Answering questions on characteristics

Students have been reading biographies and answering questions about the people. One of the questions they have been answering is listing characteristics about the people and the backing up their answer with proof from the text. We have been working on an A.P.E. format to help them create their answers:

Answer the question

Prove your answer with supporting details or evidence from the text

Explain how your supporting details prove your answer

A sample answer may look like this:

Bob was a timid person. In the story "The Quiet Day", It states that when Bob saw the crowd gathering around the statue, he moved away from it and "went to another exhibit that was not so crowded". As well, when they asked for someone to speak up if they believed that the woman's story about the painting was true, he did not say anything, even though he knew it was true.  A brave person would have been able to speak up in the crowd, but Bob is too shy to speak, even when he knows it is important.

It would help students if they could practise this at home. They could verbally tell answers to questions about characters in stories they have read about at home, or even about real people or characters they have seen on TV.