Blowing Away the State Writing Assessment: Part One – The DEAD and DYING VERBS

Characteristics of good writing on a state test: Paragraphs are four to eight sentences long “Verbal sophistication” and avoidance of using only passive voice Absence of verb-tense switching problems Variation of sentence structure Topic statement and concluding sentence Nitty-gritty detail Use of superlative vocabulary Use similes and other figurative language Writer writes with voice, flair, and pizzazz (Kiester 3-4)

THEY DO NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION POSED IN THE PROMPT! What is the biggest mistake students make on state writing assessments? THEY DO NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION POSED IN THE PROMPT!

Writing Prompt: Take out a piece of paper and take the next ten minutes to respond to the following. Think about the guidelines you have been given thus far regarding good writing.: A local newspaper reported that some schools allow fast food restaurants to serve lunch in their cafeterias. Some people think it is a good idea because students like fast food. Others disagree because they think fast food is not nutritious. You decide to write a letter to the newspaper expressing your opinion about having fast food restaurants serve lunch in school cafeterias. Before you begin to write, think about your views on this issue. Is it a good idea for fast food restaurants to serve lunch in school cafeterias? Explain your viewpoint. Now write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper expressing your opinion. Should fast food restaurants serve lunch in school cafeterias? Convince your readers that your opinion is reasonable. Give specific reasons for your opinion and enough detail so that your readers will understand.

Watch out for the Dead and Dying Verbs! Trade papers with the person next to you. Let’s see what verbs were used in your responses! Write the verbs on the next page at the top of your partner’s paper. Then as you read the paper aloud, take a pen and mark the spot of each “Dead” or “Dying” verb with an “X”!

“DEAD” Verbs “DYING” Verbs am are be had has have is was were any verb ending in “ing” Sense verbs (“looks”, “smells”, “sounds”, “feels”) “DYING” Verbs become/became act/acted seem/seemed make/made exist/existed resemble/resembled (Synthesized from Caplan and Kiester’s research)

Which DEAD or DYING verbs did your Partner use the most?

Assignment: (A.K.A. – Mission Possible) Write a brief eulogy in poetic format for one of the DEAD or DYING VERBS that you should avoid. BE CREATIVE! The poem can rhyme or be in free verse (which does not rhyme). It can even be a RAP! Rhyming does not a poem make. The minimum length is six lines. The eulogy can be serious or take a humorous point of view of the verb. Before turning it in, the author must figure out a creative way to present the final draft of the eulogy (i.e. on a tombstone made of cardboard or styrofoam, on a printout with graphics, etc.). The visual presentation is worth 100 points, and the poem presentation is a separate 100 points. The eulogies are due Tuesday, Jan. 10th (and Wednesday, Jan. 11th, IF NEEDED) and will be presented aloud in class.

Works Cited Caplan, Rebekah. Showing-Writing: A Training Program to Help Students Be Specific. Berkley, CA: Univ. of California at Berkley, 1980. Kiester, Jane Bell. Blowing Away The State Writing Assessment Test. Gainesville, FL: Maupin House Publishing, 1996.