ACES Writing Strategy

A (Answer):

C (Cite):

E (Explain):

S (Sum it Up):

A (Answer): The author shows Rachel’s feelings about growing up by comparing ages to layers that stay with you.

C (Cite):

E (Explain):

S (Sum it Up):

A (Answer): The author shows Rachel’s feelings about growing up by comparing ages to layers that stay with you.

C (Cite): Rachel says, “What they don’t understand about birthdays… is that when you’re eleven, you’re also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one.”

E (Explain):

S (Sum it Up):

A (Answer): The author shows Rachel’s feelings about growing up by comparing ages to layers that stay with you.

C (Cite): Rachel says, “What they don’t understand about birthdays… is that when you’re eleven, you’re also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one.”

E (Explain): This shows that Rachel feels like growing up doesn’t make you completely new or different. She believes that all the younger versions of yourself stay inside you, and sometimes you might act or feel like a younger age.

S (Sum it Up):

A (Answer): The author shows Rachel’s feelings about growing up by comparing ages to layers that stay with you.

C (Cite): Rachel says, “What they don’t understand about birthdays… is that when you’re eleven, you’re also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one.”

E (Explain): This shows that Rachel feels like growing up doesn’t make you completely new or different. She believes that all the younger versions of yourself stay inside you, and sometimes you might act or feel like a younger age.

S (Sum it Up): Rachel’s feelings about growing up show that becoming older is complicated because your younger self never fully disappears.

The author shows Rachel’s feelings about growing up by comparing ages to layers that stay with you. In the text, Rachel says, “What they don’t understand about birthdays… is that when you’re eleven, you’re also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one.” This shows that Rachel feels like growing up doesn’t make you completely new or different. She believes that all the younger versions of yourself stay inside you, and sometimes you might act or feel like a younger age. Rachel’s feelings about growing up show that becoming older is complicated because your younger self never fully disappears.

​By the end of the story, Rachel learns that even though she is eleven, she can still feel small, sad, and powerless sometimes. In the text, She says, “Because the way you grow old is kind of like an onion or like the rings inside a tree trunk… you don’t feel eleven inside.“ This shows that Rachel realizes growing up doesn’t mean all of her younger feelings go away. Even though she is technically eleven, she still feels like a little girl when something unfair or embarrassing happens. Rachel’s experience teaches her that age doesn’t always protect you from hard feelings, and that it’s okay to carry all your younger selves with you as you grow.