT SAY IT HERE.
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016

Writing Sample: Below is an example of a student’s writing from this response to literature lesson about the
short story, The Stranger. Use this example and the response to literature outline to determine all parts of the
essay.
The Stranger: A Response to Literature
In the fantasy short story The Stranger, which occurred during the beginning
of autumn out in the country, author Chris Van Allsburg wrote about a mysterious
man who was accidentally run over by Farmer Bailey. Mr. Bailey took the man back to
his farm to help the unknown man. After that, strange things began to happen. This
character, referred to as the Stranger in the tale, was very odd.
The Stranger’s icy cold temperature was one of the first clues to prove he was an odd
character. This image was created when the author wrote the doctor told Mrs. Bailey: “Oh, you
can throw that out,” he answered. “It’s broken. The mercury is stuck at the bot- tom.” A human
being would be dead with a temperature that measured that low on the thermometer, so the doctor
really thought the instrument was broken, but it wasn’t! This scene reminds me of a sci-fi
movie when strange events begin to happen. This connection makes me wonder what
would have happened if Mrs. Bailey used the thermometer, instead of throwing it away?
Another reason the Stranger was an odd character was his inability to button his shirt.
This was demonstrated when the author wrote: “The fellow seemed confused about the
buttons and buttonholes.” How is it possible for a grown man not to know what a button is? The
Bailey’s should have realized something very strange was happening. This scene reminded me of
reports I have read about amnesia. Sometimes people have accidents and forget who they are, and
everyday functions like buttoning a shirt. This makes me ask: “Why weren’t the Bailey’s more
concern with thisproblem?”
While the Stranger’s difficulty with buttons seemed very unusual, his inability to tire
really made him stick-out. “The stranger never tired. He didn’t even sweat.” It seems impossible for
Mr. Bailey, a farmer used to hard work, was sweating and exhausted, yet the stranger was fresh
and full of energy. This reminds me of robot movies about androids that look human but never
sleep, eat, or tire. After all these strange events, even something like androids seems possible. What
was really amazing is the love of the Bailey family in this part. They didn’t fear the stranger.
Instead they treated him kindly.
All this convincing evidence proves the character was very odd.
Ultimately, the hermit-like man turned out to be the season fall. Now that’s odd! After
reading this short story, I wished I could treat people like the Bailey’s treated the
Stranger, without judgement and only with kindness.
ELA ISTEP+ Support Framework Grade 7
2015 – 2016


Response to Literature Writing Lesson: Introduction- Thesis Statements
Step 2: Thesis Statement: The thesis statement requires one opinion or three opinions. These opinions or
judgements are about a character's personality traits, the impact of the setting, the events in the plot, the
meaning of theme, or the moral of the story.
If students form one opinion, they then need to find three pieces of evidence from the text to support it,
while three opinions require one piece of evidence for each. For example, on the organizer (below), the
thesis statement (Th) has one opinion: The stranger was odd. This opinion will need to be supported by
three pieces of evidence. Alternatively, if this response had three opinions for the thesis statement (i.e., The
Stranger was odd, hard-working, and kind), then the thesis statement would require one piece of evidence
for each of these opinions.
Teacher: After my quick summary I need to write an opinion about Chris Van Allsburg’s story The Stranger.
I know that I can make a judgment or state an opinion about a character for a response. Since the stranger
was such an odd person, and the author provided many parts of the story to depict him as strange, then my
opinion in this response is that the stranger was an odd character.

Students use the template (below) from their “at-a-glance” charts to generate a thesis statement. Writers who
are more independent include the necessary components for the thesis statement, without the support of the
pattern sentence.