Sample Student Responses using the S-A-L-T-Y-P Strategy
Conrady Junior High School | North Palos School District 117 | Grade 8
The following responses are examples of students using the S-A-L-T-Y-P strategy to guide and focus
their writing. The students are 8th graders at Conrady Junior High School; some students are in Honors,
while others are in the regular education classroom, receiving additional reading support through the
programs provided at the school, including a Reading Enrichment class, an after school reading
program called Assets, and/or an additional, temporary period of reading support called Plan Time
Tutoring.
The attached writing prompts are questions from formative or summative assessments that asses a
particular reading standard of the English Language Arts/Literacy Common Core State Standards. I have
highlighted sections of each student’s response that make an explicit reference to the S-A-L-T-Y-P
strategy.
Writing
Samples:
Writing Genre/Writing Prompt:
Sample 1:
Literature: Analyze the
development of the theme of “A
Poison Tree” throughout the course
of the text.
Informational: Determine the
central idea of “Should Handguns be
Illegal?” Analyze how the author
develops or conveys the central idea
throughout the course of the text.
Literature: Read the poem
“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe
Shelley. Determine the THEME of
the poem and ANALYZE how the
author develops that theme
throughout the course of the poem.
Informational: What is the author's’
purpose of the letter, “A Petition to
the President of the United States of
America?” How do the authors
convey their purpose in the letter?
Informational: What is the central
idea of “Looking for a Lesson in
Google’s Perks”? Analyze how the
author develops the central idea.
Sample 2:
Sample 3:
Sample 4:
Sample 5
Reading
Standard
Assessed:
RL 8.2
Grade
Level
English Language Arts
Instructional Level
8
Honors
RI 8.2
8
Regular Ed./Reading Enrichment
RL 8.2
8
Honors
RI 8.6
8
Regular Ed./Assets (After School
Reading Program)/Plan Time
Tutoring
RI 8.2
8
Honors
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Sample Student Response 1
Grade 8, Honors
Literature Response
Analyze the development of the theme of “A Poison Tree” throughout the course of the
text. (RL 8.2)
Response:
The theme of “A poison tree” by William Blake is revenge. The poem “A Poison Tree” centers
around someone that took their anger towards a foe of theirs out the wrong way and
presumably kills the foe. We know that revenge is the theme through the Speaker’s
language of anger and the structure of the poem.
The poem is set in past tense and the speaker is looking back on his previous actions
using words like was, watered, grew, and knew instead of knows, watering, growing which
would’ve made the words present tense. This helps us infer that in the first stanza, the
speaker is looking back at what he should have done about being “Angry with his foe”. He
then begins to talk about what he DID do, this is important because it shows that he did
something he now knows was wrong (because anger causes people to make very sporadic
choices) and wishes he would’ve handled better, which is when the theme emerges and
begins to develop throughout the poem.
The language and tone of the poem also play a great part in the development of the
theme of revenge in the poem. The speaker uses the language of anger when he uses words
like angry, wrath, fears (because anger stems from fear), and foe. This implication of the
language if anger helps develop the theme of revenge through common sense since revenge
usually only occurs when an a person or group is angry at someone else for something that
they did, although in this poem we are kept in the dark about what the foe did that angered
the speaker.
By now you must be wondering where the actual act of revenge comes into play, and
your answer is, during the last stanza the speaker states “and into my garden stole, When
the night had veiled the pole; In the morning glad I see; my foe outstretched beneath the
tree” which infers that the speaker either found his foe dead or killed his foe (which would
be the act of revenge). We know this because he says that he was glad to find his foe
“outstretched” underneath his tree. We’ve established that the speaker doesn’t like his foe
and if the speaker found his foe just simply lying down underneath the tree (which is a
representation of his anger towards the foe) he would not be happy about it.
Every one of the stanzas in this poem were building up to the act of revenge committed
by the speaker which was killing his foe by describing the speaker’s festering hate for the foe
and giving foreshadowing of the revenge when the speaker states “ My wrath did grow, I
watered it in fears...Till it bore an apple”. The language of anger, structure of looking back
into the past regretfully, and the fact that he killed his foe at the end of the poem, all
develop the theme of revenge in the poem “A Poison tree” by William Blake.
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Sample Student Response 2
Grade 8, Regular Ed., Reading Enrichment
Informational Response
Central Idea Homework: “Should Handguns be Illegal?”
Directions: Determine the central idea of “Should Handguns be Illegal?” Analyze how the
author develops or conveys the central idea throughout the course of the text. (RI 8.2)
The central idea of “Should Handguns Be Illegal?” is dangers of allowing easy access to
purchasing a gun. The author unfolds the central idea through the whole text in different ways
to let the reader see the dangers of buying a handgun. First, the author structures the text with
an attention getter about how Cho used a gun he bought so easily that killed 32 people and has
no criminal record in the opening paragraph.(structure) The author titles the article in a bias
way by asking “Should Handguns Be Illegal?” The words “handguns and “illegal” was
purposely put in the title because he is bias over how easy it is to purchase a handgun and the
author is showing a negative connotation. The author addresses the “violence”
the “murders” the “armed robbers” and the “suicides” of easily purchasing a handgun. The
author also uses logos in this article like Cho used a gun to kill 32 people and the US
experiences epidemic levels of gun violence claiming 30,000 lives annually. (language) While
the author Jake uses most of the passage talking about the dangers of handguns and how
easily someone could purchase one and the last paragraph the author talks about how The
Supreme Court decided that Americans have the right to purchase and have guns.(tone)
Through the structure, language, and tone of Jakes article the author is able to develop the
central idea and how dangerous it is allowing easy access to purchasing guns.
*The student put in parentheses the components of SALTYP that helped her analyze the
development of the central idea.
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Sample Student Response 3
Grade 8, Honors
Literature Response
RL 8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text.
RL 8.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship
to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
Task: Read the poem “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley. As you read the poem, underline or highlight key words or phrases
that contribute to the structure, language, tone, or purpose of the poem.
Once you have analyzed the poem, determine the THEME of the poem and ANALYZE how the author develops that theme
throughout the course of the poem. You can start typing your response below the poem. Remember to have an
introduction, a body, and a conclusion and CITE THE TEXT!
The theme of “Ozymandias” written by Percy Bysshe Shelley, is of power and corruption. It
explains and focuses on how something great will always come to an end. The author achieves this
by using Ozymandias, also known as Ramses the Second, as an example. He was once a king of
Egypt, misusing his powers, because he had them galore; and now his statue is destroyed, and no
true figure is left of him. The author develops this theme by structuring the poem in a certain way
that allows the reader to understand the topic and theme that the author is addressing. The author
also uses negative language in the poem to create the feeling that Ozymandias was an atrocious
person that had lots of power and used it negatively. By using these techniques the author was
able to lucidly develop the theme of this poem.
First of all, the author structures the poem in a way that allows the reader to completely
understand the moral of the poem. He starts out by saying,”I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone” this hooks the reader into the poem, and makes
them wonder what these trunkless legs represent. This was a great way to start the poem and hook
the reader into it. Another thing that the author did besides start off strong, he also ended strong.
He stated,”Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, The lone and level sands stretch far
away".This shows how the statue is abandoned and nobody cares about it anymore.
Another technique that the author used to develop the theme was the language he used. This
language like: sunken, shattered, wreck, boundless and bare all show that this statue of Ozymandias
has fallen and is almost completely perished. This proves to the reader the theme of power and
corruption, because Ozymandias was once a ruler of great power, and now has nothing to show for
it. Also the author uses lots of alliteration like: boundless and bare, and cold command. This sticks
out to the reader and emphasizes certain points throughout the poem. Through this use of
language the author is better able to develop the theme of this poem.
The author develops the theme of this poem very lucidly and clearly, the reader is able to
understand the author’s thoughts and is able to know what the central idea of the poem is. He
accomplishes this by using alliteration to emphasize certain points throughout the poem, uses
negative language to show how the statue of Ozymandias has been destroyed, and the author also
structures the poem so that the reader is able to understand the theme, by starting out strong and
finishing strong. By using these methods, the author was able to lucidly develop the theme of the
poem.
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Sample Student Response 4
Grade 8 Regular Ed., After School Reading Program and Plan Time Tutoring
Informational Response
What is the author's’ purpose of the letter, “A Petition to the President of the United States of America?”
How do the authors convey their purpose in the letter?
Make sure to write an informational essay in complete paragraphs including an introduction, body
paragraphs, and a conclusion. It is suggested that you spend 6 minutes prewriting/brainstorming before
starting your essay. You will have 60 minutes to complete your essay.
WRITE RESPONSE HERE:
Imagine if you were to write a letter to the president. What would you say? Would you say it nicely
or rudely? Would you be straight-forward or would you beat around the bush? Letters were and are still a
way of communication that people use to say what they want to say to each other. Letters are also a way
to express our feelings and thoughts. At Least that’s what Leo Szilard and 69 co-signers did in the “A
Petition to the President of the United States of America. The author’s purpose of the letter is to inform
what the scientists thought about the President of the United States of America dropping the bomb. The
author conveys their purpose in the letter in many ways such as tone and language.
The author conveys their purpose in the letter through tone. First, the author says, “ we have had to
fear….United States might be attacked..” and “This danger is averted..” The author uses fear, danger, and
avert to describe the tone about what the scientists think. Another example is, “The added material
strength which this lead gives to the United States brings with it the obligation of restraint and if we were
to violate this obligation our moral position would be weakened in the eyes of the world and in our own
eyes.” The author says “weakened”, “violate” and “restraint” in a way that it is clear that the purpose of
the letter shows that the scientists don’t think the president should drop the bomb. The last example
would be, “ The cities of the United States as well as the cities of other nations will be in continuous
danger of sudden annihilation.” This shows the scientist’s expression of the after-effect of the war.
Furthermore, the scientists express that not only will it bring danger but it will also destroy and damage
America.
The author conveys their purpose in the letter through language. In the letter, the author uses the
words such as “weakened”, “annihilation”, and “danger” to show that dropping the bomb would bring
danger, damge and weaken America which clearly states the purpose of the letter. Likewise, the author
says these words because the author want to show the purpose of the letter by using words and phrases
that describe it. Lastly, In the letter it explains, ” Thus a nation which sets the precedent of using these
newly liberated forces of nature for purposes of destruction may have to bear the responsibility of
opening the door to an era of devastation on an unimaginable scale.” This sentence provides the words
“unimaginable” “devastation” “destruction” to show that if the doors open (meaning dropping the
bomb) then there will be destruction and devastation that is very horrible to experience. It is extremely
horrible that it is unimaginable to think about. Furthermore, the author says this sentence because he
wants to show the reader how treacherous and repungant it would be if the president decided to drop the
bomb.
In closing, the author conveys their purpose through tone and language. The purpose of the letter
was/is to inform what the scientists thought about the President of the United States of America dropping
the bomb. If you were the scientists, would you have said what they said in the letter or would you beat
around the bush and hope things don’t go wrong?
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Sample Student Response 5: Grade 8 Honors (Informational Response)
Short Answer Responses:
1.
What is the central idea of “Looking for a Lesson in Google’s Perks”? Analyze how the
author develops the central idea.
The central idea of “Looking for a Lesson in Google’s Perks” is many other workplaces
can learn from the way the Google workshop is. The author develops this idea through the
structure, language and tone. The author begins by showing us an example of how the
workers at Yahoo had hoped that they would start to become more like the Google
headquarters. The author then begins to talk about how the Google workplace remains
productive, yet fun at the same time. The author provides examples of how lavish the Google
area is, with things such as “gourmet cafeterias,” “labyrinth of play areas,” and such. This
contributes to the central idea because it shows what it’s like, and why other places would
want to model after it. Who doesn’t want play areas at work? Another way the author develops
the central idea is through language. It uses strong language when it describes something
original to Google, such as “The library looks as if Ms. Scarlet has just stepped out,” “A
bookcase swings open to reveal a secret room,” and “fiendishly challenging scavenger hunt.”
These words make you envious, and wishing you could have that. It contributes to the central
idea because it makes you realize why other companies would want to be like them so bad.
Next, the author develops the structure through the tone. Similar to the language, the words
choice the author has shows the tone of awe, meaning that it’s hard to believe how amazing
the Google headquarters are. By using phrases like “free once a week eyebrow shaping,”
“dizzying excursion through a labyrinth of play areas,” “recently expanded Lego play station,”
and “dogs strolled the corridors alongside their masters.” All these phrases show how simply
amazing the Google workplace is. Anyone seeing this would definitely be in awe of how it’s set
up. Wouldn’t you want dogs to stroll around, and have a Lego play station at your job? Finally,
the article also provides examples of how efficient the Google place is. For example, having all
these things make employees want to come to work, which makes them perform better.
Companies can learn not only through the environment of the workplace, but how the
employees do their job.
Throughout the article “Looking for a Lesson in Google’s Perks,” the central idea of many
other workplaces can learn from the way the Google workshop is is developed through the
structure, language, and tone.
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