9-23+and+9-24+Writing+Test+Prep

__ Writing Situation __ • Some schools across America do not allow students to drop out of school before they reach the age of 18. Some people believe that teenagers do not have the maturity or knowledge needed to make the life altering decision to drop out of school. On the other hand, some argue that the school leaving age requirement prevents students from making the choice to work instead of going to school. Your state is considering whether to extend the school leaving age to 18. __ Directions for Writing __ • Write a letter to the Georgia Department of Education expressing your view on the increased school leaving age. Provide convincing reasons and specific examples to support your position.

Read through the writing prompt. Write one claim for each side of the issue (1 for extending the school leaving age to 18 and 1 for leaving the school leaving age at 16). Draw a T-Chart for the prompt.

Draw a T-Chart for the prompt. Fill in both sides of the prompt. At this point, you have taken your personal feelings out of your argument and you are trying to decide which side of the issue would be the easiest to argue.

Once you have finished your t-chart, evaluate which side has more support. Which claims are easier to argue? This is the side that you will be taking in your paper.

Circle at least three major claims that are the most supportive on your side of the T-chart. These will be the main ideas of your body paragraphs.

Write the order in which these claims will appear next to each claim. The claim that supports your argument best should be your last (3). After you have decided on that one, think about which one of the other two connects the most to this third point. That will be your second paragraph (2). Your remaining claim will be your first body paragraph.

Please rate your paper using this guide. Put a check by each entry that is evident in your paper and circle the letter by each entry that is missing in the paper. Then, grade each category overall on a 5 point scale. A 5 would be an exceptional paper that met all of the guidelines and a 1 would be a paper missing almost all of the guidelines. We will discuss these in class so underline any major errors or amazing passages so that we can share with our peers.


 * 1) ** 1. ** ** Ideas **
 * 2) a. Does the author stay focused on the topic and only one side of the topic?
 * 3) b. Does the author use supporting ideas and evidence that is relevant to their argument?
 * 4) c. Are there specific examples, details, and evidence?
 * 5) d. Are there any rhetorical devices (emotional, logical, or ethical appeals, personal stories, rhetorical questions)?
 * 6) e. Is there a lot of information that fully addresses any concerns, counterarguments, biases, or expectations that a reader could have?


 * Paper Rating: 5 4 3 2 1 **


 * 1) 2. ** Organization **
 * 2) a. Does the organization strategy fit the argument and ideas of the paper?
 * 3) b. Are the ideas logically ordered within paragraphs and across parts of the paper?
 * 4) c. Does the introduction grab the reader’s attention while letting him/her know what the paper will be about and why the writer is writing this paper?
 * 5) d. Does the conclusion provide a sense of closure for the paper without being repetitive?
 * 6) e. Are related ideas grouped in paragraphs in a way that makes sense?
 * 7) f. Does the writer use effective transitions to link and connect ideas across the paper?


 * Paper Rating: 5 4 3 2 1 **


 * 1) ** 3. ** ** Style **
 * 2) a. Does the author use carefully crafted phrases and sentences to support their argument and fit their audience?
 * 3) b. Does the author use varied, precise, and engaging language that is persuasive?
 * 4) c. Does the author’s choice of words reflect an understanding of the dictionary meaning of words as well as the meaning we have in our society (connotative and denotative meaning)?
 * 5) d. Is there use of figurative language (metaphor, simile, imagery, etc…)?
 * 6) e. Does the writer keep the audience in mind throughout the whole paper?
 * 7) f. Is there an evocative or authoritative voice throughout the whole paper?
 * 8) g. Does the author change his/her sentence length, structure, and beginnings?


 * Paper Rating: 5 4 3 2 1 **


 * 1) ** 4. ** ** Conventions **
 * 2) a. Is it obvious that the writer has a full command of different types of sentences with correct punctuation?
 * 3) b. Is the paper consistently clear in meaning, even in complex sentences?
 * 4) c. Are all elements of usage consistently correct: subject-verb agreement, word forms (nouns, adjectives, adverbs), verb tense (present, past, future) and pronoun-antecedent agreement?
 * 5) d. Are all elements of mechanics consistently correct: punctuation within sentences, spelling, capitalization, and paragraph indentation?
 * 6) e. Are the errors in the paper infrequent if any?


 * Paper Rating: 5 4 3 2 1 **

Read through the checklist below. This is what the scorers will be looking for when they grade your writing test. The ideas section is the most important because it counts for double the points of all of the other sections. Use this checklist as you are writing.

Fill in the following before next class period. You will need to write your full introduction, 1 full body paragraph, the outlines of two other body paragraphs (1 claim and 1 piece of evidence), and your full conclusion.

__Writing Situation__

Some schools across America do not allow students to drop out of school before they reach the age of 18. Some people believe that teenagers do not have the maturity or knowledge needed to make the life altering decision to drop out of school. On the other hand, some argue that the school leaving age requirement prevents students from making the choice to work instead of going to school. Your state is considering whether to extend the school leaving age to 18.

__Directions for Writing__

Write a letter to the Georgia Department of Education expressing your view on the increased school leaving age. Provide convincing reasons and specific examples to support your position.


 * 1) A. Introduction (*Great Writer Hint* A great writer ease their reader into their opinion by first speaking about the topic as a whole and then moving into clearly stating their side of the topic)

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 * 1) B. Body Paragraph 1 (*Great Writer Hint* A great writer will have one claim for each body paragraph and support that claim with specific ideas and personal stories. A great writer may also tell their audience why one point for the opposite side of the issue is wrong.)

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 * 1) C. Body Paragraph 2

-Claim for paragraph:______________________________________________________

-Supporting evidence:______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________


 * 1) D. Body Paragraph 2

-Claim for paragraph:______________________________________________________

-Supporting evidence:______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________


 * 1) E. Conclusion (*Great Writer Tip* A great writer will bring their paper to a close without being too repetitive. You should try to show your reader how important your argument really is. How could it apply to their lives or the world?)

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