The Ben Franklin Writing Method
The Ben Franklin Writing Method, a structured educational workbook designed to help students across multiple grade levels master essential literacy skills like close reading, outlining, summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting. Grounded in Benjamin Franklin's historical self-teaching routine, the program employs a multi-step cycle emphasizing deep text comprehension, a crucial resting period to prevent rote copying, and the independent rebuilding of ideas using original phrasing. Learners apply these techniques to famous historical texts and speeches, including Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, William Shakespeare's Henry V, Patrick Henry's revolutionary address, and Frederick Douglass's abolitionist critique. Progression through the curriculum scales from simple paragraph construction in lower grades to sophisticated comparative essays and arguments for older students. Ultimately, the guide encourages learners to actively analyze and borrow effective rhetorical tools from master writers to improve their own composition abilities.
Close Reading, Paraphrasing, Summarizing & Quoting: A Writing Workbook for Grades 3–8
Built on Benjamin Franklin’s keyword-outline system and taught through famous speeches and plays. Designed for homeschool families, tutors, and any writer who wants to get better.
How to Use This Workbook
Paraphrasing is the skill underneath nearly every other reading and writing skill. To paraphrase well, a student must understand the passage, hold its ideas in mind, and then rebuild them in new words. That is close reading in action. Benjamin Franklin taught himself to write this way, and the same method works for an eight-year-old and an eighth grader.
The workbook has three layers:
- Learn (Parts 1–4): what Franklin did, what summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting are, how close reading works, and how keyword outlines and 3×5 cards turn into paragraphs and essays.
- Watch it done (Unit A): a complete model with a reading passage, a keyword outline, and sample writing built from that outline.
- Do it (Units B–D and the grade tracks): new source texts, new outlines to build, and a clear writing task for every grade.
Pacing. One full Franklin Cycle takes about five days. Franklin let his notes rest before he rebuilt the passage, and that rest is what makes the method work. A homeschool week fits it well: Monday read and mark, Tuesday outline, Wednesday rest (or review cards), Thursday rebuild, Friday compare and fix.
The Writing Ladder (aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Writing)
Grade | Writing product | Main CCSS anchors |
|---|---|---|
3 | One strong paragraph (topic sentence, supporting sentences, closing sentence) built from one 3×5 card | W.3.2, W.3.8, RI.3.2 |
4 | Three-paragraph informative piece (introduction, body, conclusion) built from three cards; paraphrased notes and a source list | W.4.2, W.4.8, W.4.9, RI.4.2 |
5 | Five-paragraph expository essay built from five cards; summarize or paraphrase in notes and in the finished work | W.5.2, W.5.8, RI.5.9 |
6 | Five-paragraph informative essay with one short quotation and one cited paraphrase per body paragraph; first short opinion-with-reasons piece | W.6.1, W.6.2, W.6.8, RI.6.9 |
7 | Five-paragraph argument: claim, reasons, evidence, counterclaim; quote and paraphrase while avoiding plagiarism | W.7.1, W.7.8, W.7.9, RI.7.9 |
8 | Compare-and-contrast argument on two source texts with different opinions (five or more paragraphs) | W.8.1, W.8.8, W.8.9, RI.8.9 |
Across all grades, these also apply: W.4 (clear, organized writing), W.5 (planning, revising, editing), and W.10 (writing routinely over short and long time frames). The standard numbers above reflect my reading of the Common Core ELA standards; confirm exact wording at corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/ before you cite them in a portfolio or report.
For younger or struggling writers: a third grader can run the whole cycle on a three-sentence passage. Older students who find writing hard (including students with dysgraphia) can do the Rebuild step by dictating aloud first. The thinking is the lesson; the handwriting can catch up.
Part 1: What Franklin Did (and Why It Works)
In his Autobiography, Franklin describes how, as a young man, he wanted to write better than he did. He found a volume of The Spectator, a famous set of essays, and decided to learn from them. His routine, in his own order, went like this:
- He read an essay and made short hints, a few words for the main point of each sentence.
- He set the hints aside for several days.
- Then, without looking at the original, he tried to rewrite each idea at full length, in whatever words came to him.
- Finally, he compared his version to the original, found his faults, and fixed them.
He noticed that his vocabulary was weaker than the authors’ and that his organization needed work. So he added two extra drills. He turned essays into verse and back into prose, which forced him to hunt for new words. And he jumbled his hints into a mixed-up order, waited, and then tried to put them back in the best order before rebuilding the passage. That second drill trained him in structure.
Why it works. The method separates two jobs that beginners usually mix together: understanding what the author said and finding my own words to say it. The keyword outline holds the meaning. The rest period clears the original wording out of the student’s head, so the student cannot just copy. The comparison step shows exactly where the student’s version was weaker or stronger, which is how real revision is taught.
The Franklin Cycle (seven steps)
- Read closely. Three passes (see Part 3).
- Hint. Make a keyword outline in Roman numeral form.
- Rest. Close the book. Wait at least overnight; two or three days is better.
- Rebuild. Using only your outline, write the passage in your own words.
- Compare. Place your version next to the original. Mark what you missed, what you changed, and what the author did better.
- Fix. Revise your version. Steal one technique you admired.
- Transform. Write something new in that author’s style, or rewrite the passage in your own voice for a new audience.
Part 2: Three Tools, Three Jobs
Summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting are three different ways of using someone else’s ideas. Students mix them up all the time, so teach them side by side.
- A summary is a short, whole-passage version. It keeps only the main ideas and drops the details. It is always much shorter than the original.
- A paraphrase restates a specific idea or passage in your own words and your own sentence structure. It keeps the full meaning and is usually about the same length as the original, sometimes a little longer.
- A quotation repeats the author’s exact words inside quotation marks. Use it only when the exact wording matters, and keep it short.
Here is one sentence run through all three tools. The source is Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (1863):
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
Tool | Example |
|---|---|
Summary (whole idea, shortest) | Lincoln begins by reminding his listeners that the country was founded on equality. |
Paraphrase (full meaning, new words and new sentence shape) | Eighty-seven years earlier, the nation’s founders started a new country built on freedom and on the belief that every person is equal. |
Quotation (exact words, marked and short) | Lincoln said the nation was “dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” |
The Three Tests of a Good Paraphrase
- Same meaning. A reader who has never seen the original would learn the same ideas.
- New words and new structure. Swapping a few words for synonyms is not paraphrasing; it is “patchwriting,” and it is still too close to the original. Change the order of ideas inside the sentence, the sentence length, or the way it begins.
- Still credited. The ideas belong to the author. Always name the author (and the title or speech) so the reader knows where they came from.
Attribution and Plagiarism
Plagiarism means presenting someone else’s words or ideas as your own. You avoid it in two ways: put exact words in quotation marks, and name the source for both quotes and paraphrases. Use signal phrases so the credit sounds natural:
- According to Lincoln, …
- Patrick Henry argues that …
- In Henry V, Shakespeare shows …
- As Frederick Douglass puts it, …
- The author explains / claims / points out / warns / reminds us …
Grades 3–5 can simply write “Source: Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln, 1863.” Grades 6–8 add a short works-cited line (author, title, date) and use signal phrases inside the writing.
Part 3: Close Reading, Four Passes
Close reading means reading the same text more than once, each time for a different job. Do not rush to the outline. Students who skip these passes produce weak keywords.
Pass 1: Gist. Read it straight through. In one sentence, what is this about? Who is talking, to whom, and why?
Pass 2: Mark. Read with a pencil.
- Circle words you do not know. Try context clues, then look them up.
- Underline the main ideas.
- Box names, dates, and numbers.
- Put a star next to the line you think is the most important.
Pass 3: Study the author’s moves. This is where Franklin’s “understand how writers make their writing their own” happens. Ask what the writer did, not only what the writer said.
Style move | What to look for | Example to find |
|---|---|---|
Sentence length | Long, rolling sentences or short, punchy ones? | Lincoln’s opening is one long sentence; “It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this” is short and calm. |
Repetition | Words or phrases used again and again for effect | “we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow” |
Parallel structure | Several phrases built the same way | “of the people, by the people, for the people” |
Word choice (diction) | Formal or plain? Gentle or fierce? | “consecrate” and “hallow” sound holy; “perish” sounds final. |
Figurative language | Comparisons, images, symbols | “a new birth of freedom” |
Direct address | Does the speaker talk to the audience? | “Friends, Romans, countrymen” |
Questions | Does the writer ask questions to make you think? | Patrick Henry’s “Is life so dear…?” |
Tone | How does the writer feel? | Respectful? Angry? Hopeful? |
Pass 4: Hint. Now, and only now, make the keyword outline.
Part 4: Keyword Outlines and 3×5 Cards
What is a keyword?
A keyword is a short word or phrase (one to three words) that triggers a whole idea in your memory. It is usually a noun, a strong verb, a name, or a number. It is not a full sentence. If you can write the whole sentence in your hint, you have copied instead of condensed.
Good keywords: 87 years ago, founders, equality, civil war, battlefield. Too long: Our fathers brought forth a new nation on this continent.
Keep the order of the original. Franklin’s hints followed the author’s order; his jumbled-hints drill came later, as practice for building structure.
Roman numeral outline format
The outline has three levels. Each level has a job.
Level | Symbol | Job | Becomes… |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | I., II., III. | One major idea (usually one paragraph of the original) | One paragraph in your writing |
2 | A., B., C. | A supporting point for that idea | One sentence in your paragraph |
3 | 1., 2., 3. | A detail, example, number, or quote | A detail inside the sentence, or a short quotation |
How to unpack an outline back into writing:
- The Roman numeral gives you your topic sentence. Say what the whole section is about in a complete sentence of your own.
- Each capital letter becomes a supporting sentence. Turn the keyword into a full sentence, and vary how your sentences begin.
- Each number is a detail you tuck into that sentence, or the exact words you quote.
- End with a closing sentence that tells the reader why the idea matters.
The 3×5 note card
Put one Roman numeral on one 3×5 card. The card is small on purpose: it forces you to use keywords instead of sentences. When you are ready to write, the card is your paragraph plan.
FRONT BACK
+-------------------------------+ +-------------------------------+
| I. [MAIN IDEA KEYWORDS] | | QUOTE BANK (exact words, |
| A. keyword | | in quotation marks) |
| B. keyword | | HARD WORDS (my definitions) |
| C. keyword | | SO WHAT? (why it matters) |
| 1. detail | | SOURCE: author, title, date |
| 2. detail | | |
+-------------------------------+ +-------------------------------+Cards become essays. Lay the cards out in a row. The row is your essay map.
Essay type | Card 1 | Cards 2–4 | Card 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
One paragraph (Gr. 3) | Use a single card | — | — |
Three paragraphs (Gr. 4) | Introduction: hook, background, main point | One body card | Conclusion |
Five paragraphs (Gr. 5–8) | Introduction with thesis | Three body cards, one idea each | Conclusion: restate and say why it matters |
A good practice for older students: shuffle the cards (Franklin’s jumbled-hints drill), then put them in the best order and explain why. The right order of cards is the structure of the essay.
Unit A: The Gettysburg Address (Full Model; Grades 3–5 Core, Grades 6–8 Extension)
Source: Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863 (public domain). Lincoln spoke at the dedication of a cemetery for Union soldiers killed in the battle of Gettysburg, in the middle of the American Civil War. The speech runs under three minutes.
Step 1: The Passage (read it three times)
Paragraph 1
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Paragraph 2
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
Paragraph 3
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.
Paragraph 4
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Step 2: Close Reading Notes
Hard words (Pass 2). Score = twenty (so “four score and seven” = 87). Conceived = began, imagined. Proposition = a belief put forward to be proven. Endure = last. Consecrate / hallow = make holy. Detract = take away from. Devotion = deep loyalty. Resolve = decide firmly. In vain = for nothing. Perish = die out.
Gist (Pass 1). Lincoln is speaking to a crowd at a battlefield cemetery. He says the nation was built on equality, the war is testing it, the soldiers have already made this ground holy, and the living must finish the work.
Author’s moves (Pass 3). Notice the three-part rhythm (“we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow”), the repeated word dedicated, and the closing three-part phrase “of the people, by the people, for the people.” Notice that the opening looks back in time (87 years ago), the middle looks at now, and the ending looks forward. Lincoln also says “we” and “us” instead of “I,” which pulls the audience in with him. And the speech is short, which makes every word count.
Step 3: The Keyword Outline (Pass 4)
I. 87 years ago: the founding
- A. Fathers → new nation
- Liberty
- B. Idea: all men equal
II. Now: civil war
- A. Test: can nation last?
- B. Battlefield → resting place
- Soldiers gave lives
- C. Fitting and proper
III. Larger sense: ground already holy
- A. We can’t consecrate it
- Soldiers did
- B. World forgets words / never forgets deeds
IV. Our job: unfinished work
- A. Living must finish
- B. Dead not in vain
- C. New birth of freedom
- D. Government: people / by / for
- Must not perish
How the keywords unpack. Look at I.A. The keywords fathers → new nation are only four words, but they hold the whole first clause of the speech. From them a student can build a sentence in any style: “The founders of the country created a brand-new nation,” or “Long ago, a group of leaders set a new country on its feet.” The arrow (→) is a shorthand for “led to” or “created.” Students can invent their own shorthand (↑ for increase, = for “means,” ✗ for “not”) as long as they can read it back a few days later.
See how I. 87 years ago becomes the topic sentence (“Lincoln begins by looking back to the founding of the country”), A and B become the supporting sentences, and the 1 under A is a detail to tuck in (the founders valued Liberty).
Step 4: Rest
Close the book. Put the cards in an envelope. Wait at least overnight. (Franklin waited days.) During the rest, do something else, because the point is to let the exact wording fade so that only the ideas stay.
Step 5: Rebuild (Model Writing from the Outline)
Everything below was written using only the keyword outline, never looking at Lincoln’s text.
Model 1: A Summary (Grades 3–4; notice it is much shorter than the speech)
Abraham Lincoln gave this speech at a Civil War battlefield in 1863. He reminded the crowd that the United States began with the idea that everyone is equal, and he said the soldiers who died there had already made the ground holy by what they did. He asked the people who were still alive to finish the soldiers’ work so that the nation could have “a new birth of freedom.”
Model 2: Paraphrases, one card at a time (full meaning, same length or a bit longer, new words and new sentence shapes)
Card I paraphrase:
Eighty-seven years ago, the leaders who founded our country created a new nation here in North America. They built it on freedom and on the belief that every person is equal.
Card III paraphrase:
Still, nothing we say today can truly make this land holy. The soldiers who fought here, both the living and the dead, already did that, and nothing we add or take away can match it. People will soon forget our speeches, but they will never forget what those soldiers did.
Compare each paraphrase to Lincoln’s original. Which words changed? Which ideas stayed exactly the same? Where did the order of ideas inside a sentence change?
Model 3: One Card Becomes One Paragraph (Grade 3 target)
Card II is the plan: II. Now: civil war / A. Test: can nation last? / B. Battlefield → resting place / 1. Soldiers gave lives / C. Fitting and proper.
Lincoln’s speech explains why the crowd gathered that day. At that time, the United States was fighting a civil war, and the fighting was testing whether a nation built on equality could last. The people had come to a battlefield to set aside part of it as a final resting place for the soldiers who gave their lives. Lincoln said that doing this was fitting and proper. Honoring the soldiers showed what the nation valued most.
How the card unpacked: the Roman numeral became the topic sentence (sentence 1); A, B, and the detail 1 became supporting sentences (2 and 3); C became sentence 4; and the closing sentence answers “so what?” from the back of the card.
Model 4: A Five-Paragraph Expository Essay (Grade 5 target; four cards plus an introduction and conclusion)
Lincoln’s Short Speech with a Big Job
In 1863, the United States was in the middle of a terrible civil war. On a battlefield in Pennsylvania, President Abraham Lincoln gave a speech that lasted less than three minutes. Even though it was short, it explained why the nation was founded, honored the soldiers who died, and gave the living a job to do. In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln moved from the past, to the present, to the future.
Lincoln began by looking back to the founding of the country. He reminded the crowd that eighty-seven years earlier, the founders created a new nation built on liberty. They also believed, in Lincoln’s words, that “all men are created equal.” By starting here, he reminded listeners what the war was really about.
Next, Lincoln talked about the present. The war was testing whether a nation built on equality could survive, and the crowd had gathered to set aside part of the battlefield as a resting place for the soldiers. Lincoln called this fitting and proper, but he said the soldiers themselves had already made the ground holy. The world, he predicted, would forget his words but never forget their deeds.
Finally, Lincoln looked ahead. He told the living that the soldiers’ work was unfinished and that it was now their job to finish it. He asked them to make sure the soldiers had not died for nothing, to help the nation have “a new birth of freedom,” and to protect a government “of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Lincoln’s speech moves from past to present to future in only a few sentences. Because he said so much so simply, people still read and remember it today. The speech reminds us that freedom is a gift each new generation has to protect.
Source: Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, 1863.
Map of the essay: Introduction (gist + thesis) → Body 1 = Card I → Body 2 = Cards II + III → Body 3 = Card IV → Conclusion (so what?). Notice two short quotations, each under ten words, each in quotation marks, and a source line at the end.
Step 6: Compare and Fix (Checklist)
Place your writing beside the original and mark with a colored pencil:
- Meaning: Did I include every Roman numeral idea? Circle any I missed.
- Accuracy: Did I change any facts, dates, or numbers by mistake?
- Own words: Underline any phrase of three or more words that matches the original. Rewrite it or put it in quotation marks.
- Structure: Did I change how my sentences begin and how long they are?
- Credit: Did I name Lincoln (or the title) and mark every exact quotation?
- Steal a move: Which technique of the author’s did I admire most? Write it down. (Example: “Three-beat rhythm.”)
Step 7: Transform (Style Imitation)
Franklin’s goal was not just to understand writers but to borrow their tools. Pick one technique from Pass 3 and use it on a new topic.
Lincoln’s tool: the three-beat pattern with repetition. “We can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground.”
Sample imitation: “We can not buy a home—we can not decorate a home—we can not furnish a home—with things alone. Love is what builds it.”
Your turn: write three sentences about something you care about (a sport, a pet, your family, a favorite book) using Lincoln’s three-beat repetition. Then add one short sentence that lands the point, as Lincoln does with “It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.”
Student Instructions for Unit A
Grade 3 (one paragraph, W.3.2). Use Paragraph 2 only. Make one card: Roman numeral, three capital-letter points, one detail. Rest. Write one paragraph with a topic sentence, three supporting sentences, and a closing sentence. Add a source line.
Grade 4 (three paragraphs, W.4.2). Use all four paragraphs. Make four cards, then combine them like this: introduction from Card I plus a gist sentence; body from Cards II and III; conclusion from Card IV. List your source.
Grade 5 (five paragraphs, W.5.2). Make your own four-card outline (do not copy the model). Rest. Write a five-paragraph expository essay with a thesis in the introduction, one idea per body paragraph, and a concluding paragraph that says why the speech matters. Use at least one exact quotation under ten words and one paraphrase. Include a source list.
Grades 6–8 extension (analysis). Choose one of Lincoln’s techniques (repetition, three-beat rhythm, time frame from past to future, “we” instead of “I”). Argue that it is the most important reason the speech is powerful. Use two short quotations introduced by signal phrases and one paraphrase, each followed by a sentence explaining how the technique works on the listener.
Unit B: Henry V, the St. Crispin’s Day Speech (A Play; Grades 4–7)
Source: William Shakespeare, Henry V, Act 4, Scene 3 (written about 1599; public domain). The play is about King Henry V of England and the real Battle of Agincourt (1415). Henry’s small, tired army faces a much larger French army. A nobleman wishes aloud for more soldiers from home, and Henry answers with this speech. In a play, a speech is action: the character wants something from the listeners, and the words are how he tries to get it. Ask yourself throughout: What does Henry want, and how do his words try to get it?
Step 1: The Passage (read it aloud, then silently)
This day is called the feast of Crispian. He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named, And rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian.’ Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars, And say ‘These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.’
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
Plain-English glossary. Feast of Crispian = the holiday for Saint Crispin, October 25. Stand a tip-toe = stand tall with pride. Rouse him = stir himself up. Vigil = the evening before a holiday. Strip his sleeve = roll up his sleeve. Vile = low or worthless. Gentle his condition = raise his rank to a gentleman’s. Accurs’d = cursed. Hold their manhoods cheap = feel less worthy of respect.
Step 2: Close Reading Notes
Gist. Henry promises his soldiers that this day will become a holiday, that survivors will be proud for the rest of their lives, and that everyone who fights with him becomes his brother, no matter his rank. Men who stayed home will feel ashamed.
Author’s moves.
- Repetition: “this day,” “Crispian” and “Crispin” repeat like a drumbeat.
- Looking into the future: the speech asks soldiers to picture themselves old, telling the story to neighbors. That turns a frightening morning into a memory worth having.
- A group name: “we few, we happy few, we band of brothers” makes a small, outnumbered army sound special.
- A reward: even a “vile” soldier will rise in rank.
- A contrast: the fighters are honored; the men sleeping safely at home are shamed.
- Verse: each line has a steady beat, so the speech is easy to chant and remember.
Step 3: The Keyword Outline
I. Feast of Crispian: the future memory
- A. Survivor → stands tall at the name
- B. Old age → yearly feast for neighbors
- Shows scars
- “These wounds I had on Crispin’s day”
II. “We few”: band of brothers
- A. Shed blood together → brothers
- B. Rank erased
- Even “vile” → gentle
III. The men not there
- A. Asleep in England
- B. Feel cursed, ashamed
- When a veteran speaks
Step 5: Rebuild (Model Paraphrase from the Outline)
Henry tells his troops that this day will become a holiday named for Saint Crispin. Any man who survives the battle and gets home safely will stand tall whenever someone mentions the holiday. When he is old, he will invite his neighbors to dinner every year on the eve of the feast, roll up his sleeve to show his scars, and tell them he got those wounds on Saint Crispin’s Day.
Next, Henry calls his small army a “band of brothers.” Anyone who sheds blood beside him, he says, becomes his brother, no matter how low his birth. In one day, a common soldier’s rank will be raised to that of a gentleman.
Finally, Henry looks at the noblemen safe in bed back in England. He says they will wish they had come, and they will feel less than men whenever a soldier who fought at his side begins to speak.
Notice: the paraphrase turns poetry into plain prose, changes the order inside sentences, and keeps one short exact quotation (“band of brothers”). A paraphrase of a play usually loses the music. That is a good reason to quote a line like “we few, we happy few” when you want to point to the sound itself.
Step 7: Transform
Rewrite Henry’s speech as a coach’s halftime talk to a team that is behind. Keep three of Henry’s tools: a future memory, a group name, and a reward. Then circle each tool in your draft and label it.
Student Instructions for Unit B
Grades 4–5. Paraphrase only the first nine lines (Card I). Make one card, rest, rebuild, compare. Grade 5 students may then write a five-paragraph essay: How does King Henry help his soldiers feel brave? (introduction; three body paragraphs, one per card; conclusion).
Grade 6 (informative, W.6.2 and W.6.8). Write a five-paragraph essay: Three ways Shakespeare’s Henry builds courage. Every body paragraph needs one short exact quotation, one cited paraphrase, and a sentence explaining how the technique works. Include a works-cited line.
Grade 7 (argument, W.7.1). Claim: Henry’s speech is either honest encouragement or clever manipulation. Pick one. Use your three cards as evidence, name one counterclaim (for example, “some might say he promises more than he can deliver”), and answer it. Quote and paraphrase without plagiarizing.
Unit C: Patrick Henry, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” (Speech; Grades 6–8)
Source: Patrick Henry, speech to the Second Virginia Convention, Richmond, March 23, 1775 (public domain). Henry argued that Virginia should prepare its militia to defend itself against Britain. Teacher note: no one wrote the speech down as it was spoken. The best-known text was reconstructed from witnesses’ memories and published by William Wirt in 1817. That makes a good discussion for older students: how much can we trust a speech that was written down forty years later?
Step 1: The Passage (excerpts)
It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts.
I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past.
They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year?
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
Glossary. Illusion = a false picture. Apt = likely. Siren = in Greek myth, a creature whose song lured sailors to their deaths. Formidable = frightening and powerful. Adversary = opponent. Cope with = deal with successfully.
Step 2: Close Reading Notes
Gist. Henry says hoping for an easy peace is dangerous, that history shows Britain will not back down, that waiting will not make Virginia stronger, and that he would rather risk death than lose his liberty.
Author’s moves.
- Metaphors: hope as a siren that turns people into beasts; experience as a lamp that lights the path.
- Rhetorical questions: “But when shall we be stronger?” Henry asks questions he expects the audience to answer in their own heads.
- Raising the other side’s argument: “They tell us…” Henry states his opponents’ point and then answers it. This is what writers call a counterclaim and rebuttal.
- Balanced pairs: “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet…”
- A personal ending: he shifts from “we” to “I” at the very end, so the audience hears one man willing to take the risk.
Three appeals (Grades 7–8). Writers persuade in three ways: logos (logic and evidence: “I judge the future by the past”), pathos (emotion: chains, slavery, a siren’s song), and ethos (trust in the speaker: Henry calls himself a man guided by experience). Label an example of each in the passage.
Step 3: The Keyword Outline
I. Hope can blind us
- A. Illusions of hope → shut eyes to painful truth
- B. Siren → turns us into beasts
II. Guide = experience
- A. One lamp: experience
- B. Judge future by the past
III. “We are weak”: the objection
- A. Critics: too weak to fight
- B. Henry’s answer: when stronger?
- Next week? Next year?
IV. Liberty or death
- A. Question: life/peace worth chains?
- B. “Forbid it, Almighty God!”
- C. Personal choice: liberty or death
Step 5: Rebuild (Model Argument Paragraph from Card III)
This model shows the counterclaim and rebuttal structure that Grade 7 argument writing requires (claim, reason, evidence, counterclaim, answer).
Patrick Henry knew that some listeners believed Virginia was too weak to resist Britain, so he answered that objection directly. According to Henry, critics warned that the colonists were “weak” and could not match so powerful an enemy. He replied by asking when the colonists would ever be stronger: next week, or next year? His question exposes a flaw in the critics’ reasoning. If Britain keeps growing stronger while Virginia waits, then waiting makes the problem worse, not better. By turning the objection into a question, Henry persuades his audience that delay is the riskiest choice of all.
Notice the ingredients: a claim (first sentence), a paraphrased counterclaim with a signal phrase, a short quotation (one word, but exact), the author’s rebuttal, and a sentence of analysis that explains how the technique works on the listener.
Step 7: Transform
Write a one-minute speech (spoken aloud) that uses Henry’s tools: one metaphor, one rhetorical question, and one counterclaim with an answer. Topic ideas: Should our family start a garden? Should kids have a later bedtime on weekends? Should our town build a new library?
Student Instructions for Unit C
Grade 6 (informative, W.6.2). Write a five-paragraph essay explaining how Patrick Henry uses metaphors, questions, and repetition to persuade. One body paragraph per technique, each with one quotation, one paraphrase, and a works-cited line.
Grade 7 (argument, W.7.1). Claim: Henry’s reasoning is convincing or Henry’s reasoning has a weakness. Use your four cards as evidence. Include one counterclaim and one rebuttal. Use signal phrases for every quotation and paraphrase.
Grade 8 (argument with source evaluation, W.8.1 and W.8.8). Do the Grade 7 task, then add a paragraph that evaluates the source itself: Wirt reconstructed the speech in 1817. Does that change how confidently you can quote it? Say how you would word your quotation so you are honest about this.
Unit D: Two Sources, Two Opinions (Compare and Contrast; Grade 8, Grade 7 Extension)
Sources. (1) Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address (1863), from Unit A. (2) Frederick Douglass, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”, speech delivered in Rochester, New York, July 5, 1852 (public domain). Douglass escaped slavery and became one of the most powerful speakers and writers in America. He was invited to speak at a celebration of the Declaration of Independence, and he used the invitation to challenge his listeners.
Step 1: The Second Passage (excerpts)
Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here today? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?
What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.
This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.
Glossary. Natural justice = fairness that belongs to everyone because they are human. Gross = shockingly bad. Constant victim = harmed again and again, with no end.
Step 2: Close Reading Notes
Gist. Douglass asks whether the freedom celebrated on the Fourth of July includes enslaved people. He says no, and that the holiday shows him the nation’s cruelty more than any other day.
Author’s moves. He uses questions that corner his audience; he separates “you” from “I” to show a gap between free and unfree Americans; he uses short, hard sentences (“You may rejoice, I must mourn”) with a contrast in each half; and he addresses the crowd politely at first (“Fellow-citizens, pardon me”) before delivering a very hard message.
Step 3: The Keyword Outline
I. Why am I here?
- A. Asked to speak at independence celebration
- B. Question: freedom extended to us?
II. Slave’s Fourth of July
- A. Reveals injustice, cruelty
- Constant victim
III. The divide
- A. “Yours, not mine”
- B. You rejoice / I mourn
Step 4: The Comparison Card
For compare-and-contrast writing, change the card layout. Use one card per comparison point, with both sources side by side.
+--------------------------------------------------+
| POINT: How each speaker talks to the audience |
+------------------------+-------------------------+
| LINCOLN | DOUGLASS |
| “we” / “us” | “you” vs. “I” |
| united grieving crowd | divided audience |
+------------------------+-------------------------+
| SO WHAT? (what the difference shows) |
+--------------------------------------------------+Prepare three cards: (1) How each speaker addresses the audience, (2) the tone, (3) what each asks the audience to do. Add one card for what they share: both measure the nation by its promise that all people are equal.
Step 5: Rebuild (Model Thesis and Model Body Paragraph)
Model thesis (claim):
Although Lincoln and Douglass both judge America by the promise that all people are created equal, Lincoln speaks as a hopeful “we” asking the living to finish unfinished work, while Douglass speaks as an outsider accusing the nation of celebrating a freedom it denies, and Douglass’s sharper tone makes the stronger case that the promise has not yet been kept.
Model body paragraph (point-by-point; Card 1: the audience):
The two speakers treat their audiences very differently. Lincoln, speaking in 1863, uses words like “we” and “us,” which places him inside the crowd and invites everyone to share one purpose. Douglass, speaking in 1852, separates himself from his listeners with the words “yours, not mine,” reminding them that he and the people he speaks for are not included in the celebration. Lincoln’s choice unites a grieving crowd, while Douglass’s choice forces comfortable listeners to see a gap they would rather ignore. Each speaker’s pronouns reveal what he believes the nation has become: Lincoln sees a country that can be pulled together by shared sacrifice, and Douglass sees one divided by who gets to be free.
Two ways to organize (pick one):
- Block method: all about Lincoln, then all about Douglass. Easier for Grade 7.
- Point-by-point: one paragraph per comparison point, with both speakers in each paragraph (as in the model). Stronger for Grade 8, because every paragraph analyzes.
Step 7: Transform
Write a conversation between Lincoln and Douglass in which each answers the other in his own voice. Keep each speaker’s signature moves: Lincoln’s “we” and calm repetition, Douglass’s questions and sharp contrasts. This is a way to prove you can imitate their styles.
Student Instructions for Unit D
Grade 7 extension (W.7.1, RI.7.9). Write a two-source essay (block method) answering: How do Lincoln and Douglass emphasize different evidence and interpretations about the nation’s promise? Quote and paraphrase each speaker at least once, and credit each.
Grade 8 (W.8.1, W.8.8, W.8.9, RI.8.9). Write at least five paragraphs:
- Introduction: background on each speech and a debatable thesis (see model).
- Body paragraphs (three comparison points): use your comparison cards; each paragraph includes one short quotation or paraphrase from each source and a sentence of analysis.
- Counterclaim paragraph: present the strongest case for the opposite view (for example, that Lincoln’s hopeful tone is more persuasive because it invites people to act together) and answer it.
- Conclusion: restate the thesis in new words and say why the difference matters today.
- Works cited: author, title, date, and where you found each text.
Rubric: Paraphrase, Summary, Quotation, and Structure
Skill | Beginning (1) | Developing (2) | Proficient (3) | Strong (4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Understanding | Misses or changes main ideas | Gets some ideas, misses others | Includes all main ideas accurately | Also shows how details support the main ideas |
Own words | Copies phrases or swaps a few synonyms | Some original wording; some patchwriting | Fully original wording and sentence shapes | Original, varied, and clear; sounds like the student |
Quoting | Quotations missing or too long | Some quotation marks; some too long | Short, exact, marked quotations | Quotes chosen only where the exact wording matters, smoothly introduced |
Credit | No source named | Source named once | Source named for every quote and paraphrase | Signal phrases vary and flow naturally |
Structure | Ideas in random order | Some order; weak transitions | Clear intro, body, conclusion; one idea per paragraph | Smooth transitions; thesis and conclusion match |
Style borrowing | None | Names a technique | Uses a technique from the source | Uses it with purpose and explains the effect |
A fast self-check for any grade: Did I understand it? Did I say it my way? Did I give credit?
A Sample Year Plan (Homeschool)
Weeks | Focus | Grade 3–4 | Grade 5–6 | Grade 7–8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1–2 | Learn Parts 1–4; Unit A | Paragraph / three paragraphs | Five-paragraph expository | Analysis of technique |
3–4 | Unit B (play) | First nine lines only | Informative essay | Argument: honest or manipulative? |
5–6 | Unit C (speech) | Optional oral retelling | Informative essay on techniques | Argument with counterclaim |
7–8 | Unit D / new texts | New short speech, one card | Two cards on one text | Compare-and-contrast essay |
9+ | Free choice from the list below | Repeat the cycle on a new text | Repeat | Repeat; add research |
To keep the writing muscle growing, repeat the cycle on a new text every two weeks and keep every outline and card in a three-ring binder. Over a semester, the binder shows a student’s growth.
More Public-Domain Texts for Practice
Always check wording against a reliable edition (the Library of Congress, the National Archives, or the Folger Shakespeare Library) before you print a passage for a student.
- Grades 3–4 (short, vivid): Antony’s opening lines in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (“Friends, Romans, countrymen…”); the Prologue of Romeo and Juliet; Puck’s closing speech in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; the last paragraph of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address (“With malice toward none…”).
- Grades 5–6: the preamble to the Declaration of Independence; Prospero’s “Our revels now are ended” in The Tempest; Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address (full).
- Grades 7–8: Macbeth’s “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow”; Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be”; Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments (1848); Franklin’s own closing speech at the Constitutional Convention (1787).
A caution about modern speeches. Famous twentieth-century speeches are often still under copyright. A homeschool family can read and discuss them, but should link to an authorized source rather than copying the full text into printed handouts.
Notes for Parents and Teachers
- Keep the rest period. If a student rebuilds right after reading, the result is mostly copying from short-term memory. The wait is the lesson.
- Grade the thinking before the spelling. Mark meaning and structure first; handle spelling, grammar, and handwriting in a second pass.
- Read aloud. Speeches and plays were made to be spoken. Have students read their rebuild aloud and hear whether it sounds like them.
- Praise the borrowed tool. When a student writes a sentence with Lincoln’s three-beat rhythm, say so. That is exactly how Franklin learned.
- Scale the length, not the method. A third grader and an eighth grader run the same seven steps; only the passage length and the writing product change.
Sources used in this workbook. Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (his account of learning to write from The Spectator). Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address (the Bliss copy; several versions exist with small differences). William Shakespeare, Henry V, Act 4, Scene 3. Patrick Henry, speech of March 23, 1775 (text as published by William Wirt, 1817). Frederick Douglass, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” (1852). Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts: Writing and Reading (corestandards.org).
The Ben Franklin Writing Method teaches students to paraphrase and outline through a step-by-step process called the Franklin Cycle, which separates the job of understanding an author's meaning from the job of choosing new words to express it[1][2].
1. How Outlining Is Taught
Outlining relies on keyword outlines and 3×5 note cards built through close reading[3]:
- Close Reading First: Students do not rush straight to outlining[4]. They complete three passes first—getting the overall gist, marking key terms/ideas, and studying the author's stylistic moves—before making outline hints on Pass 4[4][6].
- Selecting Keywords: A keyword is defined as a short phrase of 1 to 3 words (usually nouns, strong verbs, names, or numbers) that triggers a full idea in memory[6]. Students are taught never to write full sentences in their hints to prevent copying[6].
- Three-Level Roman Numeral Format: Outlines follow a simple hierarchical structure[7]:
- Level I (Roman Numerals): Represents one major idea or paragraph[7].
- Level II (Capital Letters A, B, C): Represents a supporting point[7].
- Level III (Numbers 1, 2, 3): Represents specific details, examples, or short quotes[7][8].
- The 3×5 Card Constraint: Students place one Roman numeral group onto a single 3×5 index card[5]. The small physical space forces them to condense ideas into keywords rather than writing long notes[5]. The back of the card tracks exact quotations, vocabulary definitions, source details, and a "so what?" prompt explaining why the point matters[5].
2. How Paraphrasing Is Taught
Paraphrasing is defined as restating a specific idea in the student’s own words and sentence structure while preserving full meaning[9][10]. The method trains this skill using four key mechanisms:
- The "Rest" Step: After completing a keyword outline on 3×5 cards, students put their notes away and wait at least overnight or 2 to 3 days before writing[2][11]. This rest period intentionally allows the original author's exact phrasing to fade from memory so the student cannot copy[1].
- Unpacking Keywords: When students rebuild the text, they rely only on their keyword outline without looking back at the original source[2]. They unpack each level of the outline into full sentences[8]:
- Roman numerals become complete topic sentences in the student's voice[8].
- Capital letters expand into supporting sentences with varied sentence starters[8].
- Numbers provide tucked-in details[8].
- The Three Tests of a Paraphrase: Students evaluate their paraphrases against three criteria[10]:
- Same meaning: The reader learns the same ideas as the original[10].
- New words and new structure: Simply swapping synonyms ("patchwriting") is rejected; students must alter sentence shapes, word order, or sentence length[10].
- Still credited: The author is properly named using signal phrases or source lines[10][15].
- Compare and Fix: After drafting, students place their version side-by-side with the original text[2][16]. They underline any matching phrases of three or more consecutive words to fix patchwriting, verify accuracy, and check attribution[16][17].
In the Ben Franklin Writing Method, the 3×5 note card acts as a foundational tool that converts close-reading notes into a structured, manageable outline[1][2]. It helps with outlining in several specific ways:
- Physical Constraint Prevents Plagiarism and Copying: The 3×5 card is kept small on purpose so students cannot write full sentences[2]. This physical space constraint forces students to condense ideas into keywords (1 to 3 words) rather than copying sentences from the original source text[2][3].
- Establishes a Clear One-Card-per-Paragraph Unit: Each card holds exactly one Roman numeral group (Level I major idea), along with its supporting points (capital letters) and details (numbers)[2][4]. This turns every card into a self-contained "paragraph plan"[2].
- Serves as a Modular "Essay Map": When planning longer pieces, students lay their cards out in a row to create a visual roadmap for the entire essay (e.g., three cards for a 3-paragraph piece, or five cards for a 5-paragraph essay)[5][6]. Students can also shuffle the cards—practicing Franklin’s "jumbled-hints drill"—and experiment with reordering them to discover the best organizational flow[6].
- Two-Sided Organization: The 3×5 card separates the structural outline from supporting notes and evidence[2]:
- Front: Holds the 3-level keyword outline (Roman numerals for main ideas, capital letters for supporting points, and numbers for details)[2][4].
- Back: Functions as a storage hub for supporting materials, including a Quote Bank (short exact quotes), Hard Words (vocabulary definitions), Source attribution details, and a "So What?" prompt that explains why the point matters (which helps generate the closing sentence)[2][7].
- Adapts for Side-by-Side Comparison: For compare-and-contrast essays, the card layout converts into a Comparison Card, placing evidence from two different sources side by side on a single card to organize comparative points directly[8][9].
