Breaking down

NCEA questions
TER Term 2, 2016
I am not Esther
unit plan

Equipment
To complete todays task, you are
going to need:
Your school notebook;
A blue or black pen;
FOUR different colored felts or coloring
in pencils.

Unpacking the
question

NCEA questions
When you sit NCEA Level 1, the
questions have two parts. Both parts
of the question must be answered in
order to achieve.

NCEA questions
Usually questions will look like this:
Describe an important character or
individual in the text.
Explain why he or she was important.
Copy this question in to your book.
Please miss a line when you write
across more than one line.

Unpacking the question

Describe an important character or
individual in the text.
Explain why he or she was important.
To help us identify the verbs in the
sentence we are going to draw a
square around them with our first color
You can see that the two verbs in this
example are describe and explain why.

Describing and
explaining
We identified describe and explain
as the things we will be doing in our
writing, but what do they mean?
You have 60 seconds to quickly talk
to your neighbour and come up with
a definition of describe and
explain. We will then share our
definitions with the class.

Describing and
explaining
Describe:

Provide a detailed
explanation as to
how and why
something happens

Explain:

Clarify a topic by giving

a detailed account as
to how and why it
occurs, or what is
meant by the use of this
term in a particular
context. Your writing
should have clarity so
that complex procedures
or sequences of events
can be understood,
defining key terms
where appropriate, and
be substantiated with
relevant research.

Describing and
explaining
Describe:

Explain:

Recall facts,
processes or
events. You are not
asked to explain or
interpret. Try to
provide a thorough
description,
emphasising the
most important
points.

Your main focus should

be on the 'why' of a
particular issue, or on
the 'how' with the aim
of clarifying reasons,
causes and effects.
You are being tested on
your capacity to think
critically, to exercise
perception and
discernment.

Essay Map

Essay Map
Usually NCEA questions will follow a
three paragraph format.
A useful format to follow here would be:
Pararaph One: Describe
Paragraph Two: Explain
Paragraph Three: Explain

Of course you will still have an

introduction and conclusion to write,
too.

NCEA questions
Describe an important character or
individual in the text.
Explain why he or she was important.
Next we are going to underline the things
we will be describing and explaining.
You can see that we will be describing
an important character and explain
why he or she was important.

Essay Map
We can now fill in our essay map:
Pararaph One:
Describe an important character
Paragraph Two:
Explain the first reason he or she is
important
Paragraph Three:
Explain the second reason he or she is
important.

SEXY
Paragraphs

SEXY Paragraphs
When we write our essay paragraphs we
want to include as much information as we
can, but sometimes it can be difficult to
figure out which bit of information goes
where.
There are many different acronyms people
use to help them remember which
information to include in their essay (eg
TEER, TEXAS, PETAL/PEDAL, SEER etc).
In my teaching, I use SEXY paragraphs.

SEXY Paragraphs
SEXY paragraphs are paragraphs that
have:

a Statement
an Explanation
an eXample
WhY this information is important to
know, and how it relates to other parts
of the text, or to you personally.

SEXY Paragraph Plan

When we plan a SEXY paragraph, we
only use key ideas. This is a plan, not
the actual essay.
By thinking about the plan and
organising the plan, we can write
clearly and coherently because our
thoughts are already in order.

SEXY Paragraph Plan

Copy the following into your book.

You will need to copy the bullet points and spacing .

S:
E:

X:
(Explain how your example shows the point you are trying to
make)

Y:

SEXY Paragraph Plan

Paragraph One: Describe

Describe an important character
We will describe Daniel
S:

Daniel realises he cannot stay in Children of the

Faith

E:

He wants to become a doctor

He is willing to make sacrifices to follow his
dream
He supports people in his community
He wants to do more for his family and
community

X:

Asks to study medicine

So he can help look after his loved ones

SEXY Paragraph Plan

Paragraph One: Describe

From here, we can write at least ONE
sentence for each part of the paragraph plan.
S:

Daniel realises he cannot stay in Children of the

Faith

E:

He wants to become a doctor

He is willing to make sacrifices to follow his
dream
He supports people in his community
He wants to do more for his family and
community

X:

Asks to study medicine

So he can help look after his loved ones

SEXY Paragraph Plan

Paragraph Two: Explain

Explain the first reason [Daniel]
is important
S:

Daniel sacrifices everything to reach his potential

E:

It isnt easy to be different

Sometimes you have to do what is best for you
You have to be dedicated to your goal / aim
It can be scary to stand up for what is right

X:

Speaks up to elders, kicked out of Children of Faith

Difficult to go against the norm

Y:

Daniel stayed true to himself even when it meant

going against his faith to stay true to his beliefs.

SEXY Paragraph Plan

Paragraph Two: Explain

Explain the second reason [Daniel]
is important
You have a go!
S:

Wants to do the best for his community

E:

X:
(Explain how your example shows the point you are trying to
make)

Y:

SEXY Paragraphs
Now try using the information you
have planned to write a paragraph
about Daniel.
For each of the bullet points you
have made, you should be able to
write at least ONE or MORE
sentences.

SEXY Paragraphs

Explain why Daniel is

important
It isnt easy to reach your dreams and aspirations. You need to have
focus and dedication often sacrifices are needed. At the end of the
day, knowing where you are heading and why can help to keep you
on task towards achieving that dream. Sometimes staying on task
towards achieving your dreams can make it seem as though you
are different to the people around you. Standing up and standing
out in order to reach your dream can be isolating. Daniel wants to
be a doctor. The Children of Faith dont believe in modern medicine
and wont allow Daniel to continue his medical studies. Daniel
stands up at the Fellowship meeting and explains why he wants to
be a doctor. Unfortunately no one in his community supports him
and he is exiled from the faith. It was difficult for Daniel to stand up
to the elders and speak against their wishes. In the end, he was
isolated from his community. Daniel left so that he could reach his
dream of being a doctor. He was able to stay true to the things he
believed about himself, rather than compromising himself and
pretending to believe in things he didnt. We should all stay true to
ourself so that we can be genuine in the things that we do, even
though it may cost friendships, or even our family.

SEXY Paragraphs
Now you have written your
paragraph(s), test that the paragraph
follows the SEXY paragraph
structure.

SEXY Paragraphs
Using the first color, underline or
highlight the sentences you have
used as your Statement.

SEXY Paragraphs

Explain why Daniel is

important
It isnt easy to reach your dreams and aspirations. You need to have
focus and dedication often sacrifices are needed. At the end of the
day, knowing where you are heading and why can help to keep you
on task towards achieving that dream. Sometimes staying on task
towards achieving your dreams can make it seem as though you
are different to the people around you. Standing up and standing
out in order to reach your dream can be isolating. Daniel wants to
be a doctor. The Children of Faith dont believe in modern medicine
and wont allow Daniel to continue his medical studies. Daniel
stands up at the Fellowship meeting and explains why he wants to
be a doctor. Unfortunately no one in his community supports him
and he is exiled from the faith. It was difficult for Daniel to stand up
to the elders and speak against their wishes. In the end, he was
isolated from his community. Daniel left so that he could reach his
dream of being a doctor. He was able to stay true to the things he
believed about himself, rather than compromising himself and
pretending to believe in things he didnt. We should all stay true to
ourself so that we can be genuine in the things that we do, even
though it may cost friendships, or even our family.

SEXY Paragraphs
Using the second color, underline or
highlight the sentences you have
used to Explain.

SEXY Paragraphs

Explain why Daniel is

important
It isnt easy to reach your dreams and aspirations. You need to have
focus and dedication often sacrifices are needed. At the end of the
day, knowing where you are heading and why can help to keep you
on task towards achieving that dream. Sometimes staying on task
towards achieving your dreams can make it seem as though you
are different to the people around you. Standing up and standing
out in order to reach your dream can be isolating. Daniel wants to
be a doctor. The Children of Faith dont believe in modern medicine
and wont allow Daniel to continue his medical studies. Daniel
stands up at the Fellowship meeting and explains why he wants to
be a doctor. Unfortunately no one in his community supports him
and he is exiled from the faith. It was difficult for Daniel to stand up
to the elders and speak against their wishes. In the end, he was
isolated from his community. Daniel left so that he could reach his
dream of being a doctor. He was able to stay true to the things he
believed about himself, rather than compromising himself and
pretending to believe in things he didnt. We should all stay true to
ourself so that we can be genuine in the things that we do, even
though it may cost friendships, or even our family.

SEXY Paragraphs
Using the first color, underline or
highlight the sentences you have
used as your Example and
relevance.

SEXY Paragraphs
Explain why Daniel is
important
It isnt easy to reach your dreams and aspirations. You need to have

focus and dedication often sacrifices are needed. At the end of the
day, knowing where you are heading and why can help to keep you
on task towards achieving that dream. Sometimes staying on task
towards achieving your dreams can make it seem as though you
are different to the people around you. Standing up and standing
out in order to reach your dream can be isolating. Daniel wants to
be a doctor. The Children of Faith dont believe in modern medicine
and wont allow Daniel to continue his medical studies. Daniel
stands up at the Fellowship meeting and explains why he wants to
be a doctor. Unfortunately no one in his community supports him
and he is exiled from the faith. It was difficult for Daniel to stand up
to the elders and speak against their wishes. In the end, he was
isolated from his community. Daniel left so that he could reach his
dream of being a doctor. He was able to stay true to the things he
believed about himself, rather than compromising himself and
pretending to believe in things he didnt. We should all stay true to
ourself so that we can be genuine in the things that we do, even
though it may cost friendships, or even our family.

SEXY Paragraphs
Using the first color, underline or
highlight the sentences you have
used to show why this information
is important to know, and how it
relates to other parts of the text, or
to you personally

SEXY Paragraphs

Explain why Daniel is

important
It isnt easy to reach your dreams and aspirations. You need to have
focus and dedication often sacrifices are needed. At the end of the
day, knowing where you are heading and why can help to keep you
on task towards achieving that dream. Sometimes staying on task
towards achieving your dreams can make it seem as though you
are different to the people around you. Standing up and standing
out in order to reach your dream can be isolating. Daniel wants to
be a doctor. The Children of Faith dont believe in modern medicine
and wont allow Daniel to continue his medical studies. Daniel
stands up at the Fellowship meeting and explains why he wants to
be a doctor. Unfortunately no one in his community supports him
and he is exiled from the faith. It was difficult for Daniel to stand up
to the elders and speak against their wishes. In the end, he was
isolated from his community. Daniel left so that he could reach his
dream of being a doctor. He was able to stay true to the things he
believed about himself, rather than compromising himself and
pretending to believe in things he didnt. We should all stay true to
ourself so that we can be genuine in the things that we do, even
though it may cost friendships, or even our family.

You have a go!

Your teacher will give you some essay topics.

1. Use two colors to identify the things you
need to do for the essay.
2. Write an essay map for the essay topic.
This is what the essay map looked like:

Pararaph One:
Describe an important character
Paragraph Two:
Explain the first reason he or she is important
Paragraph Three:
Explain the second reason he or she is important.

Essay questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6.
7.
8.

Describe a positive or negative experience that happened to a character or

individual in the text. Explain how the writer used the experience to help
you understand the character or individual.
Describe a character or individual in the text whom you found interesting.
Explain how the writer made the character or individual interesting to you.
Describe an important change that happened to one character or individual
in the text. Explain why this change was important.
Describe an important character or individual in the text. Explain why he or
she was important.
Describe at least 2 techniques used to make a character or individual in the
text interesting. Explain why these techniques made the character or
individual interesting.
Note: techniques could include language,structure and/or narrative point of
view.
Describe a choice made by a character or individual in the text. Explain how
this choice brought about a change in that character or individual.
Describe an experience or event that was important to a character or
individual in the text. Explain why this experience or event was important to
that character or individual
Describe a strong relationship between at least 2 characters or individuals in
the text. Explain how this relationship helped you understand these
characters or individuals.

Homework
Use the essay map you feel is best to
write a SEXY paragraph plan that you
could use to develop into an essay.