GHSGWT PRACTICE

Step 1: RAFT Read the prompt and RAFT it! Role – Always an action Audience – Who are you writing for? Format – What are you supposed to write? Topic – What are you writing about?

Writing Situation Writing Situation: The hairstyles, clothing, and jewelry of students in today’s schools often reflect current fads and fashions that are sometimes controversial. Are dress codes necessary in today’s schools, or should students be allowed to dress as they wish? Directions for Writing: Write a letter to the principal in which you defend your position for or against dress codes in schools. Use clear reasoning as well as your own experiences and observations to convince the principle to agree with you.

Brainstorming How do you brainstorm?

Writing Situation Writing Situation: Your family is considering getting a new pet. Some members of the family welcome the proposed addition, while others think that the pet will be another nuisance in the house. Your family is considering a dog, a fish, a cat, or a gerbil. To make this decision your parents have asked each family member to write a letter that makes an argument for or against a specific pet. How do you feel about having a new pet? Directions for Writing: Consider the positive and negative aspects of having a dog, a fish, a cat, or a gerbil as a pet. Write a letter to your family explaining whether or not to have a pet. Try to convince your family members to agree with you by providing well-developed supporting arguments.

Brainstorming Idea 1 Who? Who is this important to? What? What is being affected? When? When will what you are suggesting be done? Where? Where is this happening? Why? Why is this happening? How? How are you going to do what you are proposing?

Writing Situation Writing Situation: Some students drop out of school before earning a high school diploma. Should high school dropouts be denied driver’s licenses until they are 19 years old, or should all teenagers of legal age be allowed to drive whether they attend school or not? Directions for Writing: Write a letter to your representative in the state legislature persuading him or her to your position regarding high school dropouts and driver’s licenses. Develop your argument using well-thought-out supporting ideas.

Brainstorming Idea 2: Pros & Cons Make a T-Chart and list the pros & cons of the decision. Choose the side with the most information Write your paper on this IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU REALLY BELIEVE IT OR NOT!!! LIE!!!!

Writing Situation Writing Situation: Some students drop out of school before earning a high school diploma. Should high school dropouts be denied driver’s licenses until they are 19 years old, or should all teenagers of legal age be allowed to drive whether they attend school or not? Directions for Writing: Write a letter to your representative in the state legislature persuading him or her to your position regarding high school dropouts and driver’s licenses. Develop your argument using well-thought-out supporting ideas.

Writing a Thesis Take the words from the prompt and add “because __________________ and ______________.” Go back and find the words from the last prompt.

Writing Situation Writing Situation: Some students drop out of school before earning a high school diploma. Should high school dropouts be denied driver’s licenses until they are 19 years old, or should all teenagers of legal age be allowed to drive whether they attend school or not? Directions for Writing: Write a letter to your representative in the state legislature persuading him or her to your position regarding high school dropouts and driver’s licenses. Develop your argument using well-thought-out supporting ideas.

Thesis Should high school dropouts be denied driver’s licenses until they are 19 years old Thesis: High School dropouts should be denied driver’s licenses until they are 19 years old because if they are not responsible enough to go to school then they are not responsible enough to drive, and losing their license will motivate them to stay in school.

Writing Topic Sentences Choose key words from the points you made in your brainstorming and make them into a sentence.

Topic Sentences because if they are not responsible enough to go to school then they are not responsible enough to drive Topic Sentence: Students who are not responsible enough to finish school are not responsible enough to drive. losing their license will motivate them to stay in school. If students who dropout lose their drivers license they will be motivated to stay in school.

Writing Situation Writing Situation: The wonders of modern medicine have made it possible for more people to live longer than ever before. Many consider the added years a blessing that allows people to do more with their lives than they thought possible. Others, however, feel that the poor quality of life elderly people experience is a curse more than a blessing. How do you feel about people living to be ninety or one hundred years old? Directions for Writing: Write an article for the school newspaper that answers the question “Do you want to live to be one hundred?” Provide reasons and well developed explanations for your answer. RAFT, Brainstorm, Thesis, & Topic Sentences

Introduction Hook: Question – Have you ever thought about dropping out of high school? Statistic – According to the New York Times “75% of students who have dropped out would have finished school if they lost their license as a result of dropping out.”

Overview Give background information on the topic. If you used a question for your hook: Briefly answer the question – “Many students consider dropping out of high school because of the large amount of stress they face both in school and at home; however, if the consequences for dropping out were severe they would be less likely to drop out.” If you used a statistic for your hook: Explain the importance of the statistic – “This statistic shows _____________.” OR “This is important because ___________________.”

H.O.T Write your Introduction and make it H.O.T Example 1: Have you ever thought about dropping out of high school? Many students consider dropping out of high school because of the large amount of stress they face both in school and at home; however, if the consequences for dropping out were severe they would be less likely to drop out. High School dropouts should be denied driver’s licenses until they are 19 years old because if they are not responsible enough to go to school then they are not responsible enough to drive, and losing their license will motivate them to stay in school

H.O.T Example 2: According to the New York Times “75% of students who have dropped out would have finished school if they lost their license as a result of dropping out.” This is important because if a person drops out of high school it is more likely that they will be unable to find a job that pays enough to support themselves and their family. High School dropouts should be denied driver’s licenses until they are 19 years old because if they are not responsible enough to go to school then they are not responsible enough to drive, and losing their license will motivate them to stay in school.

Writing Situation Writing Situation: The wonders of modern medicine have made it possible for more people to live longer than ever before. Many consider the added years a blessing that allows people to do more with their lives than they thought possible. Others, however, feel that the poor quality of life elderly people experience is a curse more than a blessing. How do you feel about people living to be ninety or one hundred years old? Directions for Writing: Write an article for the school newspaper that answers the question “Do you want to live to be one hundred?” Provide reasons and well developed explanations for your answer. RAFT, Brainstorm, Thesis, & Topic Sentences

Your Job: Write an introduction for this prompt.

Topic Sentences Write two topic sentences that you will use for your essay

Body Paragraph Introduce FOO, FOO For example, In addition, Opinion:

Body Paragraph For Instance, Opinion: Furthermore,

Closing Sentence Reword Topic Sentence Topic Sentence - Students who are not responsible enough to finish school are not responsible enough to drive. Finishing school demonstrates that a student is responsible enough to handle the responsibilities of driving.

Closing Sentence Allude to the next Body Paragraph – DON’T DO THIS FOR YOUR LAST BODY PARAGRAPH Students who are not responsible enough to finish school are not responsible enough to drive. The fact that a student will lose his/her drivers license if he/she drops out may encourage him/her to stay in school.

Conclusion A- Acknowledge the other side C- Come back to your own point. T- Think or Do for the reader!

Conclusion A: Acknowledge the other side…. This means give credit to other people’s opinion. Your sentence should start with something like… Many people believe that … Other people may believe….. It is important to recognize that some people think….

Conclusion C- Come back to your own side of the argument. To do this you need to reword your thesis.

Conclusion T- Think or Do! You need to leave your reader with something to think about or something to do! Finally, consider…..

Prompt Writing Situation: Your Social Studies class has been discussing marriage. Some people remain single all of their lives, while others get married. Many marriages end in divorce, and then people get remarried. The entire class has been discussing the emotional and practical issues of marriage. Do you think the single life is better than marriage? Directions for Writing: Your teacher is requiring each students to write an essay regarding marriage, and then read it to the class. Write your essay which advocates either the single life or marriage. Provide solid reasons so that other students will agree with you. RAFT, Brainstorm, Thesis, Topic Sentences, and Introduction

Prompt Writing Situation: Your yearbook is going to include an award for a student who is “Most Likely to Succeed.” You want to nominate a student for this award. Why do you think this student deserves to win this award? In what ways do you think he or she is likely to succeed. Directions for writing: Write a letter to the school yearbook staff in which you nominate a student for the award of “Most Likely to Succeed.: Be sure to include specific examples to support your choice.

Prompt Writing Situation: Citizens and conservationists alike are concerned with the poor air quality in many big cities. Cars, buses, planes and industry contribute to this pollution. You have been asked to speak at a community forum on this issue. Directions for Writing: Write a speech that you will give at the community forum. Convince your audience of the best ways to improve the air quality in your community.