optional finals practice

This is the optional finals prep story for both sophomores and juniors:

"Barbie Q" by Sandra Cisneros.

If you choose to do this, give yourself two hours (time it on your honor), sit down, and begin.

• Read the story to experience it.
• Take a moment to consider possible main ideas.
• Read it a second time, highlighter in hand, looking for passages.
• Do whatever kind of pre-writing helps you most.
• OUTLINE your essay.
• Begin writing.
• When you finish, if there is still time, review your essay for errors or issues. Revise as time allows. When time is up:
• If you typed the first draft, just send it to me. If you did not, take the time to type it now or scan what you wrote and send me the file.

Once again, the Prompt reads:

Write an essay that explores an important idea suggested by this story.
That idea may relate to a character or characters in the story, a dominant theme that emerges from it, or literary techniques the author uses to convey its central concepts. You may also use a combination of these approaches if you prefer.

Before you begin writing, plan your essay using any strategies you have found helpful—brainstorming, outlining, free writing, webbing, etc.

Focus your essay on a strong thesis statement; use mapping statements, mapping points, or some other clear plan to establish the paper’s organization; and prove your
arguments with solid textual support.

Remember, this essay is an exploration of ideas, not a plot summary.

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CW: your college apps letter can be found here.