1. 2013-2014 Mrs. Betz Ms. Maynard Mr. Fielding

2. Why Write?

3. 1. Loudoun County has placed increased emphasis on writing in social studies and in science. two 5-paragraph essays every year in middle school 2. SOL tests – more critical thinking & application questions

4. Virginia Standards of Learning CE.1.h The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to select and defend positions in writing, discussion, and debate.

5. Virginia Standards of Learning CE.1.g The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to formulate an informed, carefully reasoned position on a community issue.

6. Virginia Standards of Learning CE.1.f The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to identify a problem, weigh the expected costs and benefits and possible consequences of proposed solutions, and recommend solutions.

7. Virginia Standards of Learning CE.1.d The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information.

8. Virginia Standards of Learning CE.1.a The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship requires, including the ability to examine and interpret primary and secondary source documents

9. The Benefits of Writing Well Synthesizing information helps students understand the Civics content. Stimulates critical thinking Promotes logical thought

10. More Benefits Provides practice at the craft of writing Helps ease student anxiety about writing

11. Writing and Critical Thinking …what to expect this year and next

12. Our Plan Teach students about different types of writing Help students do a better job of planning their writing, writing clearly, and proofreading Encourage students to evaluate their own writing Increase the complexity of writing tasks

13. Purposes of Writing Formal vs. Informal Non-fiction vs. Fiction Letter to the governor vs. note to a friend Learning to match writing style with prompt

14. Civics vs. English Typically based on facts rather than on personal observations or feelings Requires knowledge of a topic Usually written in third person Often does not ask for an opinion Often requires research or examination of primary documents

15. What Writing Requires Understanding the information Planning with a graphic organizer Logical structure Accuracy Flow Correct grammar, punctuation, spelling

16. Rising expectations One paragraph as homework A brief summary An opinion piece for a quiz Analysis (Governor’s Race) Five-paragraph essays Debate (synthesizing information) Compare and Contrast (Political parties) Informational writing DBQ -- short, introductory assignment

17. Building Skills Writing portfolio Formative writing Summative writing Teacher feedback Quarterly self-assessment

18. Where 8 th Graders Struggle

19. Reading and following directions

21. Planning

23. Taking themselves out of the action

24. Leaving out their opinion (unless requested in the prompt) Writing in third person (tend to use “I” in all writing)

25. Detail and elaboration

26. Knowing the content Can’t compare two documents without understanding them Providing sufficient facts and supporting detail. Putting what they know into words

27. Thinking and writing efficiently

28. “The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” Thomas Jefferson

29. Eliminate wordiness. Avoid repetition. Don’t repeat yourself. Cut extra words.

30. Checking their work

31. Complete sentences Correct punctuation and capitalization Correct spelling of familiar words

32. A Word About Punctuation

34. Not-so-good writing

35. Average Writing

36. What Good Writing Looks Like

37. Writing Tips When permitted, type your assignment (to take advantage of spelling and grammar checks) Read your paper aloud; you’ll catch many errors that way.

38. More Tips Ask a parent or sibling to read your writing (Does it make sense to them?) Take advantage of resources on our websites and elsewhere (Tips on writing introductions, conclusions, transitions, sentence variety)

42. Second Quarter and Beyond Research papers Multi-document DBQs (document-based questions) Political cartoon analysis Supreme Court case research and analysis Primary document analysis More challenging reading and writing

43. What to Expect in High School Summer pre-AP assignment Significantly greater volume of work Chapter outlining Chapter questions DBQs (Document-based questions)

44. Why Write? Written output is a great way to assess student knowledge. Helps students learn to express themselves with confidence in all subjects Writing is the essential skill students need as they enter adult life. Copyright 1995-2003 by Steve Peha

45. The Workplace

46. Thank you for your time, interest, and support!