Dissecting The Prompt
Approaching the task: The prompt
Step 1: Read the prompt
‘Our relationships with other help us to define who we are.’
Step 2: Underline the key words
‘Our relationships with other help us to define who we are.’
Step 3: Define key terms.
Relationships – connections with others, bonds, interactions. E.gs: family, friends, workmates, classmates, teachers etc.
Step 4: Challenge the prompt to create more ideas.
Asking questions about your prompt – is that the only thing that defines who we are?
Write a statement which expresses the opposite idea to that of the prompt. Relationships do not define who we are, our identities define who we have relationships with.
Do this even if you completely agree with the prompt, just to examine a range of ideas that could aid you in discovering more ideas.
Step 5: Connect to the text and other sources you have studied.
GUAIA: Simon Tong’s experiences with his classmates (racism, teasing etc) negatively affected his sense of self.
Personal: In my own life…
Other ideas:
Step 6: What is your point of view on the prompt?
Agree, disagree, partially agree/disagree? How does it compare to the point of views expressed in GUAIA?
Step 7: Consider other’s points of view
Turn the prompt into a question, and create different perspectives by imagining how this question would be answered by different people.
Q: Do our relationships with others help define who we are?
A: Yes/ no/ sometimes/ it’s not the only thing.
Step 8: Rewrite the prompt in your own words
Our identities are defined by our connections with other people.
Step 9: Use the ideas you have generated from the above steps to create a plan for your written piece.
Paragraph 1 – family, in particular, play an important role in instilling our values.
Paragraph 2 – Relationships are not the only thing that define us; experiences like racism and bullying also play a role.
Paragraph 3 – sometimes our relationships are defined by who we are – we seek out people with similar beliefs etc and
Step 1: Read the prompt
‘Our relationships with other help us to define who we are.’
Step 2: Underline the key words
‘Our relationships with other help us to define who we are.’
Step 3: Define key terms.
Relationships – connections with others, bonds, interactions. E.gs: family, friends, workmates, classmates, teachers etc.
Step 4: Challenge the prompt to create more ideas.
Asking questions about your prompt – is that the only thing that defines who we are?
Write a statement which expresses the opposite idea to that of the prompt. Relationships do not define who we are, our identities define who we have relationships with.
Do this even if you completely agree with the prompt, just to examine a range of ideas that could aid you in discovering more ideas.
Step 5: Connect to the text and other sources you have studied.
GUAIA: Simon Tong’s experiences with his classmates (racism, teasing etc) negatively affected his sense of self.
Personal: In my own life…
Other ideas:
Step 6: What is your point of view on the prompt?
Agree, disagree, partially agree/disagree? How does it compare to the point of views expressed in GUAIA?
Step 7: Consider other’s points of view
Turn the prompt into a question, and create different perspectives by imagining how this question would be answered by different people.
Q: Do our relationships with others help define who we are?
A: Yes/ no/ sometimes/ it’s not the only thing.
Step 8: Rewrite the prompt in your own words
Our identities are defined by our connections with other people.
Step 9: Use the ideas you have generated from the above steps to create a plan for your written piece.
Paragraph 1 – family, in particular, play an important role in instilling our values.
Paragraph 2 – Relationships are not the only thing that define us; experiences like racism and bullying also play a role.
Paragraph 3 – sometimes our relationships are defined by who we are – we seek out people with similar beliefs etc and