1. Unit Two: Lesson 4 Generate Ideas PREWRITING

2. What is the prompt asking? Success starts by knowing what you are being asked to answer. Let’s look at a prompt and work through it together. If you start by understanding the question and continue to answer that question, you have a very high probability of successfully writing a good essay.

3. Prompt Because of safety concerns, many states have increased the age at which teens can begin to drive. Your state legislature is considering raising the minimum driving age from 16 to 18. Do you think the minimum driving age should be raised? Take a position on this issue. Support your response with reasons and specific examples.

4. What are you being asked? 1.Take a position on this issue.  This means either you support this or you don’t.  Create a pro and con list – write your strongest three reasons for and against the issue. Once you have done this, you should be able to decide which position you want to take.

5. What are you being asked?  Support your response with reasons and specific examples. Brainstorming flows from your pro and con list. Once you have taken a position, you can start thinking of examples that will support your position. Brainstorm for the position you support.

6. Brainstorming Each writer has his own way of doing this Listing Webbing Categorizing It doesn’t matter how you do it, but do it. Prewriting and brainstorming help organize your thoughts. You will think of things you may not have when you brainstorm. It will also help you to organize your writing.

7. What are you being asked? 3. Take the strongest “con” from your list and brainstorm a bit on that as well. You will need this for a counterclaim.

8. Writing your Thesis Statement Now that you have taken a position, take your three pros (or cons) and turn them into your thesis statement. Remember, you can use the prompt to start your thesis statement: The minimum driving age should (not) be raised BECAUSE (and now insert your three reasons)

9. Going Forward Now you have your roadmap You have your three points you plan to write about in your essay. You have brainstormed ideas inside your points. You have a counterclaim you plan to refute. You have your thesis. Let’s get writing.

10. Lesson Two: Introductory Paragraph Use that Prompt

11. Starting Strong The prompt gives you a lot of what you need, let’s look at it again: Because of safety concerns, many states have increased the age at which teens can begin to drive. Your state legislature is considering raising the minimum driving age from 16 to 18. Do you think minimum driving age should be raised? Take a position on this issue. Support your response with reasons and specific examples.

12. Take what they give you It is perfectly acceptable to use take part of the prompt and start your introductory paragraph with it: Many states have increased the age at which teens can begin to drive. The Virginia state legislature is considering raising the minimum driving age from 16 to 18.

13. General to Specific You are addressing the prompt Your writing goes from the general to the specific. It starts with speaking about many states Starts to focus on Virginia. Now it is time to put in an observation, depending on your position.

14. An observation If you have decided to oppose this, you may want to be critical of such an idea right from the start. Many states have increased the age at which teens can begin to drive. The Virginia state legislature is considering raising the minimum driving age from 16 to 18. But teenagers have been getting their licenses at the age of 16 in Virginia for a very long time, and to raise the age now would be disruptive to teens and their lives.

15. Anchor this with your Thesis Statement Many states have increased the age at which teens can begin to drive. The Virginia state legislature is considering raising the minimum driving age from 16 to 18. But teenagers have been getting their licenses at the age of 16 in Virginia for a very long time, and to raise the age now would be very disruptive to teens and their lives. INSERT YOUR CLASS THESIS STATEMENT HERE

16. Introductory Paragraph Accomplished You know have that finished and done. Now, you can start “ACES”ing your way to a successful essay.

17. Lesson Three: ACES Paragraph Proving your Points

18. ACES Body Paragraph One Take the first prong of your thesis This becomes an “A” of your ACES – your assertion. So, for example, if your first prong of your thesis was “students have responsibilities after school,” – that can be part of your assertion.

19. Writing it down Students have responsibilities after school that require them to drive. That’s a good assertion. Now, what you need to do is provide examples and commentary to support this idea.

20. (E)xamples What does that mean? An example is a concrete piece of evidence. You want to use examples and you want them to be meaningful. Here are three good ones: After school jobs Picking up younger siblings Running errands for family

21. ACES OK, so we have the assertion and examples. So, let’s write this.

22. (C)ommentary You must provide good commentary with solid examples. You need both to have a solid essay. Think of commentary as your tent. Think of examples as the stakes that hold it down. You need both.

23. Put them in a good order Now, think about how you want to present your ideas: After school jobs Picking up younger siblings Running errands for family The last two are related. They should follow each other. Speak about them first and second or second and third. Don’t split them up.

24. Example and Commentary So, let’s do this: After you make the assertion, you should make a transition into your example. Something like: “Changing the age at which a teenager gets his license would interfere with his ability to earn money.” And then, “Many teenagers have jobs after school and they need to be able to drive to and from those jobs.”

25. Commentary Now you comment about it. How does this affect the teenager? How does this affect the employer? Come up with three interesting things to say that mean something. This is your opportunity to express your opinion about your example. Make it meaningful. Don’t say, “This is bad.” That really doesn’t mean much. It is a waste of words and it detracts from your impressive example.

26. Do it Again Transition to your next example You need to transition to your next example. “It is not only the teenager who will be affected by this change. The families of teenagers will also be affected by it.” And then, the second example: followed by commentary.

27. And one more time Transition to your third example Show the example Make good commentary

28. (S)ummary Sentences You need to sum up the points you have made, but you also need to move on to your next BIG IDEA. So, keep it simple. “Changing the driving age from 16 to 18 will negatively impact students who have after school responsibilities. The state needs to consider this and other issues before changing the law.”

29. Twice More and DONE This is a really strong paragraph with an (A)ssertion, (C)ommentary, (E)xamples, and a (S)ummary. It flows logically and expresses your thoughts. You are ready to repeat with the next piece of your thesis prong. And then with the next.

30. Lesson Four: Counterclaim Acknowledging the Other Side

31. Counterclaim Remember your pro and con list? One of them you used to develop your thesis and your essay. The other list also has valid points, just for the other side of the argument.

32. Counterclaim In an argument, the other side takes their best examples and commentary and uses them to persuade you to agree with their point of view. When you recognize the best argument from the other side in your own essay, rebut it, and refute it, it makes your own essay even stronger.

33. How to do it Well, for instance, let’s assume we all wrote that we were against raising the driving age for getting a driver’s license. But, what are some of the reasons for doing it? People would be more mature when they learn to drive Majority of people would no longer be in high school, which would cut down on high school driving injuries and deaths Insurance rates might go down

34. Which of these is the strongest? People would be more mature when they learned to drive Majority of drivers would no longer be in high school, which could cut down on high school driving injuries and deaths Insurance rates might go down Yes, the second one. No one wants to see kids harmed or dead.

35. Counterclaiming So, how do you take on this argument? Well, first you acknowledge that it is real, because it is. If you don’t acknowledge the truth, you cannot argue it. But, you can acknowledge it and still make it work for you.

36. Counterclaiming You start off by agreeing with it: It is a fact that leading cause of death in American teenagers is automobile accidents. There, you have acknowledged it.

37. Now, you rebut it When you rebut something, you either prove it false, or you minimize the damage it is doing to your case. Start with a strong assertion Yes, driving accidents are the number one reason for death among teenagers, that is true.

38. HOWEVER is your friend So, now, you can qualify if: It is true that driving accidents are the number one reason for death among teenagers. However, these accidents occur because of inexperience, not because of age. New drivers make mistakes, sometimes fatal ones. So if a new driver is 16 or 60, they are much more likely to have an accident until they gain substantial driving experience. And, the majority of teenagers do not have harmful or fatal car crashes. Changing the driving age does not help with inexperience. If anything, it could make it a bigger problem. At 16, drivers will still have parents to help them practice. At 18, many people will no longer live at home and will be learning how to drive without responsible adults to help them. So, keeping the driving age at 16 is actually safer for teenaged drivers.

39. Other Qualifiers for Counterclaims It has been said that Despite Some say that Although

40. Counterclaiming Now you have acknowledged a big claim from the other side, but have made a sensible argument against it. This has strengthened your essay, and has shown that you are willing to look at both sides of the issue fairly.

41. Lesson Four A: Always Counterclaim? Not Always

42. Always Counterclaim? Sometimes, there will be prompts that do not require a counterclaim. Then, you need to write a very strong essay that will be strong on its own merits. Let’s take a look at one

43. Always Counterclaim? Author Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Do you agree or disagree with Emerson’s statement about individuality? Take a position on this issue. Support your response with reasons and specific examples.

44. Always Counterclaim? Now, yes, they are asking you to take a position, and yes, you absolutely will. But, once you have done that, can you really refute it? It would most likely be a weak counter argument. Why?

45. Always Counterclaim? Here’s why: You are making value statements for this argument. You are speaking about personal moral and value statements. If you attempt a counterclaim, you would might end up refuting yourself. Better to make strong arguments for the claim your make.

46. Always Counterclaim? Faced with a FACT BASED prompt: COUNTERCLAIM Faced with a PHILOSOPHICAL BASED prompt DON’T COUNTERCLAIM

47. Lesson Five: Conclusion Ending with an Impression

48. Conclusion Go back to the prompt and use it again. It helped out in the beginning, it can work just as well in the end. Because of safety concerns, many states have increased the age at which teens can begin to drive. Your state legislature is considering raising the minimum driving age from 16 to 18. Do you think minimum driving age should be raised? Take a position on this issue. Support your response with reasons and specific examples.

49. Start like this Many states have increased the age at which teens can begin to drive.

50. Conclusion Transition into your restated thesis If you have not agreed with the idea, write something that will lead into your restated thesis. EXAMPLE: “But one state’s laws do not have to dictate another’s.”

51. Conclusion Restate your thesis That does NOT mean that you say it word for word. That means you take your three prongs and you put them down again in a meaningful way. You can split them into three different sentences if you like.

52. Conclusion DO NOT NOT NOT Add any new information here You are concluding your thoughts, not putting in something else. It is a huge distraction and will take away from all your hard work.

53. Conclusion You can give a call to action: “Please consider contacting your state legislator and urging her to vote against this bill. Teenagers need to continue earning their licenses at age 16 in order to become safe and reliable drivers in Virginia.”

54. Conclusion Or, you can sum up your points and be finished: “The state should leave the driving age at 16 because teenagers need to learn to become safe and responsible drivers earlier rather than later.”

55. Lesson Six: Revision Seeing again through New Eyes

56. Revision Once you have written the essay – you need to revise it. Yes, you really do.

57. Threes and Threes and Threes Look at your thesis: is it three pronged? Look at your assertions – are they related to the three prongs? Are they in the same order as the three prongs? Are there strong examples that correspond to those examples?

58. Revising Your Body Paragraphs The Power of Threes Do your examples flow one to another? Do you have three good pieces of commentary for each example? Do you have strong summary sentences?

59. Good Transitions When you are moving from one idea to the other, you need to use transitional words and phrases: Words such as but, likewise, although and then, show the relationship between ideas in a sentence. Words such as however should only connect two sentences with contrasting ideas.

60. Take it Out Stay on Point Did you add things you really don’t need – take them out. If they don’t add to your central idea, if they don’t strengthen your argument, they do not belong in your essay.

61. Know Your Audience As you read, think about your audience. In this case, it is the SOL reader who wants you to: take a position use specific examples, reasons, and commentary for your position.

62. Tone and Voice Read your entire essay and listen to it. Is it interesting? Did you use good word choices? “So avoid the word “very” because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Don’t use sad, use morose. Language was invented for one reason boys – to woo women – and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do. It also will not do in your essays.” ~Dead Poets’ Society

63. Tone and Voice Tone is the writer’s attitude toward the subject. This will come through in your word choices. This is part of your voice as a writer. The other part is your point of view.

64. Point of View It is very important that the Point of View remain the same throughout the essay. 1 st Person Point of View – if the essay is from the 1 st Person, then the entire essay comes from the “I” perspective. Don’t change it during the essay. 3 rd Person Point of View – if the essay is from the 3 rd Person, then the entire essay comes from “he,” “she” or a named person or entity. Don’t switch it during the essay.

65. Revision When you revise, you will also see just how much you understand about your answer. You will see what you need to add to clarify your response. You will see what you might has miswrote, misquoted, or misunderstood the first time around.

66. Lesson Seven: Proofreading Editing and Mechanics

67. Proofreading This is where you polish up the work. Capitalization Punctuation Grammar Spelling

68. Tips for Doing it Well 1. Before you start – list the mistakes you know you make regularly. If you have trouble with run-on sentences, for example, make sure that you focus on the length of your sentences.

69. Tips for Doing it Well  Begin by rereading the second half of your essay first. This is where you are most likely to have made errors. Then, go over the first half of your work.

70. Tips for Doing it Well  Proofread backward. Start with the final word of the final sentence and look at each word. This technique can help you catch misspelled or missing words.

71. Tips for Doing it Well  Time permitting, proofread your writing several times. Proofread once for spelling mistakes. Next, proofread for correct punctuation. Look for the mistakes that you most commonly make.

72. Tips for Doing it Well  VERB TENSE – this is important – the essay’s verb tense needs to remain the same throughout. Stay in the present tense all the way through your writing.

73. Tips for Doing it Well  Correct your errors as you find them. Then read the correction to yourself and make sure it sounds correct.