An acronym is a word made from the first letters of other words. An acronym can be used as a mnemonic – a special word to help you to remember something.
Odyssey 1 and Odyssey 2 introduced a series of helpful acronyms to assist you when writing out answers. These acronyms are recapped on this page and the page opposite. Learning to use these acronyms will help to make your writing more systematic and structured.
R E E L Odyssey 1, page 54 Use the R E E L format to structure your thoughts when you are responding to a
question. This step-by-step format is also useful for structuring a focused paragraph. R
E E
L
Give a response to the question or prompt. Give evidence (often a quote or reference to the text you are reading). Explain why your evidence supports how you have responded. Link back to the question or on to the next point.
L E A S T Odyssey 1, page 142
This acronym helps you to think systematically about how an author creates a character. Each letter draws your attention to one aspect of how a character is presented.
L ook: What does a character look like, physically?
E ffect on others: What effect does this character have on other characters? A ctions: S peech:
What do the actions of the character tell us about them?
What does this character say and what does this tell us about them?
T houghts:
Does the writer allow us to see what the character is thinking? If so, how does this deepen our understanding?
T A P Odyssey 2, page 141
Different situations require different writing styles. When you are writing or assessing non- fiction, use this acronym to describe different writing styles.
T : Text type: A newspaper article? A review? A memoir? An email?
A : Audience: Who will be reading this piece of writing? A friend? A person in authority?
P : Purpose: Why are you writing? To inform? To entertain? To persuade? 406
