Argument: 40% Information/Explanatory: 35% Narrative: 15% Unspecified: 10% Writing for the CCSS: 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_______________________________________________.

Topic: ______________________________ Noun Branches: the______________ Verb Branches: He is_________ing Adjective Branches: the_______ truck Prepositional Phrase Branches: in________________ for________________ at_______________ on________________ with________________ He is_________ing the_______ truck Abstract noun endings: ….tion …ance …ence …ity …ism Language Tree: Eliciting and Organizing Background Knowledge Workshop Handout

Outline: Elementary Boxes & Bullets Main idea Middle Sch I. A. B. C. 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.__________ Getting Reading and Writing to Help Each Other:

is am are was were be being been Strong action verbs is am are was were be being been Thesis Statement: Developmental Sentences: Concluding Sentence: One format for writing a strong paragraph of argumentation: (Optional) would be should be could be will be may be might be must be (Optional) would be should be could be will be may be might be must be Do NOT add an --ing or --ed verb

One format for writing a strong paragraph of argumentation: Examples: Standardized tests are by far the best way to measure student achievement. Newt Gingrich is the strongest candidate for the Republican 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. 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) 3. Even though the United States is experiencing severe economic distress that could be alleviated by taxation equity, people who earn more than one million dollars a year should not be expected to pay taxes because they are the job creators.

One format for writing a strong paragraph of argumentation: Next step: Drive your idea forward with strong action verbs: Testing: Tests motivate teachers and students. Tests reveal the truth about education. Tests reward achievement and punish failure. 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. The top 1% inspire the masses to achieve great things. The top 1% deserve their privileges.

One format for writing a strong paragraph of argumentation: Next step: Conclude with another BE sentence. Testing: As common sense indicate,test results are always accurate. 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 the working poor, that is class warfare.

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.) Aristotle’s Three Appeals

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: