S.P.A.W.N WritingAn exercise in creativity and comprehension

S.P.A.W.N

• S-Special Powers

• P-Problem Solving

• A-Alternative Viewpoints

• W-What if?

• N-Next

S-Special Powers

• You have the power!

• Change an aspect of the text or topic.

• Choose one of the letters we discussed yesterday

• You can change anything about the topic…here are some options• Mary Ewald’s son was never taken…how would she reach out to Saddam

Hussein and why?

• The Declaration of Independence was never passed…who would Abigail Adams be writing to? How would this change her argument?

P-Problem Solving

• Yo, I’ll solve it!

• Identify a problem that was posed or suggested in the two letters.

• Create a solution and write about it.• Respond to one of the letters that we read

• Who would respond to Abigail Adams or Mary Ewald’s letters?

• How could you write a letter to convince these women that your solution is justified?

A-Alternative Viewpoint

• Who are you?...I really wanna know!

• Choose one of the letters

• Write a new letter with the same topic, but from the viewpoint of someone different.• Write a letter from the person who first read Mary Ewald’s plea.

• Write a letter from someone who isn’t married to a congressman.

• You could be a nosy neighbor discussing the marriage of Abigail and John Adams and their discussions about independence.

• You are the President writing to Saddam Hussein on behalf of Mary Ewald.

W-What if?

• This changes everything…

• Write a letter in response to the following options…consider the possibilities!• Abigail and John Adams are newlyweds…would her approach be

different?

• Saddam Hussein never released Mary Ewald’s son…now it’s time for a second letter. How would her tone, use of appeals, or relationship to the topic change?

• Abigail and John Adams are complete strangers…how would she write to a founding father she had never met?

N-Next

• Where do we go from here?

• Write in anticipation of what Mary Ewald or Abigail Adams will discuss next.

• What if they had to write a second letter on this topic? What if everything went their way…what would a response letter look like?• How would their tone change? What about the appeals they use?

• Would they use refutation or concession?

• What evidence would they need to support their claim for a second time?

It’s your choice

• Be creative and have fun!

• Remember to use the original letters as a guide for writing your own letter.

• Don’t forget speaker, audience, subject, intent, and context. The rhetorical triangle is not going away anytime soon….learn it, love it, live it.

• This is a practice in comprehension and creativity. In order to write a good response you will need to be very familiar with the letters

• Remember that identifying the author’s relationship, structure, organization, attitude and purpose play a role in each letter.