1. Formal Writing
Mrs. Reyes 2017

2. What is formal writing?
In your journals

3. For many novels, short stories, poems, and articles that you read this year, you will write a reader response/ formal essay.
The questions will relate to theme, conflict, character development, plot, etc.
Each essay should be a minimum of one page in length with evidence from the text that supports your ideas.
Essays

4. What is MLA? Modern Language Association
It is a set of rules on how to write a formal paper
KPHS uses MLA for all formal writing assignments, so we begin in 7th grade teaching you the requirements.
What is MLA?

5. MLA Format-Guidelines for Typing
Your essay should be typed and contain:
Font- 12 pt. and Times New Roman
Double spaced
1 ½” margins
Title-centered (DO NOT BOLD, ITALICIZE OR UNDERLINE)
Proper heading
MLA Format-Guidelines for Typing

6. HEADING-TOP LEFT-double spaced Your Name Mrs
HEADING-TOP LEFT-double spaced Your Name Mrs. Reyes English Language Arts, A4 01 September 2014
Proper Heading

7. Formal Voice- 3rd person

8. When writing about your novel remember, THE TEXT STILL LIVES!
Each time you open the book, the characters and events come alive.
Keep your verbs in the present tense.
S. E Hinton writes…NOT..S. E. Hinton wrote….
Ponyboy goes to the movies- NOT Ponyboy went to the movies.
PRESENT TENSE VERBS

9. All sentences should be written using a FORMAL TONE, therefore AVOID the use of
Colloquial words kids, guy children, man
Contractions can’t, shouldn’t cannot
First and second
person I, me, you
Cliches wicked cool!
Abbreviations t.v., KPMS television
Simple sentences He was really nice. How so?
Texting lingo K? U are kool!
Formal Tone

10. Good
Bad
Thing
Stuff
Nice So
Words to bury now!

11. You must add at least one quote/text evidence from your text that supports your ideas (thesis) of your essay.
Your quote is not always what someone said. It could describe setting, conflict, character change, suspense, irony, etc..
Integrate a quote

12. The Quote Burger Introduce the quote Place the quote Cite the quote
Discuss the quote
The Quote Burger

13. Parenthetical Documentation
After the quote, place the author’s name and page number that you found the quote in parentheses.
For Example:
“As he crept through the open field, the cold, blistering wind reminded him of being back home. Feelings of homesickness flooded his mind”
(Spencer 213).
Parenthetical Documentation

14. The narrator says, “He was acting like he had never visited the zoo before.” (Smith 67). This quote shows how innocent and sheltered the protagonist is at the beginning of the novel. Red introduction Black quote Blue citation (author and page number) Green explanation/discussion
Example- four steps

15. See the difference Book-Reader response
Self-Creative, Informative, Persuassive
Third person (he, she, it, the author, the character, etc..)
First person (I , me , my, we, us etc…..)
Details come from the text
Details come from your experiences or your imagination
Author is known, YOU are the analyst.
YOU are the author
Formal-no slang or contractions, verbs in present tense only.
Contractions are okay
discovering your “voice” as a narrator
verbs may be past, present, or future
Cite the text (Hinton 34)
Dialogue for effect
Expository writing
Descriptive or narrative writing
See the difference

16. Describe Miss Orville from Arthur Cavanaugh’s story, ”Miss Awful” using three character traits.
Use the MLA guidelines for:
Formal rules
quote integration (four steps)
present tense verbs to write your response.
Prompt:
How does the reader describe Miss Orville?

17. Criteria for Success Paragraph-12-15 sentences in length
Introduction (hook and thesis)
Restate the question and identify the title and author of the literature discussed.
Transition between your ideas
**Formal tone and voice
Concluding sentence
**Formal language, proper quote integration and present tense verbs
Criteria for Success

18. “Miss Awful” assignment
Formal writing focus:
Present tense verbs
No first/second person ( I, me ,my, you)
Proper quote integration (4 steps)
“It” says  should be changed to the narrator, the speaker, the character, etc.
“Miss Awful” assignment

19. AVOID PLAGIARISM Plagiarism-Definition
noun 1. an act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author's work as one's own, as by not crediting the original author:
It is said that he plagiarized Thoreau's plagiarism of a line written by Montaigne. Synonyms: appropriation, infringement, piracy, counterfeiting; theft, borrowing, cribbing, passing off.
2. a piece of writing or other work reflecting such unauthorized use or imitation: “These two manuscripts are clearly plagiarisms,” the editor said, tossing them angrily on the floor.
AVOID PLAGIARISM

20. Titles Fix these titles: the cat in the hat the wonderful world of oz
an apple for sam
around the world in twenty days
Titles

21. Topic sentences that WOW!
COMBINE THESE TWO SENTENCES: In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins there is a character named Katniss Everdeen. She is brave, intelligent, and athletic.
Topic sentences that WOW!

22. In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, there is a character named Katniss Everdeen who is brave, intelligent, and athletic. OR Brave, intelligent, and athletic; these are just a few ways to describe Katniss Everdeen from Suzanne Collins’ book called The Hunger Games.
Topic sentences

23. Reading Strategies Predict Visualize Connect Question Clarify Evaluate
Do these while you read to become more ACTIVE!
Reading Strategies