EmPOWER Your writing!!!!!!!!!!!!

What does EmPOWER stand for? E- Evaluate mP- Make a Plan O- Organize W- Write E- Edit R- Re-write

Evaluate What is this assignment asking me to do? –Circle action words and underline key words that tell me what to do. Write an essay and explain why John Smith’s leadership helped the pilgrims survive.

Evaluate How many parts will my paper have to have? Write an essay and explain why John Smith’s leadership helped the pilgrims survive. We need to know what John Smith was like as a leader and what he did to help the pilgrims survive. So there will be two body paragraphs!

Make a plan Look at the words you circled and underlined. In this assignment, my job is to….. Compare, contrast, describe, persuade, retell, summarize, give information, give an opinion.

8 Discourse Moves Compare- tell how two things are alike Contrast- tell how two things are different Describe- describe using adjectives Persuade- convince your reader to think a certain way, believe what you believe, or do something.

8 Discourse Moves Cont….. Summarize- Tell the main ideas Retell- Tell a brief story about something that happened. Give information- Tell what you know about a topic Give an opinion- Tell what you believe about your topic.

Maps What kind of maps will help me plan my ideas????

What do I need to know?? Do I need to conduct more research on this topic? Where can I find the information I need?

Setting goals for my paper Goals should be SMART Specific Measureable Attainable Realistic Trackable

Examples of goals Format Goals I will format my paper correctly MLA format Heading Name Teacher Name Class Date Double spaced

Goals cont… Mechanics –More than half my words will be spelled correctly –I will use punctuation correctly throughout the whole paper.

Goals cont… Paragraph –I will create 1 complete paragraph (topic sentence, FREDs, closing sentence) –I will say more about each FRED –All ideas in my paragraph will prove my topic sentence.

Goals cont.. Essay –I will write a clear thesis –I will create 3-5 paragraphs with all the parts (topic sentence, FREDs, closing sentence) –I will use BPT to write my introduction –I will use PSST to write my conclusion

Goals cont… Style –I will address my audience appropriately –I will use varied and appropriate transitions –I will use consistent verb tense through the whole paper – I will use impressive and unusual vocabulary related to my topic –I will convince my reader. –My reader will understand something new after reading my paper. –I will excite and interest my reader.

Thesis Statement What do you have to prove in your paper? Make sure that you clearly state what the topic(s)of your body paragraphs are in your thesis.

Introduction Start off by writing a general statement on the topic of your essay. –Sometimes in life unexpected illness can change your life dramatically. Include important background information the reader needs to know in order to understand the topic of your essay. Insert your thesis statement

Body Paragraphs FREDs Facts, Reasons, Examples and Details These are used to support your thesis!!!!!

Conclusion PSST!!! Its almost over P-Paraphrase your thesis (do not copy and paste from your intro) SS-Summarize Subtopics (2-3 sentences) T-leave the reader THINKING YOU SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST 4 SENTENCES IN YOUR CONCLUSION.

EDIT Re-read your paper out loud to hear any mistakes you may have made. (read to another person or into a tape recorder) COLA (editors checklist) Content Organization Language Appearance

Content Was the writing prompt fully answered? (check by looking at how the prompt was evaluated) Are there FREDs in the body paragraphs? Are the ideas in the paper related to the thesis?

Organization Is there an Intro, Body and Conclusion? –How are they structured? (BPT and PSST). MLA format Does it make sense? Transitions between paragraphs?

Language Is the essay interesting? Does the writer use good vocabulary or is it basic? Are there different types of sentences used?

Appearance Spelling is correct Rules of capitalization are consistent Appropriate punctuation is used.

RE-write Take the information you received from the editing process and make the necessary corrections. Give it one more look before handing it in.

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now you are EmPOWERED!