Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools On Demand: Step by Step How to Choose the Right Prompt and Write your Proficient Piece

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools To Decide Which Prompt to Address Read both prompts carefully. Prewrite for both to decide which one you have the most to say about.

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools Prompt Number One SITUATION: Your site-based council is looking at whether or not to sell junk food to students as snacks. They like the money it makes for the school but worry about students’ health. WRITING TASK: Think about what you’d like to see the school do about snack sales. Write a letter to the site-based council with your suggestions. Convince them to follow your advice.

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools Prompt Number Two SITUATION: Parents in your community are concerned that their children spend too much time playing video games. WRITING TASK: Write an article for your school’s newsletter convincing parents of your opinion about whether or not kids spend too much time playing video games.

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools How do you prewrite for both prompts in order to identify what your being asked to do? Mark SPAM: Situation, Purpose, Audience, and Mode. Draw a box around the situation. Circle the purpose. Underline the audience. Put parentheses around the mode (feature article).

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools For example, SITUATION: Your site-based council is looking at whether or not to sell junk food to students as snacks. They like the money it makes for the school but worry about students’ health. WRITING TASK: Think about what you’d like to see the school do about snack sales. Write a (letter) to the site-based council with your suggestions. Convince them to follow your advice.

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools Find the Key Words from Both Situations SITUATION: Your site- based council is looking at whether or not to sell junk food to students as snacks. They like the money it makes for the school but worry about students’ health. SITUATION: Parents in your community are concerned that their children spend too much time playing video games.

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools Write a lead for each making sure to include those key words (or synonyms of those words). Dear Council Members, You’re certainly right to worry about the junk food that is sold to students as snacks at school. I realize that these sales make lots of money that the school needs. I believe that students would buy healthy snacks, if they were made available. Video Games: How Much is Too Much? Here’s a word association game to use to test your kids’ obsessions with video games: If you say, “Joy,” do they reply, “Stick”? When you say, “Fun,” do they shout “Playstation!”? If so, your worries are probably real. If you think your kids spend too many hours with a joystick in their hands, you’re probably right.

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools As you check to see if your lead gets your audience on the right track, see if your transition helps accomplish this. Notice the italics below. Dear Council Members, You’re certainly right to worry about the junk food that is sold to students as snacks at school. I realize that these sales make lots of money that the school needs. I believe that students would buy healthy snacks, if they were made available. Video Games: How Much is Too Much? Here’s a word association game to use to test your kids’ obsessions with video games: If you say, “Joy,” do they reply, “Stick”? When you say, “Fun,” do they shout “Playstation!”? If so, your worries are probably real. If you think your kids spend too many hours with a joystick in their hands, you’re probably right.

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools Once you know for sure what the prompt is asking you to do, prewrite… Draw your own graphic organizer that will work well for your purpose: train cars, tables, webs… DRINK Milk Juice H2O MONEY FOR THE SCHOOL WHY JUNK FOOD HAS TO GO FOOD Veggies Fruit Popcorn

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools Planning your details involves… Thinking about your audience’s questions, concerns, beliefs… Coming up with examples and stories from your own life that support your view Telling why and how Creating categories to group your details

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools Thinking about your audience’s questions, concerns, beliefs… Site-based council member concerns: Obesity How junk food affects the ability to pay attention The money that junk food raises for the school Kids won’t eat what’s good for them

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools Coming up with examples and stories from your own life that support your view My stories and examples that prove my point: When my mom stopped buying chips, cokes, and candy I learned to like popcorn and fruit. I used to like whole milk. Now that I’ve been drinking 2%, whole milk is too rich. Same with tuna in spring water vs. oil.

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools Telling why and how… Tastes can change. According to Weight Watchers, it takes about 30 days to change a habit… even an eating habit.

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools Creating categories to group your details… Healthy foods they will eat Healthy snacks will sell at school Tastes change Healthy Drinks Why junk food has to go

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools Drafting Follow your prewriting. Revise as you go. Keep letting the “audience’s questions” guide your writing.

Donna Vincent, Muhlenberg County Schools Don’t Give Up! When you get tired (and you will) don’t give up. Like the last minutes of a basketball game, you may want to throw in the towel. DON’T! Revise. Edit. This is an important measure of success. Like the NCAA, the results will be in the paper. People will judge your school, county, and state based on how hard we try and how well we do. Hang in there! Nothing lasts forever... Except your legacy!