In this assignment, students write a Character Response about an excerpt from The Velveteen Rabbit by Marjorie Williams Bianco. Students analyze the text by focusing on the interactions between the two main characters—the boy and the rabbit. Students develop a Character Response that responds to the prompt and includes at least two details and examples from the text to support their ideas and develop their writing. The ability to analyze a literary work for character development—and to cite supporting evidence from the text—are key skills required by many writing assignments in the Information genre.

In this assignment, students write a Comparison about two of the characters from Heidi by Johanna Spyri. Students review an excerpt from this well-known fictional story and analyze the characters of Heidi and Alm-Uncle, noting differences between the two. Students also look for and note similarities, supporting their ideas with details from the text. The ability to compare and contrast characters in a literary work—and to cite supporting evidence from the text—are key skills required by many Information-genre writing assignments.

In this assignment, students write a Poetry Response about Robert Louis Stevenson's poem "My Shadow." Students explore the meaning of the poem and the style of writing. They use details and examples from the text to support their points and develop their writing. Students conclude by providing their opinion about the poem and discuss the poem's overall effect on them as readers. The ability to analyze a poem—and to cite supporting evidence from the text of the poem—are key skills required by many Information-genre writing assignments.

In this assignment, students write a Plot Response to an excerpt from the fictional story "My Father's Dragon" by Ruth Stiles Gannett. Students explain the character's actions and motivations and summarize the plot. They make a prediction about the story based on their analysis of the first two chapters. Students reference specific examples and details from the text to support their analysis and develop their writing. The ability to respond to fiction text—and to cite supporting evidence in the text—are key skills required by many writing assignments in the Information genre.

In this assignment, students write a Literary Response about an excerpt from "The Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum, a book first published in 1900. Students analyze the narrative elements the author employs and respond to this question: What do the descriptions of the setting tell you about Dorothy's life on the Kansas farm? Students demonstrate their understanding of the text and reference specific details and examples from the text to support their analysis. The ability to analyze a literary work for narrative elements such as characters and setting—and to cite supporting evidence from the text—are key skills required by many Information-genre writing assignments.

This general Response to Fiction template is available for customization by adding your own reading to the template. This assignment enables students to focus on the material that the class is currently reading, while learning to practice and apply their literary analysis skills.

In this assignment, students write a Character Analysis based on an excerpt from the chapter "Tyrant Tad" from the book Ten Boys from History, by Kate Dickinson Sweetser. Students provide an analysis of the text including a description of Tad, President Lincoln's youngest son and the focus of the chapter excerpted here. Students cite evidence from the text to support their points and state their ideas in logical order, choosing words that will engage readers and describe the main character clearly. The ability to respond to nonfiction texts, cite evidence to support ideas, and choose words to develop clear descriptions and images are key skills required by many assignments in the Information genre.

In this assignment, students read "Mexico Facts," an article written by student authors for UNICEF, the United Nations organization focused on helping children around the world. Students review the article and choose the topic they find most interesting. They then demonstrate their understanding of the text by writing an Informative Report about their chosen topic, using descriptive details and interesting examples from the text to support their ideas and develop their writing. The ability to analyze nonfiction text, find interesting facts and details, and support their writing with evidence from the text are key skills required by many writing assignments in the Information genre.

In this assignment, students write a Compare-and-Contrast Report based on the article "How to Tell a Raven from a Crow" written by staff at the Audubon Society as well as several videos and an audio recording. Students cite information and details from both the article and the videos, in their Reports. Students consider the similarities and differences between these two animals and choose a strategy for consistently comparing and contrasting the two. Students use either the subject-by-subject or point-by-point method to organize their compare-and-contrast structure. The ability to compare and contrast two animals—and to cite supporting evidence from the text—are key skills required by many writing assignments in the Information genre.

In this assignment, students write a Story Description about an excerpt from The Story of My Life, an autobiography by Helen Keller. Students analyze the text and describe an event that takes place after the two main characters are introduced. The description includes details from the text to support students' analyses and support their ideas. The ability to analyze a nonfiction story, summarize key events, describe the characters, and cite supporting evidence from the text are key skills required by many Information-genre writing assignments.

In this assignment, students write a Topic Summary about what they learn about the planet Mars from two sources, an article and a slide show. First they read "The Mars Exploration Program," an article written by staff members at NASA about the space mission to Mars. Then they watch a slide show from NASA's website with interesting images and facts about Mars. Students review the technical information in the article and slide show and summarize key information they have learned about Mars. Students cite information and details from the text and slide show and use vocabulary from the sources to make key points clear to readers. The ability to analyze a nonfiction topic and summarize key information—and to cite supporting evidence from sources—are key skills required by many Information-genre writing assignments.

This general Response to Nonfiction template is available for customization by adding your own reading to the template. To find out more about how to add a reading, click here. Choose from the optional prompts provided to select specific directions for analyzing the text. This Response to Nonfiction assignment enables students to focus on the material that the class is currently reading, while learning to practice and apply their informational writing skills.