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CASA Writing Checklist Page 1 of 7 How do I use this document? This document contains a checklist for the content on the Writing test in the Core Academic Skills Assessment (CASA) teacher preparation exam. Be sure to familiarize yourself with how the test is organized. The blueprint a.k.a. the test map is broken down into 2 domains. Each domain has one or more standards, and each standard has multiple parts. o Domain I – Foundations of Effective Writing Clear and Coherent Writing (Standard 5) Strong and Developed Writing (Standard 6) Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics (Standard 7) o Domain II – Writing Assignment Writing Assignment (Standard 8) To get the most out of this document, review each of the questions and check off the line items you feel you’ve mastered. This document can be used as a guide to answer the question, “Am I ready to take the CASA Writing test?” If additional help is needed, be sure to consult a tutor in the CRC (ES-1125). CASA Writing Checklist 0005 0006 0007 Clear and Coherent Writing (Standard 5) Strong and Developed Writing (Standard 6) Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics (Standard 7) Standard 5: Clear and Coherent Writing I can demonstrate how to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience, including: I recognize writing that is effective for a given purpose, audience, and occasion. I recognize that effective writers have a purpose when writing, and can identify which applies within a given piece (PIE: to Persuade, Inform, or Entertain) I recognize that effective writers have an intended audience when they write and therefore, make specific decisions such as: what content to include/exclude; what level of language to use; or what position to write from I recognize that time and place are part of the context that prompts a writer. Writers are influenced by large occasions that provide an environment of ideas, attitudes, and emotions pertaining to a broad issue while immediate occasions are smaller events and situations that trigger a response from the writer I recognize that writers use strategies to achieve unity and focus. I recognize and can produce writing that has unity, meaning that all the words, phrases, and ideas contribute effectively to the main idea. All the writing relates to and develops further the central idea. I understand that effective writing has a focus that is sustained throughout the piece. CASA Writing Checklist Page 2 of 7 Standard 5: Clear and Coherent Writing I can demonstrate how to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience, including: 0006 I can select effective thesis statements, topic sentences, and supporting details. I can select an effective thesis statement and understand that it is used to set the focus of writing, providing a summary of what the writing will be about. I can select effective topic sentences and understand that they summarize the main idea of each paragraph. I can select effective supporting details and understand they are used to explain and support the main idea. I recognize methods used to effectively organize paragraphs and passages. I know how to effectively organize a paragraph so that all of the sentences support the topic sentence. I recognize there are different ways a paragraph can be organized and that organization is usually determined by the type of writing: Narrative (storytelling): chronological order Descriptive (describes something’s appearance, smell, taste, etc.): in order of appearance or by topic Process (how-to): step by step or sequence Classification (grouping): separate parts by topic I can organize text to give effective emphasis on words, phrases, and ideas. I can reorganize sentences or paragraphs to achieve a logical sequence of ideas. I can select effective transitions between ideas and use transitions to clarify relationships among concepts. I am familiar with the various types of transitions writers use in order to maintain fluency and connect ideas for readers, including transitions that imply: Similarity: in the same way; likewise; just as; also; similarly; etc. Contrast: in spite of; nevertheless; on the other hand; on the contrary; still; yet; etc. Sequence: first; second; third; next; then; finally; etc. Time: after; afterward; before; currently; earlier; immediately; meanwhile; simultaneously; etc. Example: for instance; specifically; to illustrate; etc. Emphasis: even; in fact; indeed; of course; etc. Place/Position: above; below; adjacent; beyond; nearby; etc. Cause/Effect: consequently; therefore; so; hence; accordingly; thus; etc. Support/Evidence: additionally; moreover; besides; equally important; furthermore; etc. Conclusion/Summary: finally; in brief; in the end; on the whole; to summarize; etc. I know how to use transitions within a paragraph. I know how to use transitions from one paragraph to the next. I know how to use transitions between sections of longer pieces of writing. Strong and Developed Writing (Standard 6) Standard 6: Strong and Developed Writing I understand how to develop and strengthen writing by revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, including: I can edit text to introduce and conclude ideas effectively. CASA Writing Checklist Page 3 of 7 Standard 6: Strong and Developed Writing I understand how to develop and strengthen writing by revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, including: I can edit text to coordinate and subordinate ideas effectively. I am familiar with the various conjunctions used to coordinate and subordinate, including: after; although; because; even though; provided that; since; so; than; though; unless; when; wherever; whether; while; etc. I can use conjunctions to coordinate text in order to give equal importance to two separate items or ideas. Joseph cooked the spaghetti sauce, and Annette made the salad. Milo enjoyed the movie, yet Oscar thought it was boring. I can use a semicolon to coordinate two independent clauses. Joseph cooked the spaghetti sauce; Annette made the salad. Milo enjoyed the movie; therefore, Oscar decided to go see it. I can use subordinating conjunctions to give one item/idea more emphasis than another. Even though Annette dislikes onions, she added plenty to the salad. Milo discussed the movie details for hours even though Oscar did not enjoy it. I know when to use a comma when coordinating or subordinating. I can edit text to create or improve the parallel structure of words, phrases, or ideas. I can use parallel phrasing in a sentence. Elena likes to go dancing on Fridays, hiking on Saturdays, and fishing on Sundays. Not parallel: Elena likes to go dancing on Fridays, hiking on Saturdays, and she plays soccer. I can use coordinating conjunctions to create parallel structure. Elena invited her friend to dance on Friday and to hike on Saturday. Not parallel: Elena invited her friend to go dancing and to hike. I can use correlative conjunctions to create parallel structure. Elena not only loves to dance, but she also loves to hike. Not parallel: Elena not only loves to dance, but she also hikes. I can use comparative clauses to create parallel structure. I would rather shop for a discount than pay full price. Not parallel: I would rather shop for discounted items than full priced ones. I can use parallel structure to compare or put items in a list. Joseph likes teachers who are funny, patient, and flexible when they plan. Not parallel: Joseph likes teachers who are funny, patient, and can plan flexibly. CASA Writing Checklist Page 4 of 7 Standard 6: Strong and Developed Writing I understand how to develop and strengthen writing by revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, including: I can revise text to eliminate distracting or unnecessary information or details. I can eliminate excessive detail. Wordy: I received your question today regarding your interest in one of the bicycle models that we sell here in our store. Yes, we… Concise: I received your question regarding one of the bicycle models that we sell. I can eliminate unnecessary determiners and modifiers. Wordy: Cleaning my bedroom by Friday would seem to be an impossibility without some compassionate assistance from either my brothers or sisters. Concise: Cleaning my bedroom by Friday would be impossible without assistance from my siblings. I can eliminate repetitive words. Wordy: Our employees are excellent workers. These employees work reliably, and they are punctual. Concise: Our employees are excellent. They are reliable and punctual. I can eliminate redundant word pairings, including: Past memories; various differences; each individual; future plans; unexpected surprise; free gift; past history; sudden crisis; true facts; terrible tragedy; final outcome; equal to one another; etc. I can eliminate redundant word categories, including: Small in size; often times; heavy in weight; period of time; full in capacity; young in age I can revise text to achieve precise and appropriate language. I can eliminate wording that is vague. Vague: I had a really good weekend. (“good” can mean different things in this case.) Precise: I had a productive weekend. I can eliminate generic nouns and use precise ones that help my reader visualize. Examples: Youth: juvenile; adolescent; teen; child Group: team; committee; clan Dancer: I can use vivid verbs. Examples: Light up: ignite, illuminate Leave behind: abandon, ditch, discard Put into action: activate, motivate, trigger Put in place: arrange, positon, organize, display I can revise text to replace imprecise or inappropriate words or phrases. I know I can revise text to eliminate wordiness and redundancy. I can revise text to eliminate unnecessary shifts in points of view. I Point-of-view Pronoun CASA Writing Checklist Page 5 of 7 Standard 6: Strong and Developed Writing I understand how to develop and strengthen writing by revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, including: 0007 I can revise text to eliminate misplaced or dangling modifiers, ambiguous or awkward pronoun references, and shifts in tense or mood. I understand that modifiers placed too far away from the word that is to be modified/described create awkward sentences. They may also change the meaning of sentences. Examples: Misplaced Adjective: On her way to school, Annette found a red boy’s backpack. (Red describes the boy instead of the backpack in this case.) Misplaced Adverbs: Just Milo was chosen to read the morning announcements. (just = only Milo); Milo was just chosen to read the morning announcements. (just = now); Milo was chosen to read just the morning announcements. (just = only announcements) Misplaced Phrases: The salesperson sold the couch to the buyer covered in roses. (The buyer, not the couch, is covered in roses in this case.) Misplaced Clauses: The waitress served a dish to the woman that was very spicy. I recognize misplaced modifiers and correct them by moving them to an appropriate place within a sentence: The waitress served a dish to the woman that was very spicy. The waitress served a dish that was very spicy to the woman. I understand that dangling modifiers create vague or illogical sentences. Example: Looking down the street, a girl was skipping along. (It is unclear who was looking down the street, an observer or the girl herself.) Walking across the pasture, the mud was thick and sticky. (This implies the mud was walking.) I recognize dangling modifiers and can correct them by either adjusting the main sentence so that the term to be modified is adjacent to the modifier; or I can make the modifier into a subordinate clause. Looking down the street, a girl was skipping along. Looking down the street, I saw a girl was skipping along. Walking across the pasture, the mud was thick and sticky. When I was walking across the pasture, the mud was thick and sticky. Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics (Standard 7) CASA Writing Checklist Page 6 of 7 Standard 7: Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics I can demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics, including: I understand that verbs are used to demonstrate action. I understand that verbs not only imply action, but also the period of time (tense) when the action occurred and who completed the action: Present Tense: Jump Singular Plural Past Tense Singular Plural Future Tense Singular Plural Present Perfect Singular Plural Past Perfect Tense Singular Plural Future Perfect Tense Singular Plural 1st Person I jump We jump 2nd Person You jump You jump 3rd person He/she/it jumps They jump 1st Person I jumped We jumped 2nd Person You jumped You jumped 3rd person He/she/it jumped They jumped 1st Person I will jump We will jump 2nd Person You will jump You will jump 3rd person He/she/it will jump They will jump 1st Person I have jumped We have jumped 2nd Person You have jumped You jumped 3rd person He/she/it jumped They have jumped 1st Person I had jumped We had jumped 2nd Person You had jumped You had jumped 3rd person He/she/it had jumped They had jumped 1st Person I will have jumped We will have jumped 2nd Person You will have jumped You will have jumped 3rd person He/she/it will have jumped They will have jumped I am familiar with irregular verb forms that do not follow the standard rules: be, begin, break, chose, come, draw, drink, eat, fall, give, know, etc. I know the standard use of pronouns. I understand that a pronoun refers to or takes the place of a noun. Jake saw Janet and smiled at her. (In the case, “her” refers to Janet.) I recognize common pronouns and can use them appropriately: I; me; he; she; you; it; they; that; him; her; each, neither; etc. I recognize possessive pronouns and can use them appropriately: yours; mine; his; hers; ours; its; whose I know the standard use of adjectives and adverbs. I understand that an adjective is a word or set of words used to describe nouns and pronouns. I can use adjectives to describe appearance, touch, quantity, quality, taste, feelings, personality, etc. I understand that an adverb is a word or set of words used to modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. They help to define how, when, how often, and where. I know the standard use of prepositions. I understand that prepositions are used to describe the relationship between words in a sentence. I understand how to use prepositions of place: at; in; on; above; below; across; within; between; etc. I understand how to use prepositions of time: at; in; on; for; since; throughout; upon; after; etc. I understand how to use prepositions of movement: to; toward; towards; etc. I understand how use other common prepositions: about, of; up; out; with; in; etc. CASA Writing Checklist Page 7 of 7 Standard 7: Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics I can demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics, including: I recognize subject-verb agreement and pronoun-antecedent agreement. I understand that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree – a singular subject requires a singular verb form (he jumps, not he jump), and a plural subject requires a plural verb form (they jump, not they jumps). I understand that when using two singular nouns connected by either/or, nor neither/nor, I must use a singular verb form. I understand that when using two nouns in an either/or, or neither/nor sentence, the verb form must agree with the noun or pronoun closest to it. I understand that in general, the plural verb form should be used when there are two or more subjects connected. I understand that collective nouns can take either singular or plural verb forms: family, staff, couple, audience, etc. I understand that a pronoun refers to something or someone (the antecedent) and must agree in number (plural/singular) with the corresponding item. I can identify pronoun-antecedent errors and correct them. The girls were delighted when her mom arrived. The girls were delighted when their mom arrived. I know the standard use of comparatives, superlatives, and possessives. I understand that comparatives are adjectives used to compare two things. I understand the standard rules for changing regular/irregular adjectives into their comparative forms. I understand that superlatives are adjectives used to compare three things or more. I understand the standard rules for changing regular/irregular adjectives into their superlative forms. I understand how to use possessive pronouns in order to demonstrate ownership. I am familiar with the rules of spelling and of commonly misspelled words. I am familiar with the rules of capitalization and the standard use of capital letters. I am familiar with the rules of punctuation and the standard use of punctuation marks. Domain II – Writing Assignment 0008 Writing Assignment (Standard 8) Standard 8: Writing Assignment I can demonstrate the ability to write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence, including: I can analyze the claims made in a substantive informational text. I can write arguments to support claims and counterclaims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. I can state and maintain focus on key ideas through the use of a clear thesis statement and topic sentences. I can organize ideas effectively and maintain a logical sequence of ideas. I can establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone. I can provide a conclusion that follows from and supports the argument presented. I can use language and vocabulary that are clear, precise, and appropriate for a given audience and purpose. I can demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar. I can demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.