Download One format for writing a strong paragraph of

Writing for the CCSS:
•Argument: 40%
•Information/Explanatory: 35%
•Narrative: 15%
• Unspecified: 10%
Today:
Quick Basics
Argument Formats & Ingredients
Framing a Writing Task
Solving the Problem of Sentence Fragments:
Can you put the words “…..It is true that” in front of every sentence?
25-Word Abstract:
This____________ begins by___________________. It goes on to
_______________________________________________________.
It ends by_______________________________________________.
Workshop Handout
Language Tree:
Eliciting and Organizing
Background Knowledge
Verb Branches:
He is_________ing
Noun Branches:
He is_________ing
the______________
He is_________ing
He is_________ing
He is_________ing
He is_________ing
Adjective Branches:
the_______ truck
the_______ truck
the______________
the______________
the_______ truck
the______________
the_______ truck
the_______ truck
the______________
the______________
Abstract noun endings:
….tion
…ance
…ence
…ity
…ism
Prepositional Phrase Branches:
in________________
on________________
at_______________
for________________
with________________
Topic: ______________________________
Getting Reading and Writing to Help Each Other:
Outline:
Middle Sch
Elementary
I.
A.
B.
C.
Boxes & Bullets
Main idea
Main idea
Main idea
II.
A.
B.
C.
III.
A.
B.
C.
High Sch
I.________
A.______
1._____
2.______
a._____
b._____
c._____
B.__________
II.____________
A.__________
B.__________
1._______
2._______
3._______
C.__________
One format for writing a strong paragraph of argumentation:
Developmental
Sentences:
Thesis Statement:
is
am
are
was
were
be
being
been
(Optional)
would be
should be
could be
will be
may be
might be
must be
Do NOT
add an
--ing or
--ed verb
Strong
action verbs
Concluding
Sentence:
is
am
are
was
were
be
being
been
(Optional)
would be
should be
could be
will be
may be
might be
must be
One format for writing a strong paragraph of argumentation:
Next Step in the Thesis Statement: (set a context)
2. Despite his disreputable personal life and shady financial dealings,
Newt Gingrich is the strongest candiate for the Republican presidential
nomination.
Next Step in the Thesis Statement: (set a context)
Standardized
tests are
by far the bestsevere
way toeconomic
measure distress
student
3.Examples:
Even though
the United States
is experiencing
achievement.
that could be alleviated
by taxation equity, people who earn more than one
is the
strongestto
candidate
the Republican
million dollars aNewt
year Gingrich
should not
be expected
pay taxesfor
because
they
are the job creators. presidential nomination.
People who earn more than one million dollars per year
should not be expected to pay taxes because they
are the job creators.
Next Step in the Thesis Statement: (set a context)
1. While some people believe that a variety of data and information should
be used to evaluate students, standardized tests are by far the best way
to measure student achievement.
One format for writing a strong paragraph of argumentation:
Newt:
Newt Gingrich promotes American values.
Newt Gingrich led the House during the Clinton years.
Newt Gingrich opposes having school maintenance personnel
keep their jobs, and instead proposes that impoverished
students clean the schools.
Tax the Rich:
The top 1% provide jobs for the rest of us.
Next step:
The
top 1%
inspire
the masses
achieve
great
things.
Drive
your
idea forward
with to
strong
action
verbs:
The top 1% deserve their privileges.
Testing:
Tests motivate teachers and students.
Tests reveal the truth about education.
Tests reward achievement and punish failure.
One format for writing a strong paragraph of argumentation:
Newt:
With all of these considerations, Newt Gingrich’s qualifications
are far superior to that of the other candidates.
Tax the Rich:
When the super-rich are taxed at the rate of the middle class and
Next step:
the working poor, that is class warfare.
Conclude with another BE sentence.
Testing:
As common sense indicate,test results are always accurate.
Aristotle’s Three Appeals
1. Ethos: Appeal through the credibility and reputation of the
writer/speaker
2. Logos: Appeal through logical reasoning
3. Pathos: Appeal through emotional response
(These may coincide.)
Sentence Frames for
Argumentation
Use this frames at the outset of your argument to introduce an ongoing
debate:
In discussions of _____________, one controversial issue has been
___________________________. People who believe____________
claim that________________________________. On the other hand,
those who believe _____________________________ assert that
______________________________________________________.
My own view is __________________________________________.
Framing the Writing Task
Ineffective: (Vague, unscaffolded)
Write a report about an
American president.
What is your opinion about
President Obama?
Identify and evaluate the
role reversals between
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
More Effective: (Scaffolded)
Minerals have certain properties that
make them useful. Select a mineral and
explain in a well-developed paragraph
how its properties make it useful.
Suggested vocabulary:
application, manufacture
resistance, flexibility, withstand,
strength
Suggested sentence frame:
Because of its________, _______ is
used for_________.
One property of _____ is ______, which
makes it________.
Framing the Writing Task
More Effective: (Scaffolded)
Minerals have certain properties that
make them useful. Select a mineral and
explain in a well-developed paragraphs
how its properties make it useful.
Suggested vocabulary:
application, manufacture
resistance, flexibility, withstand,
strength
Suggested sentence frame:
Because of its________, _______ is
used for_________.
One property of _____ is ______, which
makes it________.
More Effective: (Scaffolded)
I.
Directions:
--General focus statement
about the topic
--At least one “task verb”
delineating expectations
(select and explain…
identify and describe…
identify and analyze…)
II. Suggested vocabulary:
3-5 useful words that the
students might not have
thought of
III. Suggested sentence frame(2):
1-2 sentence templates that
will serve as good
“containers” for a key idea
Structuring a Writing Task: 3 Parts
Part One: State what you want the students to do, carefully choosing your
task verb. Be sure the students understand the task verb (analyze,
explain, describe, compare, tell a story…)
Part Two: Provide a short word bank (list of 5-10 words that will work well in
this writing task, but that the students would probably not have thought of
by themselves:
Part Three: Provide 2 or 3 sentence frames that will work well in this writing task: