writing test loose ends

8/14/2019 Writing Test Loose Ends

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A Quick Review

Mrs. Graham

WBHS 2008


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Soyou forgot to pay

attention...and now its judgme nt day .March 4, 2008 is the tenth grade writing test!!!

If you pick only one day out of the year to getat least nine hours of sleep, it should betoday!

If you

-get nine hours of sleep

-eat a light breakfast (eggs, fruit, cereal,toast, OJ)

-review tonight (not cram, just a light review)

-de-stress before bed and in the morning= a 25% increase in test scores its been


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What do I need to know ?About the test Speaking of scores

You have 100 minutes towrite an essay

You could get acause/effect or a definition(I dont know!)

Any talking, cell phone use,or suspicious behavior is a

misadministration (theentire 10th grade will hateyou)

You can write on theprompt, and you can usethe scrap paper to plan, but

anything not written on thelined paper will not be

You must score a 12 toobtain a LEVEL III

You must score a 17 toobtain a LEVEL IVOff topic and illegible

prompts are considerednon-scoreable

Its all about content!

No teacher or student candiscuss the test for 30calendar days.

You can tell me how youfelt about it (i.e. it suckedor I totally boasted it) but

you can not tell meanything else.


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What about that scrap

paper?Use it to PLAN!! It is

not graded nor kept,but it is collected.


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About the prompt.


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Things you need for EVERY

essayIntroductio

nThesis

BodyParagraphs

Conclusion


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Cause

Effect

effect

effec

t

effect

effec

t


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Basic

definitionfrom

dictionary

or promptrelated

examples

or

ancedotes

synonyms

contrasts

with

opposite

terms

negation-

what it is

not

Function-

how it

works,

what it

does

breakdown

of parts that

make up

the termquotations

from others

your

personal

experience

with the

term

sensory

details

etymology

comparisons

to related

terms

facts or

statistics


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on orge eoutlinemethod works for

both I. Define your thesisII. State the first main

idea related to thethesis

III. State the secondmain idea relatedto the thesis

IV. State the thirdmain idea relatedto the thesis

V. Conclude with a

strong opinion


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Followed promptly by wherehave you been?


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Introductory ParagraphsContain.The thesisA Hook

Conclude with the mainpointFlow easily into the next

paragraph

Remember, your thesiscan appear anywhere inyour paragraph(Heishman prefers themin the middle), butwithout one, you are

automatically OFFTOPIC

Open with a.A startling statistic

(found on prompt)An unusual fact or vivid

exampleQuotation or a bit of

dialogueA questionAn analogy, metaphor,

or simileAn anecdote


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An effective ThesisA central idea thatcan be supported

Must require further

proofor furtherdevelopment

Be debatable

Not too broad and

Not too narrowFocused, and not too

vague.

Too Broad:

Mapping human DNAhas many

implications forhealth and science.

Too Vague:

The way the TV showER portrays doctorsand nurses isinteresting.


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Body ParagraphsDevelops the supportfor the thesis

Stick to the point

State the main point ina topic sentenceHave a pattern of

organization

Use elaboration(examples,descriptions, compareand contrast, causeand effect,

classification anddivision, analo )


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ConclusionsShould remind readers of

the essays main ideawithout dully repeating it

At this point, readers

should alreadyunderstand your mainpoint- your conclusiondrives it home andleaves the reader withsomething larger toconsider

An effective conclusion isdecisive and

unapologetic

It could summarize themain points

Propose a course ofaction

Discuss the topics widersignificance

Offer advice

Pose a question forfuture study

You might include adetail, example, or

image from theintroduction to bringreaders full circle

You could include aquotation, a bit of

dialogue, an anecdote, a


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Revisions? Anyone?Be sure to fix

Look for ways youcan

Incoherent sentences.Does it make sense if you

read it out loud?Link ideas together clearly.

Do you have support? Doyour paragraphs flowtogether?

Repeat key words, butavoid repetition

Maintain consistency.Dont shift from one pointof view to another (I to you,anyone to they)

Use transitional words.But dont overuse!

Have a good length toyour paragraph andessay.

Use parallel structure.

Bind together a series ofsentences expressingsimilar information. It is a hard thing to

understand, to

recognize, and to forgive


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Some Common Errors

Spelling/UsageTheir vs.. thereHere vs.. hear Its vs.. Its Im vs. ImAlright vs. all rightAlready vs.. all readyAll together vs..

altogetherAffect vs.. EffectAccept Vs Except

Between vs.. AmongAmount vs.. NumberBring vs.. TakeSHOULD OF vs..

SHOULD HAVE (etc)Can vs. May

Watch out for

WordinessRepetitionVague statements

(Hamlet seemeddisturbed)

Passive voice ( The playwas praised by the criticsvs. The critics praised theplay.

Sentences beginning withThere and It (There werecars inching along thefreeway vs. Cars inched

along the freeway)Limited or lifeless

vocabularyOrdinary languageComplete thoughtsVerb/tense agreement

Punctuation andCapitalization

On a side note.

Dont forget to watch your commas!


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And dont use those banned

wordsInteresting

Nice

BadIn my opinion

I believe

Like

We

Us

In this paper

Any word yourfive year old

sister/brother/cousin/imaginary friend would

know!


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Ways to organize an

EssayChronological Order

ReverseChronological Order

Order of Importance

Compare andContrast

Negative Effects andPositive Effects

Term Definition andTerm in Practice


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Dont forget to checkContext.

From what point of vieware you writing youressay?

Audience.

Who is listening or

reading your essay?

Focus:

Did you stay on topic?


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Differences between a 3

and a 4Voice- most papers

with a four have adistinct voice. Instead

of just writing anessay, the narratorentertains.Higher vocabularyElaborate sentence

structureVariety of sentencesStrong introductions

and strong

conclusions


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Final word.Think of your essay as a speech. Is the

audience going to boo you?

Will they laugh at some parts?

Will they have ah ha! moments?

Will they remember a phrase you wrote?

Is there a highlight?

Does it read like a good song (intro, bridge,finale)?

Were you memorable?


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Remember,

I will accept you no matter what grade you get,however, I will love you more if you get a four!

Aim at the sun, and you may not reach it; butyour arrow will fly far higher than if aimed at an

object on a level with yourself. - Joel Hawes

Enjoy the movie!


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