1. Present the free-verse poem "Good Hotdogs" by Sandra Cisneros to students. You may choose to read the poem aloud to the class or have the students read the poem independently or in partners.
2. Next, pass out copies of the digital tool to each student, A.C.E. Strategy Handout. Discuss the acronym A.C.E. using the information on the handout. (See advanced preparation for additional teacher information.)
3. Present the sample question from the handout to students, How do you know that the speaker and her friend are excited to eat hotdogs in “Good Hotdogs”? Use the handout to discuss and explain the sample answer. Review the phrases to cite and explain evidence as shown in the handout.
4. Present students with another question that requires them to support and explain their answer using text evidence. This question can be related to the same poem as used in the example, such as What type of poetry is "Good Hotdogs"? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. or What is the mood of the poem, "Good Hotdogs"? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. You can change these questions to reflect skills you have taught prior to this activity, or you can have students answer questions from a text read previously in class.
5. After presenting a question to students, have them write their answer using the A.C.E. strategy. Remind them to answer the question, then use the sentence starters from the handout to cite text evidence and explain their answer.