Eighth Grade Writing FCAT What to expect.

WHAT’S ON THE TEST? EITHER AN EXPOSITORY OR A PERSUASIVE PROMPT.

Expository vs. Persuasive Writing What is the difference?

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Persuasive Example Persuasive writing is convincing. Some late work counts as 70% credit, giving students a C- which is passing. How can we allow students to turn in all of their work late but still have a passing grade? These kids have twisted the grading system to benefit themselves. This can no longer be allowed.

EXPOSITORY EXAMPLE Expository writing is explaining. I would include my skates because I love to ice skate. I especially love ice dancing, a form of ice skating in which you have a partner, don’t jump or do lifts above the boy’s head, and are partly judged on the quality of your edges and interpretation of the music.

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Expository vs. Persuasion Expository writing has a narrow topic. stays focused on the main ideas. is elaborated using reasons, well-chosen and specific details, examples, and/or anecdotes to support ideas. Persuasive writing has a clear position and is focused on that position. has more than one argument to support a position. is elaborated by using reasons, well-chosen and specific details, examples, anecdotes, facts, and/or statistics as evidence to support arguments.

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Expository vs. Persuasion Expository writing includes information that is interesting, thoughtful, and necessary for the audience. uses transitions to connect ideas. Persuasive writing is organized to make the best case for my position. uses transitions to connect position, arguments, and evidence.

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Expository vs. Persuasion Expository writing is organized with an introduction, supporting paragraphs with main points and elaboration, and an effective conclusion. Persuasive writing is organized to make the best case with an opening, including the position statement, and an effective persuasive conclusion, such as a call to action. anticipates and refutes the opposing position.

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Expository vs. Persuasion Expository writing shows care about the topic with voice and language appropriate for the audience. uses specific words and phrases that help the reader understand ideas. Persuasive writing shows commitment to position with voice and language appropriate for the audience. uses specific words, phrases, and persuasive strategies that urge or compel to support a position.

Score Points in Rubric The rubric provides a scoring description for each score point. The rubric used to score papers is shown below. Appendix F contains instructional implications for each score point.. How is the test scored? THERE ARE FOUR MAIN POINTS THAT ARE CONSIDERED: FOCUS refers to how clearly the paper presents and maintains a main idea, theme, or unifying point, ORGANIZATION refers to the structure or plan of development (beginning, middle, and end) and the relationship of one point to another; SUPPORT refers to the quality of details used to explain, clarify, or define; and CONVENTIONS refer to punctuation, capitalization, spelling, usage, and sentence structure.

A 6 POINT ESSAY THE WRITING : 1.is focused, purposeful, and reflects insight; 2.conveys a sense of completeness and wholeness with adherence to the main idea; 3.provides for a logic progression of ideas; 4.Has substantial, specific, relevant, and/or illustrative support; 5.demonstrates clarity in presentation of ideas, and may use creative writing strategies appropriate to the purpose of the paper; 6.demonstrates a mature word choice with freshness of expression; 7.contains varied structure, and sentences are complete except when fragments are used purposefully; and 8.has few errors in mechanics, usage, and punctuation.

A 5 POINT ESSAY The writing: focuses on the topic; has organizational pattern that show a progression of ideas, although some lapses may occur; conveys a sense of completeness or wholeness. has ample support for the prompt; demonstrates a mature command of language; has a variation in sentence structure, and, with rare exceptions, sentences are complete except when fragments are used purposefully; generally follows the conventions of mechanics, usage, and spelling.

A 4 POINT ESSAY THE WRITING: 1.generally focuses on the topic but may include extraneous or loosely related material. 2.has an apparent organizational pattern, although some lapses may occur; 3.exhibits some sense of completeness or wholeness; 4. has adequate support and word choice, is adequate; 5. has little variation in sentence structure, and most sentences are complete; and 6. generally follows the conventions of mechanics, usage, and spelling.

A 3 POINT ESSAY THE WRITING: 1. is generally focused on the topic; 2.contains an organizational pattern but may lack a sense of completeness or wholeness; 3.has some support included; 4.contains adequate but limited word choice; 5.has little, if any, variation in sentence structure; and 6.has knowledge of the conventions of mechanics and usage is usually demonstrated.

1 Point The writing may only minimally address the topic. The paper is a fragmentary or incoherent listing of related ideas or sentences or both. Little, if any, development of support or an organizational pattern or both is apparent. Limited or inappropriate word choice may obscure meaning. Gross errors in sentence structure and usage may impede communication. Frequent and blatant errors may occur in the basic conventions of mechanics and usage, and commonly used words may be misspelled. 7FLORIDA WRITES! GRADE 8 FCAT A 2 POINT ESSAY The Writing: 1.is related to the topic but includes extraneous or loosely related material; 2.has little evidence of an organizational pattern; 3.has support that is inadequate or illogical; 4.has limited inappropriate or vague word choice is limited; 5.has little variation in sentence structure and gross errors in sentence structure; and 6.has errors in basic conventions of mechanics and usage may occur, and commonly used words may be misspelled.

A 1 POINT ESSAY THE WRITING: only minimally addresses the topic. is a fragmentary or incoherent listing of related ideas, sentences or both. has little development of support or organizational pattern or both; has limited or inappropriate word choice which may obscure meaning; contains gross errors in sentence structure and usage may impede communication; and has frequent and blatant errors in the basic conventions of mechanics, word usage and spelling.

A paper is unscorable because… 1.the response is not related to what the prompt requested the student to do; 2.the response is simply a rewording of the prompt; 3.the response is a copy of a published work; 4.the student refused to write; 5.the response is written in a foreign language; 6.the response is illegible; 7.the response is incomprehensible; 8.the response contains an insufficient amount of writing to determine if the student was attempting to address the prompt; or 9.the writing folder is blank.

THE GOAL IS: TO GET A4 OR MORE!