1. Impact Essay Voice

2. Voice: The fingerprints of the write on the page…Writer’s own personal style.  Chosen compelling ideas and organization to match my purpose  My topic, ideas, and words help me connect with my reader  My reader will know more about me from my writing  You can tell I am committed to the topic and I will leave you with something to think about  My personality shows through

3. Voice is you coming through your writing. It’s what gives your writing personality, flavor, style Tips for success… 1.) Think about your reader as you write: Write directly to that person just as if he or she were standing there talking to you. 2.) Be yourself. Readers will respond to your sincerity and honesty. 3.) Write with confidence- your enthusiasm will be contagious and will draw the reader into your ideas and feelings.

4. Voice is hard to teach without examples, so let’s read some examples and score together first… Listen as I read, “My Expectations” (NWREL, pg 74).

5. What would you rate this? Why? They rated it a 5 (Strong) because the content of this piece is occasionally on the “mature” side, but we couldn’t resist including it in the strong voice category. Talk about ENGAGING! For anyone who has felt the slightest fear about entering high school, the piece is for you. You could definitely relate. The writer maintains the exaggerated but hilarious tone throughout the piece. Phrases like “Weird, huh?” and “You’re going to love this” keep the reader involved in the conversation.

6. Next one is called, “The age to get a license.” What did you rate this and why? They scores it as 1 (Beginning) Hello? Anyone there? Even with such a potential exciting topic, this piece falls flat. The writer doesn’t seem to be writing to any audience other than the piece of paper. We encourage students to decide on an audience for this paper…parents? Teens? And brainstorm supporting arguments designed to win that specific audience over. Discuss what appropriate voice would be for the different audiences and how a writer might achieve that tone.

7. Last sample is titled Search for Seawomen” (pg. 73). Rate this and explain why They scored it 3 (developing) Formal writing with strong voice is difficult to come by, but that doesn’t make it less important! Think of yourself as an employer. Does this cover letter for a job application reach our and capture your attention? Does it stand out from any other letter? A job application probably isn’t the best place to experiment with sarcasm or soul bearing, but the writer needs to set herself apart from the pack and convince the employer that this job is hers alone.

8. Let’s fix one… It’s 7:45 AM I was deer hunting I walked in the meadow. I heard something and I looked and it was a deer. It was a four point buck I tried to get closer and it started to move. So I pulled back the hammer and I pulled the trigger and I hit it. When I hit it it jumped up and then fell down. I started to walk towards the deer it jumped up and ran away I tried to track it down. I wish I was using my 30.06 I would of got it then. I followed the blood trail as far as I could but I could not find it. So I kept on hunting.

9. Take a few minutes and re-write this… Let’s try to make this a 5 in Voice!!! A sheet will be passed out to you so you can re-read it if you need to…