What Students Need to Know about High School FCAT Writing A presentation by Diane Fettrow, Curriculum Specialist 1D. Fettrow

2 Background What is on the writing test? Each student receives a test booklet with his/her name pre-gridded. Each booklet has either an expository or a persuasive prompt. Students cannot choose to do any other prompt. This year all students will receive the same prompt. D. Fettrow

3 Background How are the essays scored? In years past, two readers read each student’s response and gave it a number between 1 and 6. A few papers were deemed unscorable. If the two scores were more than one number apart, a third scorer (table leader) read the paper and awarded it a score. Two adjacent numbers resulted in a score with a.5, i.e. a 3.0 and a 4.0 = 3.5 as an average A 3.5 it NOT a score on the rubric; it is an average. D. Fettrow

4 Alert! For the first time this year, there will be only one reader for each paper. The DOE has promised that 20% of the papers will have a second reading. Papers will be awarded only one score, without an average. D. Fettrow

5 The rubric that is used to score the papers has four components: Support (has elaboration of ideas) Focus (is on the topic and purposeful) Organization (has a logical progression of ideas and appropriate transitions) Conventions (has varied sentence structure, good grammar, conventions, and spelling)

D. Fettrow6 So what should students do to be completely prepared? Students should recognize that the most important part of the score is based on the support they provide for their ideas. Support = Elaboration

D. Fettrow7 What exactly is meant by elaboration or support? How does a student know when an idea is fully elaborated?

8 The Florida DOE categorizes support by levels: bare (lowest level) extended layered elaborated (most rewarded level) D. Fettrow

9 What do these categories mean? Bare—use of one detail or a simple list that focuses on events or reasons. For example: “I like to go to school because it is fun.” This is a detail that lacks specificity; the reader knows very little after reading this sentence. D. Fettrow

10 This cartoon has a list! It would be considered bare support. D. Fettrow This is NOT an example of elaboration.

11 How does the DOE explain extended support? Extended—use of information that begins to clarify meaning. For example: I like to go to school because it is fun when the teacher allows us to do experiments with frogs. The reader would have a little information but is probably left with numerous questions. D. Fettrow

12 What is layered support? Layered—use of a series of information statements that collectively help to clarify meaning. Think about a brick wall. Layers of bricks that do not touch each other work together to build a wall. Mortar joins one layer to the next. In a paragraph the sentences work together to form a unit called a paragraph. Transitions function like the mortar in joining ideas. D. Fettrow

13 Layered Paragraph “I like to go to school because it is fun when the teacher allows us to do experiments with frogs. [Give an example.] We learned what kinds of foods frogs like to eat by offering them flies, worms, and seeds. [Give another example.] We observed the frogs during the morning and afternoon to determine when they were most active. [Give another example.] We also compared frogs to other amphibians to see what characteristics they share.” D. Fettrow

14 In the previous paragraph, every sentence relates back to the first or topic sentence and gives an example. Each example is different, but they all work together to explain the topic sentence. In this type of paragraph structure, a student could certainly give additional examples that exemplify the topic sentence. (The DOE likes layered support!)

15 What is an elaborated paragraph? Elaborated—has use of additional details, anecdotes, illustrations, and examples that further clarify meaning. Information that answers the question, “What do you mean?” Think of a chain. Each link is join joined to a link in front of it and and a link behind it. An elaborated paragraph is like a chain. D. Fettrow

16 Elaborated paragraph “I like to go to school because it is fun when the teacher allows us to do experiments with frogs instead of just reading about frogs in books. [Explain.] Experiments allow us to have the fun of discovering for ourselves how far and how fast frogs can jump and what kinds of food frogs like to eat. [Tell me more.] In one experiment to see how far frogs could jump, we constructed a board and sand pit just like the kind used in track and field events. [Tell me more.] The first time we tried to get a frog to jump....” D. Fettrow

17 In the previous paragraph, every sentence goes back to a word, phrase or idea in the sentence immediately preceding it. That idea is mentioned and more details are provided. It’s all about telling the reader more information until a full elaboration is provided. (The DOE loves elaborated support!) Elaboration

D. Fettrow18 Note how his sentences are “chained.”

D. Fettrow19 What methods can you use to elaborate? analysis ideas anecdotes logical appeals examples observations emotional appeals predictions expert testimony reasons facts statistics warnings

D. Fettrow20 As you elaborate with various methods, you can “make up” all sorts of examples. FCAT Writing anecdotes and statistics do not have to be factual!!!

D. Fettrow21 Just remember the theme song from Grease! “Summer Nights” [Tell me more, tell me more!]