Materials Needed: pp. 27 and 41 in your Analytical Response to Literature guide; set of pens. Participants will copy the sentence provided on p. 27 and take notes on p. 41.

Sentences of Concrete Detail (CD) answer the literary questions, Who? What? When? Where? What happens in the story? They are facts, not opinions. The words and phrases describe anything that is in the story. They do not answer the questions Why? and How? The easiest concrete details for students to practice in the beginning state literally what a character says or does. Every student has something to say; it’s what they talk about at school all the time when they discuss their day there.

Concrete details form the backbone or core of body paragraphs. Synonyms for concrete details include facts, specifics, examples, descriptions, illustrations, support, proof, evidence, quotations, paraphrasing, or plot references. JSWP teaches students to write concrete details through paraphrasing and embedding quotations.