The ICE Method of Writing.

The ICE method of writing is a helpful outlining method that stands for Identify, Cite and Explain. Below, I will successfully teach you the in's and out's of outlining using the ICE method. Ready...Let's GO!!

1) Think about what you want to prove. (Identify)

2) Look for evidence that will support your ideas. (Cite)

3) Analyze the evidence in relation to your thesis from all different aspects. (Ask yourself, "who?, what?, when?, where? and how?"

4) Put all the pieces together and explain how the evidence supports what you are trying to prove.

Basically, you have an opinion that is worth while. To show your readers this, you need to find evidence in the text to support your opinion. After, you will explain what you've cited as proof that your opinion is valid. 

Identify- what your paragraph will be about

Cite- relevant quotes or information that relates to what you want to prove.

Explain- how this quote or how this information supports what you are trying to prove.




Some helpful reminders:   

Avoid putting relevant information in parenthesis- Include it in your discussion when possible.

Don't use "I."
Don't use "You."
DO NOT: summarize the plot.


Remember: a thesis paper must prove an opinion. An opinion is something that you want to say not something that the author has already told us!

Benefits: Helps you to write a very focused and well organized paper.

• It will help you to prove your point in a valid and understandable manner.

TPCASTT: Poem Analysis Method

When analyzing poetry, one is, especially an AP or college level student, highly encouraged to use the TPCASTTT: Poem Analysis Method: title, paraphrase, connotation, diction, attitude, tone, shift(s), title revisited and theme.

Title: what does the title imply/mean?

Paraphrase: paraphrase parts of the poem.

Connotation- of some of the words-changing literal meaning to implied or associated values.

Attitude: What is the attitude of the author, characters or yourself?

Shift: At first we think or feel one way-then there is a shift: identify the shifts and explain them.

Title: Revisited- Any new insights on meaning or significance of title?

Theme: What is the author's overall message.

These are the steps to successfully analyze poetry. Any questions? Any comments? Leave 'em below and I will respond. Chow....;)

How to Find the Author's Attiude Towards the Text?

Have you ever been in class and your English teacher asks, "so what is the author's attitude towards the text?"Well I have and it isn't a good feeling when you don't know the answer. As a result, I am showing you how to find the author's attitude regarding the text as a whole. Okay. Ready,Set, Let's GO!

First: Familiarize yourself with the author. Ask yourself: "Is he an objective or subjective author?"
If he is an objective author he will do the following: avoid personal comments, demonstrate in his work the pros and cons, and make an attempt to inform the reader.

On the other hand, a subjective author will strive to offer their personal opinion.

So, you chose if your author was objective or subjective. Now it's time to give you some words so you can explain yourself.   
                                Use these words to show your author's attitude.
** Please do not limit your self to these words. If you need a plethora of words to describe your author's attitude, get one of these words and put them in a thesaurus, you will have a greater bank of words to choose from.

Objective: impartial, unbiased, one-sided, neutral, fair, matter-of-fact.

Subjective: partial, biased, one-sided, unfair, prejudiced, ironical.

How to figure out the author's tone? The author's tone or voice is revealed to the reader by their word choice, organization, choice of detail, and sentence structure.

Thank -You for reading. Please leave comments below. If you need a specific article, please tell me and I will try my best to produce it for you. Thank-You once again...:)

How to Annotate Using Marginalia.

Hello. I have created this blog to assist other AP or college level English students. I will share with you my notes from class about marginalia. So, what is marginalia, you ask? Well, simply put, marginalia is the process of annotating in the margin. To assist you in this journey of annotation, I will share with you the steps to properly utilize marginalia.


First: Underline any major points, statements, images and details.

Second: Use vertical lines to help you locate specific texts within the article.

Third: Make sure to circle key words. This is "diction."

Fourth: Make sure to question the text: "who?, what?, when?,where?,why?, and how?."

Fifth: When reading make sure to:  

•        React.
•        Record.
•        Pause.

Sixth: Make sure to locate and define any unknown vocabulary words.

Hopefully, by following the above steps your annotating skills will become "fined-tune."