Pounamu+Pounamu+essay+plans

= "Pounamu Pounamu" by Witi Ihimaera =

How to write a response to text essay...
__**Step one**__: Read the question carefully. Make sure you can answer both parts. __**Step two**__: Plan! A basic structure is: //Introduction//: Titles, author, topic //Paragraph 1//: Answer the question for the first story. Sum it up in one sentence, then describe/explain. Remember SEX – you will need supporting quotes/examples. //Paragraph 2//: Answer the question for the second story. Sum it up, describe/explain. //Paragraph 3//: Compare the stories, linking your ideas back to the topic. This is a good opportunity to mention the themes, too. Why are these stories important? //Conclusion//: Sum up what you’ve said and link back to the topic. __**Step three**__: Write your essay. Remember to paragraph correctly; each sentence follows on from the next, and when you get to the end of the paragraph leave a line before starting the next paragraph. Explain your ideas in detail and support them with quotes from the story for Merit or Excellence.
 * __Step four__**: Edit. Proof read for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. Check you've got the names of the characters right, and make sure you have included quotes from each story.

Example essay topics and plans

 * //"Describe at least one important technique used in each text. Explain why this technique was important in each text."//**

- introduction: titles, authors, techniques - paragraph 1: "In Search of the Emerald City". Sum up story. Important tech.: present tense. "We're leaving today." Imp. because makes story exciting, immediate. Experience things as Matiu does. - paragraph 2: "The Child". Sum up story. Important tech.: simile. Nanny "like a violet", seaweed "like fingers", heart felt "as if a small bird was trapped in there". Imp. because helps us imagine things more vividly. Emphasises Nanny's fraility. - paragraph 3: comparison - Both about a small boy's experience of loss. Techniques help us see things from main character's POV. Both use colloquial language. - conclusion: sum up key points. link to theme - family/community.
 * Plan**:

Witi Ihimaera uses a variety of language techniques in the stories "In Search of the Emerald City" and "The Child". Techniques such as present tense, similes and colloquial language all help us to understand the characters and ideas more clearly.
 * Essay**:

"In Search of the Emerald City" is about a boy named Matiu who is leaving his rural home to move to Wellington with his family. The story is written in present tense. This reflects Matiu's excitement; he lives in the moment. "We're leaving today!" he says at the start of the story. Present tense makes the action more immediate, and allows the reader to experience events as Matiu does. It also makes his realisation at the end of the story more unexpected and believable. "Now we are leaving, and I am sad."

"The Child" is about... //use the plan to finish this essay for practice!//


 * //"Describe an important character in each text. Explain why each character is important."//**

- introduction: titles, authors, characters - paragraph 1: "In Search of the Emerald City". Sum up story. Important char. = Matiu. He is imaginative, excited, has a large loving family. "Wellington. The big city. Emerald City!" Imp. because helps us understand strength of family relationships etc. "I'm doing it all for you, Matiu." - paragraph 2: "The Child". Sum up story. Important char. = Heta (or Tawhai). He is a loving boy but a bit of a loner. Imp. because helps us understand strength/importance of family relationships. "While you have her, you love her." "I had my Nanny, I didn't need anyone else." - paragraph 3: comparison. Both characters are boys from loving Maori families. Ihimaera is teaching us that we should look after our families, love them while they are still with us. differences - one is about a new beginning, the other is about an ending. similarities - both boys experience a loss. - conclusion - sum up key points.
 * Plan**:

In both of the stories "In Search of the Emerald City" and "The Child" by Witi Ihimaera, the main character is a young boy. Ihimaera uses these characters to help us understand the important ideas and lessons in the stories about love, family and community.
 * Essay**:

"In Search of the Emerald City" is about... //use the plan to finish this essay for practice!//