1. Essay writing Argumentative & Informative

2. Text-based Writing Stimulus & Prompt Guidelines Students will read a stimulus about a single topic. A stimulus consists of several texts written on a single topic. The stimulus should consist of informational or literary fiction or nonfiction texts and can cover a wide array of topics. After reading the stimulus, the students will respond to a writing prompt in which they will provide information on a topic or take a stance to support an opinion or argument. For the informative/explanatory writing prompts, students will be required to synthesize and analyze ideas from the stimuli to develop and support a controlling idea. For the opinion/argumentative writing prompts, students will be required to synthesize and analyze ideas and evidence from stimuli. They will use these ideas to present, argue and support a claim (grades 6–11).

3. 1234 Organization (Purpose & Focus) Missing 3 or more components. Structurally may be disorganized. Few or no transitions. Missing 1-2 components. Structure may be out of order. Transitions present but may be ineffective. Most components are met. May be missing 1 or part of a component. Minimal structural problems. Uses most transitions. Full introduction. Correct number/type of body paragraphs Full conclusion Uses appropriate transitions, opening, and closing sentences. Content (Evidence & Support) Evidence is minimal or absent. Vague, unclear, or confusing expression of ideas. Little or no academic vocabulary. Simple, unvaried sentence structure. Weak evidence. Irrelevant references. Simplistic expression of ideas. Limited academic vocabulary. Limited variation in sentence structure. Generally relevant evidence. Quotations are mostly precise. Adequate expression of ideas. General academic vocabulary. Some variation in sentence structure. Relevant evidence and precise quotations. Clear expression of ideas. Academic vocabulary. Varied sentence structure. Conventions ( Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation, etc.) 4+ errors3 or less errors

4. Introduction – A.R.O.T ATTENTION GRABBER… This is the 1 st sentence of your Introduction and it is intended to grab the reader’s attention. It can be in the form of a QUESTION, a QUOTE, an EXCLAMATION or a STATEMENT of FACT. REWRITING of the QUESTION in your own words… This is where you RE- WRITE the PROMPT in your own words to show the reader what you will be answering. OPINION (a.k.a Your CLAIM) on the question or prompt… This is where you state whether you AGREE or DISAGREE with the question posed in the prompt… Examples = “I believe”… or “In my opinion”… or “I agree with” or “I disagree with,”… etc. THESIS STATEMENT… This is the MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE in your Introduction. This sentence tells the reader the 2 or 3 THINGS THAT YOU WILL BE WRITING ABOUT in the essay. The thesis can come anywhere in the Introduction, but for the most part, it is usually the LAST SENTENCE written in the introduction.

5. Body Paragraphs There should be 3 BODY PARAGRAPHS in your essay that MATCH the points made in your THESIS statement. BODY PARAGRAPH 1 = Discusses the 1 st point in your Thesis BODY PARAGRAPH 2 = Discusses the 2 nd point in your Thesis BODY PARAGRAPH 3 = Discusses the 3 rd point in your Thesis Each Body Paragraph should have the following 6 sentences:- A TRANSITION PLUS the MAIN POINT you are going to be discussing in this paragraph. This is called your TOPIC SENTENCE. The 1 st example of your main point. A quote plus identification of where it came from and who said it. A supporting sentence for this 1 st example. (Elaboration) The 2 nd example of your main point. A quote plus identification of where it came from and who said it. A supporting sentence for this 2 nd example. (Elaboration) A CLOSING sentence to wrap up the MAIN POINT made in this paragraph.

6. Conclusion – R.O.T.Z. REWRITING of the QUESTION in your own words… This is where you RE-WRITE the PROMPT in your own words to show the reader what you answered. OPINION (or your CLAIM) on the question or prompt… This is where you state whether you AGREED or DISAGREED with the question posed in the prompt… Examples = “I believe”… or “In my opinion”… or “I agree with” or “I disagree with,”… etc. THESIS STATEMENT… This is the MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE in your Conclusion. This sentence tells the reader the 2 or 3 THINGS THAT YOU WROTE ABOUT in the essay. ZINGER… This is the LAST SENTENCE of your Conclusion and it is intended to close the essay. It can be in the form of a QUESTION, a QUOTE, an EXCLAMATION or a STATEMENT of FACT and should TIE UP or ZIP UP the essay. It should be related to the Attention Grabber used in the Introductory paragraph.

7. TRANSITIONS, TRANSITIONS, TRANSITIONS Please remember to include TRANSITIONS in every BODY PARAGRAPH and the CONCLUSION TRANSITIONS are the words the begin each paragraph to create a smooth flow from one paragraph into the next and it creates cohesion. Examples:- 1 st Body Paragraph = To begin with, To start, To commence, Firstly 2 nd Body Paragraph = In addition, To continue, Secondly, etc. 3 rd Body Paragraph = To continue, In addition, Finally, Lastly, etc. Conclusion = In conclusion, To conclude, In summary, To summarize, To briefly recap, To quickly review, etc.

8. LOOK AT YOUR HANDOUT The chart explain how to structure your essay. This should be used as your cheat sheet when writing an essay at anytime this year. LETS TRY ONE TOGETHER

11. ARGUMENTATIVE ARGUMENTATIVE: It is asking you to make a claim (OPINION) and discredit the counter claim (opposing option) ON YOUR CHART – Follow the Argumentative side for this essay example

12. TEXT 1 (Take notes & make annotations)

16. TEXT 2 (Take notes & make annotations)

20. OUTLINE YOUR ESSAY! You have 1 Planning sheet. Using your guide – Outline your essay.

21. This prompt is for GRADE 4!!! Now that you know what to do – try outlining this next one on your own.