11 Writing 102208rev -...

Kelly Sassi, Laura Schiller, Kara Shuell, and Andrea Zellner Fall 2008

ELA/MME Unit of Study: WRITING Grade 11

A Writing Test Genre Study for

English Language Arts/Michigan Merit Exam

www.writingondemand.org

ELA/MME Unit of Study: Writing, Grade 11 Kelly Sassi, Laura Schiller, Kara Shuell, and Andrea Zellner Fall 2008 Oakland Schools Oakland Writing Project National Writing Projects of Michigan www.writingondemand.org 2

WRITING GENRE STUDY: TEACHER BACKGROUND Test Preparation Genre Study

This unit provides suggestions to better prepare your students for the ELA/MME Writing Test. Like the ten-day unit of study written by Linda Denstadt, Laura Schiller, and Judy Kelly for grades 3-8, this seven-day writing unit of study was designed as a test genre study. We emphasize that timed writing tests are just one genre of writing. Students should focus on becoming well-rounded writers, not just test-takers. The lessons are intended to remind students of what they already know as well as how to apply this knowledge to test preparation. Each day students are encouraged to make connections between the lesson and their own writing practice by writing a reflection in their journals. We included suggestions for homework and grading in each unit. Optimum Timing We recommend that this unit be taught in the 2nd semester prior to the MME. Key Strategies The unit focuses on key strategies for students which create the biggest bump in performance and test-taking skills. However, the most important strategy is quality writing instruction that engages students in a wide range of craft, genre, and process study over an extended period of time. We value a writing life in which students apply this wide range of study to authentic writing experiences throughout the year. We are assuming good writing practices are modeled by teachers and utilized by students on a daily basis, not solely as the focus of test preparation. Each lesson builds on the previous day’s lesson, so it is important to teach the lessons in sequence. If teachers find extra work is needed on a particular strategy, they should use material from the unit of study for the previous grade level.

Varied Tasks and Varied Products The unit positions students as knowledgeable and independent users of the following writing skills and strategies:

1. Using editing skills to answer objective questions about grammar 2. Analyzing prompts 3. Reading and scoring sample student essays using rubrics 4. Writing strong arguments 5. Dealing with time constraints

The Role of Metacognition Using metacognition to enhance learning will increase independent performance. Thinking aloud and reflection are useful tools for both instruction and assessment. Try to utilize all of these approaches throughout the year: • Teacher modeling the internal exploratory process as she/he writes

or rereads. • Students noticing and naming the strategies used in a freewrite to

discuss how they impact writing. • Students pairing up to think aloud through their internal processes

of writing and thinking. • Students reflecting in their journals on their own thinking processes

immediately after practicing a new skill. Acknowledgements We wish to thank the staff at Oakland Schools for support throughout this project. We also thank Patricia Farrant at ACT for permission to use sample test questions and materials.

Kelly Sassi, Kara Shuell, and Andrea Zellner


ORGANIZATION OF DAILY LESSONSIn each lesson you will find common features, described below. We have written notes in standard font and possible directions for students in italics, though the exact wording should fit your teaching style and your particular group of students.

FOCUS The Focus of each day’s lesson is stated here. We recommend that you write the Focus on the board and tell students that you are going to explore it in that day’s activities.

CONNECTION This section explains how the day’s lesson is connected to the previous day’s lesson. It makes teaching more transparent to students and helps prepare them for the work to come.

SCAFFOLDING Recognizing that students are not all in the same place when it comes to preparing to write on a high-stakes exam, we provide suggestions for scaffolding instruction.

TEACHING POINTS Here you’ll find information for both you and your students on what we consider to be the most important points of the day’s Focus.

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT Teaching Points are usually followed by Active Engagement, or opportunities for students to practice what they just learned.

CHARTS This icon signals that you and the students will create a chart.

OVERHEADS Most lessons include pages to be displayed on an overhead; they are designated by the presenter icon shown above. The Overheads are designed so that you can model for students how to use the strategies. A number of pages are designed to be used as both Handouts and Overheads; they will have both the Overhead and Handout icons.

HANDOUTS Each day’s lesson is followed by Handouts. This icon signals when to pass out a handout. Handouts are titled by day and number, both in the text and at the top of the Handout, e.g.: Day 3/Document 2.

REFLECTION This icon appears when students need to write in their journals. WRAP-UP The Wrap-up is an opportunity for teachers to revisit the lesson Focus and the day’s activities, answer any final questions, and preview the next day’s lesson Focus. GRADEBOOK Each lesson ends with a suggestion for how teachers might use lesson activities for grading purposes.

ELA/MME Unit of Study: Writing, Grade 11 Kelly Sassi, Laura Schiller, Kara Shuell, and Andrea Zellner Fall 2008 Oakland Schools Oakland Writing Project National Writing Projects of Michigan www.writingondemand.org

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ELA/MME Unit of Study: Writing, Grade 11 Overview: Daily Focus DAY Writing Genre Study (45-60 minutes) DAY Writing Genre Study (45-60 minutes)

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Dealing with Objective Test Questions on the ACT English Test Students will use knowledge of grammar and standardized tests to edit under timed conditions. • Grammar focus: Pronouns • Test Tips

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Writing on Demand: ACT Prompt Analysis and Practice Timed Writing Students will: • Learn to consider three key features of any prompt: topic,

purpose, and audience • Learn how to allocate time during a timed essay exam using

an ACT prompt • Make the best use of the writing process: prewriting/

generating ideas, drafting, and editing/proofreading

2 Dealing with ACT English Rhetorical Skills Questions Students will continue to practice test-taking skills. Students will learn about Rhetorical Skills Questions, with a focus on writer's strategy. • Rhetorical Skills Focus: avoiding redundacy. • More Test Tips: KISS

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Writing on Demand: Understanding the Two MME Rubrics for the Civic Essay, and Scoring Sample Essays Students will: • Analyze rubrics to improve their focus in a timed writing test • Use the ACT/MME Civic Essay rubrics to score student

essays and write justifications for the scores

3 Writing on Demand: Writing Strong Arguments Students will learn about the general characteristics of a strong argument, specifically for the MME/ACT:

• effective openings • background information • making claims, providing evidence and warranting • making rebuttals to counterarguments • effective closings

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Writing on Demand: Effective MME Civic Essay Prompt Analysis and Practice Timed Writing Students will: • Use prompt analysis to set up an essay • Write a practice Civic essay, reflect on what they have

learned about the genre of Writing on Demand, and create their own strategy for tackling the test

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Writing on Demand: Understanding the ACT Rubric and Scoring Sample Essays Students will: • Analyze rubrics to improve their focus in a timed

writing test • Use the ACT rubric to score student essays, write

justifications for the scores, and then compare their scores with those of official graders

NOTE TO TEACHER: To address test preparation for the English Test, please note that certain skills are addressed in the ELA/MME Unit of Study: Reading Grades 9-11, available on the Oakland Schools’ website: www.oakland.k12.mi.us/elamme ELA/MME Writing Units, Grades 9-11 can also be found at this website


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DAY 1 FOCUS: Dealing with Objective Test Questions on the ACT English Test NOTE TO TEACHERS: Days 1-2 of the unit focus on the ACT English Test, which is multiple choice. Days 3-7 focus on the ACT Writing Test. The ACT English has very specific types of questions.

SCAFFOLDING: Students may benefit from a review of standard pronoun usage. MATERIALS: Students should keep all materials for this unit in the “ELA/MME Units of Study: Student Materials Folder” since some will need to use some of them again on subsequent days. Overheads of student handouts are recommended. • Day 1/Document 1 (Handout/Overhead): ACT English Test

Structure (p. 8) • Day 1/Document 2 (Handout/Overhead): Remember POE (p. 9) • Day 1/Document 3 (Handout): ACT English Strategies:

Bessie Coleman Passage (p. 10 – 11) • Day 1/Document 4: Teacher Model: ACT English Strategies

(p. 12 – 13) • Day 1/Document 5 (Handout/Overhead): Bessie Coleman

Passage: Answer Key with Explanations (p. 14 –16) • Day 1/Document 6 (Handout/Overhead): Grammar Cheat

Sheet: Preventing Pronoun Problems (p. 17) CONNECTION: Today we will focus on strategies for the ACT English Test. Some of the testing strategies from the Reading Test, such as Process of Elimination (POE), can be used on the English Test as well.

HANDOUT: Day 1/Document 1: ACT English Test Structure

TEACHING POINT 1: In order to maximize the strategies we will discuss, we must first understand the structure of the test. The ACT English Test has 75 questions. You will have 45 minutes to complete it, which means you will have about 30 seconds per question. The test contains 5 passages. You will read each passage, then answer approximately 15 questions pertaining to that passage. The ACT English has two types of questions: Grammar and Usage Questions and Rhetorical Skills Questions. Knowing the test structure will help you anticipate the types of questions and what the questions are asking.

HANDOUT: Day 1/Document 2: Remember POE TEACHING POINT 2: Before we get into specific testing strategies for the ACT English Test, remember that Process of Elimination (POE) is a useful strategy on any multiple-choice test. Use Day 1/Document 2 (Remember POE). We are going to answer this question together. Remember, when you use the POE, you look for answers that are obviously wrong and eliminate them BEFORE choosing the correct answer. In this question, we are going to first focus on answer choices we know are wrong, so that we can narrow it down to the correct answer. If you come to a choice you are not sure about, leave it alone for now and come back to it later. Be sure to avoid eliminating an answer about which you are not sure: it may turn out to be the correct answer. Model POE by going through each answer choice. Be sure to cross off the entire answer choice to physically show that the answer choice is off limits. Students will see


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that even if they didn’t know the exact date of the Gettysburg Address, they still can arrive at the correct answer by eliminating the choices they know are incorrect.

HANDOUT: Day 1/Document 3: ACT English Strategies: Bessie Coleman Passage

TEACHING POINT 3: The ACT English Test has a unique format. Let’s look at some sample ACT English questions. Use Day 1/ Document 3 (ACT English Strategies). Notice that these are not traditional question-and-answer choices; instead, they are statements that you must complete. The passage contains underlined words and phrases, which are numbered. You are asked to complete a statement about these underlined words and phrases. Good test takers understand what the question is asking before answering it. On the ACT English Test, you figure out what the question is asking by first looking at the answer choices. Use Day 1/Document 4 (Teacher Model: ACT English Strategies) for guidance. NOTE: Today’s focus is on Grammar and Usage Questions; tomorrow’s will be on how to handle Rhetorical Skills Questions. Students should focus on one type at a time. This daily focus ensures that students will learn, and effectively employ, the strategies for each question type. TEACHING POINT 4: We have identified what the questions look like, determined what each question is asking, and reviewed the POE strategy. For additional practice, you could have students take 8 minutes to complete the practice section called “No Satisfaction,” which is Passage III in ACT Practice Booklet 0255C.

HANDOUTS: Day 1/Document 5: Bessie Coleman Passage: Answer Key with Explanations Day 1/Document 6: Grammar Cheat Sheet: Preventing Pronoun Problems

TEACHING POINT 5: One test strategy we have discussed is POE, where you eliminate obviously wrong answer choices by discovering what is wrong with them. Model this process with a Grammar Usage: Pronoun Focus Question. Use Question 8 in Day 1/Document 5 (Bessie Coleman Passage: Answer Key with Explanations), and refer to Day 1/Document 6 (Grammar Cheat Sheet: Preventing Pronoun Problems) when discussing pronoun rules.

TEST TRICKS! • “Read around” the question. “Read around” means to read a

few words or sentences before the underlined section and a few words or sentences after it. Often, the ACT hides clues and hints in the surrounding text.

• Once you’ve used POE to arrive at the answer, read the entire sentence with your answer choice in mind to make sure that you have really chosen the best answer. Also, don’t be fooled into thinking your first answer is the best: studies of high-scoring test-takers showed that their “second instinct” was usually correct!

• ACT uses some very specific distracters. As much as 40% of the time, the answer choice “OMIT underlined portion” is correct, and “NO CHANGE” is correct up to 30% of the time, so don’t be afraid to use them.


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CHART: Let’s chart a STUDENT TEST-TAKING CHECKLIST to write our new testing knowledge for the objective ACT English Test. Remember to include the following: • Always use POE. • “Read around” for hints and clues. • Always check your final answer; remember, your first instinct

may be incorrect. • Use your knowledge of grammar, usage, and mechanics to

select the correct answer. • Think of why the incorrect answers are incorrect. • OMIT and NO CHANGE are often the correct choice

WRAP UP: Today you worked on your editing skills. You learned how to know what the question is asking, recognize wrong answers, and use your knowledge of standard pronoun usage and POE to get to the correct answers. In the next lesson, you will learn how best to tackle the ACT English Rhetorical Questions. GRADEBOOK: Teachers may give a grade for students working with the practice items and identifying the wrong answers.


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GRADE 11: Day 1/Document 1

ACT English Test Structure The ACT English Test is primarily a test of your editing skills. Let’s take a closer look at the structure of this test: Timing:

75 questions 45 minutes

(~ 30 seconds per question) Passages to read:

Five passages (essays) ~15 questions per passage

Types of Questions:

40 Grammar and Usage Questions • Focus on standard usage

35 Rhetorical Skills Questions

• Focus on organization, transitions, quality of argument/writing • Focus on “purpose, audience, unity and focus” just like when writing

an essay



Remember POE: Process of Elimination

Practice Process of Elimination on the following question:

1. In what year was the Gettysburg Address delivered? A. 1492 B. 1776 C. 1863 D. 1987

Of course, Answer Choice C is correct!



ACT English Strategies: Bessie Coleman Passage (used by permission from ACT) (Note: passage continues on the next page)

Bessie Coleman: In Flight

[1]

After the final performance of one last practice landing,

the French instructor nodded to the young African-

American woman at the controls and jumped down to

the ground. Bessie Coleman was on her own now. She

lined up the nose of the open cockpit biplane on the

runway's center mark, she gave the engine full throttle,

and took off into history.

[2]

It was a long journey from the American Southwest

she’d been born in 1893, to these French skies. The

year in which she was born was about a century ago.

There hadn't been much of a future for her in Oklahoma

then. After both semesters of the two-semester year at

Langston Industrial College, Coleman headed for

Chicago to see what could be done to realize a dream.

Ever since she saw her first airplane when she was a

little girl, Coleman had known that someday, somehow,

she would fly.

[3]

Try as she might, however, Coleman could not obtain

flying lessons anywhere in the city. Then she sought aid

from Robert S. Abbott of the Chicago Weekly Defender.

The newspaperman got in touch with a flight school in

France that was willing to teach this determined young

woman to fly.

1. A. NO CHANGE B. one finally ultimate C. one final D. one last final

2. F. NO CHANGE G. off H. along J. OMIT the underlined portion 3. A. NO CHANGE B. mark, C. mark, Coleman D. mark that 4. F. NO CHANGE G. Southwest that she'd been H. Southwest, where she'd been J. Southwest, she was

5. A. NO CHANGE B. It is now just about a century since the year of

her birth. C. Just about a century has passed since the

year of her birth. D. OMIT the underlined portion.

6. F. NO CHANGE G. a year H. a year like two full semesters J. one year filled with two semesters

7. A. NO CHANGE B. Abbott: C. Abbott, whose D. Abbott;

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© ACT, used by permission


GRADE 11: Day 1/Document 3 (cont.)

[4]

[1] While they’re, she had as one of her instructors

Anthony Fokker, the famous aircraft designer. [2] Bessie

Coleman took a quick course in French, should she

settle her affairs, and sailed for Europe. [3] Coping with a

daily foreign language and flying in capricious, unstable

machines held together with baling wire was daunting,

but Coleman persevered.

[5]

On June 15, 1921, Bessie Coleman, earned an

international pilot’s license, issued by the International

Aeronautical Federation. Not only was she the first black

woman to win her pilot's wings, she was the first

American woman to hold this coveted license.

[6]

She was ready for a triumphant return to the United

States to barnstorm and lecture proof that if the will is

strong enough for one's dream can be attained.

The writer intends to add the following sentence to the essay in order to provide a comparison that would help underline the challenges that Bessie Coleman faced: Her dream of becoming the world's first black woman pilot seemed as remote in Chicago as it had been in Oklahoma. In order to accomplish this purpose, it would be most logical and appropriate to place this sentence after the:

15. A. first sentence in Paragraph 2. B. first sentence in Paragraph 3. C. last sentence in Paragraph 3. D. first sentence in Paragraph 5.

8. F. NO CHANGE G. they're H. there,

J. there, she had as

9. A. NO CHANGE B. as if to settle C. to settle D. settled 10. F. NO CHANGE G. (Place after with) H. (Place after flying) J. (Place after in) 11. Which of the following sequences of sentences

will make Paragraph 4 most logical? A. NO CHANGE B. 1, 3, 2 C. 2, 1, 3 D. 3, 2, 1 12. F. NO CHANGE G. Coleman earned an international pilot's

license H. Coleman, earned an international pilot's

license J. Coleman earned an international pilot's

license; 13. A. NO CHANGE B. lecture and proof C. lecture, proof D. lecture proof,

14. F. NO CHANGE G. stronger than H. strongly enough, J. strong enough,

Question 15 asks about the preceding passage as a whole

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Teacher model: ACT English Strategies The following is an example of a think-aloud rationale that accompanies the “ACT English strategies” handout. On the ACT English Test, the questions have a specific look. First, you are presented with a passage. At certain points in the passage, specific sections are underlined: it may be a word, a phrase or a sentence that is underlined. These are usually grammar and usage questions. READ AROUND When tackling an ACT English question, it is important to “read around” the underlined portion. Often, ACT gives little hints and clues to help get to the correct answer, and if I “read around” the question, I will see these hints. UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE QUESTION IS ASKING On the ACT English Test, another strategy is to identify what the question is asking. For example, on this sample test (Day 1/Document 3), Question 2 focuses on the underlined section, “up.” First, I “read around” what the question is asking and see that the sentence currently states, “She lined up the nose of the open cockpit biplane.” Reading around tells me that whatever I choose needs to make sense within the larger sentence. Secondly, I look at the answer choices. When I look at the answer choices, it is clear the ACT is testing standard preposition and adverb usage:

Answer Choice F is to leave the sentence as it is: NO CHANGE Answer Choice G is to change the underlined portion to “off” Answer Choice H is to change the underlined portion to “along” Answer Choice J is to “OMIT the underlined portion”

The strategy here is to notice what is changing in the answer choices. This helps me to know what the question is asking. I do this BEFORE I start Process of Elimination. In Question 2, I see very quickly that this question is testing standard usage of prepositions and adverbs. The words “up,” “along,” and “off” are what is changing from one answer choice to the next. These are all adverbs in an idiomatic expression. This tells me that I should think back to what I know of standard usage of adverbs to determine what I can eliminate and what I should keep. Quite quickly, I see that the only answer choice that makes sense idiomatically is answer choice F. Still, I double-check the other answers. G and H are clearly wrong (you would never hear people say “She lined off the nose of the airplane,” nor would you hear them say “She line along the nose of the airplane”). Finally, answer choice J makes the sentence nonsensical. Therefore, answer choice F is our best answer. Next, let’s look at a punctuation question. When I look at Question 7, I see right away that each answer choice has a different punctuation option:

Answer choice A has no punctuation Answer choice B employs the colon Answer Choice C uses a comma and adds a pronoun Answer Choice D adds a semi-colon.



Now that I know what the question is asking, I can use my knowledge of standard punctuation usage to get closer to an answer. The best answer is A. No punctuation is needed here between the noun ("Robert S. Abbott") and the prepositional phrase describing that noun ("of the Chicago Weekly Defender"). The use here of the colon (Choice B) or the semicolon (Choice D) is not called for. Choice C incorrectly proposes setting this prepositional phrase off from the main clause and introducing it with the relative pronoun that expresses possession (whose) Finally, let’s look at what an ACT English Rhetorical Skills Question looks like. ACT rhetorical questions focus on audience, purpose, organization, style, argument, and transitions. Question 11 is a rhetorical question: specifically, in Question 11, I must decide the order of the paragraphs. Tomorrow, we will go over specific strategies to handle this sort of question. For today, just practice recognizing which are Rhetorical Skills Questions and which are Grammar and Usage Questions.



Bessie Coleman Passage: Answer Key with Explanations

Used with permission. From: http://www.act.org

1. Rhetorical Skills: Redundancy The best answer is C, which concisely conveys the idea that the practice landing referred to was the last one in a series. In contrast, the other choices are redundant. Choice A belabors the point that "the final performance" was indeed the "last" performance (and confusingly suggests that there was more than one performance of a single landing). Choice B pointlessly repeats the notion of finality in the redundant phrase "finally ultimate" (and confusingly suggests that all the landings strove to be ultimate, but only the last landing succeeded). Choice D is simply redundant because the words last and final in the sentence are synonymous. 2. Grammar and Usage: Adverbs (idiomatic usage) The best answer is F. It offers the only idiomatically acceptable wording. The verb phrase line up is often used to mean "align." Choices G and H are clearly wrong here. We would never hear someone say that "she lined off the nose of the . . . biplane on the runway's center mark" or that "she lined along the nose of the . . . biplane on the runway's center mark." Choice J, which proposes deleting the underlined portion, also sounds improbable: "She lined the nose of the . . . biplane on the runway's center mark." This sentence suggests that Bessie Coleman is doing something with the nose of the plane, but whatever it is, it doesn't make sense in terms of the rest of the information in the sentence. 3. Grammar and Usage: Verb phrases The best answer is B. This sentence presents a series of three verb phrases—three things that Bessie Coleman did. The subject for all three of the verb phrases is the pronoun “she” at the beginning of the sentence. The third verb phrase in the series ("took off into history") has no subject, so it would be inconsistent and illogical to state the subject of the second verb phrase in the series, as Choices A and C propose. Choice D proposes that, rather than being the second in the series of verb phrases, this should be a subordinate adjective clause describing the preceding noun, but there's no logical support for saying, "the runway's center mark . . . gave the engine full throttle." 4. Grammar and Usage: Pronoun/punctuation The best answer is H. It provides the relative pronoun and the punctuation that effectively relates this subordinate adjective clause to the main clause of this sentence. The main clause is as follows: "It was a long journey from the American Southwest to these French skies." The subordinate clause is describing or defining the American Southwest: "where she'd been born in 1893." Since this clause occurs in the middle of the main clause and is not essential or restrictive information, it must be set off from the main clause. Choices F and G fail to do so. Choice J does set the phrase off with commas but fails to provide a pronoun that would effectively relate this clause to the main clause. 5. Rhetorical Skills: Redundancy The best answer is D. The most appropriate decision is to delete the information—presented in Choices A, B, and C in different phrasings—that Bessie Coleman was born about a century ago. This information is a mere digression in terms of the focus or development of this essay. It sidetracks the readers. Besides, it provides information that readers could easily infer on their own, since they are told in the previous sentence that Coleman was born in 1893.


GRADE 11: Day 1/Document 5 (cont.) 6. Rhetorical Skills: Redundancy The best answer is G. It is the only choice that doesn't propose irrelevant or redundant information. Choices F, H, and J all propose unnecessarily long-winded and wordy ways of saying that Coleman headed for Chicago after a year at Langston Industrial College. It is just not important for readers to know that a year at Langston consisted of two semesters of schooling. 7. Grammar and Usage: Punctuation The best answer is A. No punctuation is needed here between the noun ("Robert S. Abbott") and the prepositional phrase describing that noun ("of the Chicago Weekly Defender"). The use here of the colon (Choice B) or the semicolon (Choice D) is not called for. Choice C incorrectly proposes setting this prepositional phrase off from the main clause and introducing it with the relative pronoun that expresses possession (“whose”). 8. Grammar and Usage: Pronoun/homophones (there vs. they’re) The best answer is J. It proposes the correct form of the pronoun (there) and ensures that the main clause is a complete sentence. Choices F and G are both wrong because they propose using the contracted form of “they are.” Although “they're” sounds like “there,” it has a different meaning, which would not make sense in the context of this sentence. Choice H proposes the correct adverb but also proposes deleting "she had as," which would create a sentence fragment: "While there, one of her instructors Anthony Fokker, the famous aircraft designer." 9. Grammar and Usage: Verb phrases The best answer is D. It logically presents this sentence as a series of three verb phrases, all in the simple past tense. Choices A, B, and C all incorrectly attempt to relate the second phrase in this series to the first phrase. There is no information in this essay nor any logic to support the idea that "Bessie Coleman took a quick course in French, to settle her affairs" (Choice C) or "took a quick course in French, as if to settle her affairs" (Choice B). Likewise, the sense of probability or expectation or futurity that might be expressed by "should she settle her affairs" has no logical support in the context of this essay. 10. Rhetorical Skills: Placement of adjectives and adverbs The best answer is H. This question asks the test-taker to decide the best placement of the word daily in the sentence. This word has the flexibility to serve as either an adverb or an adjective. Here, the most logical and appropriate place for this word would be after the word flying. In this arrangement, the word daily serves as an adverb modifying the verb preceding it: "Coping with a foreign language and flying daily in capricious, unstable machines held together with baling wire was daunting, but Coleman persevered." None of the other proposed placements make sense in the context of this sentence: Choice F would have daily functioning as an adjective ("a daily foreign language"). Choice G would seem to have the word functioning as an adverb, but it's hard to tell what the adverb would be describing ("Coping with daily a foreign language"). Choice J would have daily functioning as an adverb defining an adjective ("in daily capricious, unstable machines"). 11. Rhetorical Skills: Order within a paragraph The best answer is C. It is the only choice that places Sentence 2 as the first sentence in the paragraph. Sentence 2 should logically precede Sentences 1 and 3 because, while Sentences 1 and 3 describe Bessie Coleman's experiences in Europe, Sentence 2 tells readers that she sailed for Europe (and describes the things she did prior to making the trip). Choices A and D are wrong because they keep Sentence 2 in the second position, and Choice B is wrong because it puts Sentence 2 in the final position.


12. Grammar and Usage: Punctuation The best answer is G. It offers the correct punctuation decisions for this sentence. Choices F and H are incorrect because they propose putting a comma between the subject ("Bessie Coleman") and the predicate or verb phrase ("earned an international pilot's license"). Choice J is incorrect because it proposes putting a semicolon between the direct object noun ("an international pilot's license") and the subordinate clause defining that noun ("issued by the International Aeronautical Federation"). It might help to realize that, between the words license and issued, the words that were are not expressed but are understood or implied. 13. Grammar and Usage: Punctuation The best answer is C. This is a difficult question in a rather complex sentence. The clause beginning with proof serves as an appositive, a phrase that describes or defines a preceding noun. Appositives are set off from the main clause with commas and, in most cases, immediately follow the noun they are describing. Here, the appositive occurs at the end of the sentence but describes the subject at the beginning of the sentence (She). "She was ready for a triumphant return to the United States to barnstorm and lecture, proof that . . . one's dream can be attained." The punctuation decisions offered by Choices A and D would both produce an illogical phrasing because they propose that proof should serve as the direct object of the verb lecture ("She was ready . . . to barnstorm and lecture proof . . ."). Choice B is equally illogical because it proposes that proof could function as a verb ("She was ready . . . to barnstorm and lecture and proof that . . . one's dream can be attained.") 14. Grammar and Usage: Noun clause The best answer is J. It effectively coordinates the various elements of this noun clause, which is functioning as an appositive for the subject of the main clause of this sentence. The entire noun clause should read: "proof that if the will is strong enough, one's dream can be attained." You will see that within this noun clause, which is already serving a secondary role in terms of the main clause of the sentence, there is a main clause ("one's dream can be attained") and a subordinate clause related to that main clause by the conjunction if ("the will is strong enough"). Choice H is wrong because it proposes an adverb (strongly) where a predicate adjective is required. Choices F and G are both wrong because they coordinate these clauses in ways that don't make sense and that make clause fragments: "if the will is strong enough for one's dream can be attained" (Choice F) and "if the will is stronger than one's dream can be attained" (Choice G). 15. Rhetorical Skills: Order within a paragraph The best answer is B, which provides the intended comparison by placing the sentence in the most logical location. Choice B underlines or emphasizes the challenges Coleman faced by comparing her hopes and expectations with the reality she met in Chicago. On the contrary, Choice A spoils the logical sequence that Choice B establishes, because the end of the first sentence in Paragraph 2—"these French skies"—does not support the intended comparison. Choices C and D delay making the comparison until too late in the essay. In Choice C, the comparison is weakened because, by the end of Paragraph 3, Coleman is already on her way toward flight school. In Choice D, a comparison intended to "underline the challenges" no longer is pertinent, because Coleman has already met the challenges.



Grammar Cheat Sheet: Preventing Pronoun Problems

In order to make our sentences clear and understandable, we have to make sure that we avoid any problems with pronouns. The ACT often tests this ability on the English Test. Use this Grammar Cheat Sheet to avoid these issues:

Pronoun-Antecedent agreement: (remember the antecedent is the word which the pronoun replaces) a pronoun must agree in number with its antecedent. The most common pronoun-antecedent issue is with the word “everyone.” Incorrect example: Could everyone please take out their book? (everyone=singular, their=plural) Here’s how to fix it: Corrected: Could everyone please take out his or her book?

Unclear pronoun reference: when the sentence wording makes finding the antecedent difficult. Unclear example: When the cat caught the mouse, it made a loud, animal-like noise. In this case, the pronoun it is unclear: is the sentence referring to the cat or the mouse? Corrected: When the cat caught the mouse, the cat made a loud, animal-like noise.

The pronoun switch: This is when the writer shifts from a first-person pronoun to a third, third-person to first, etc. Incorrect example: If you are confused by pronouns, students should ask for help. (you=second person, students=third-person subject) Corrected: If you are confused by pronouns, you should ask for help. OR If students are confused by pronouns, they should ask for help.


DAY 2 FOCUS: Dealing with ACT English Rhetorical Skills Questions NOTE TO TEACHERS: Days 1 - 2 of the unit focus on the ACT English Test, which is multiple choice. Days 3 - 7 focus on the ACT Writing Test. The ACT English has very specific types of questions.

SCAFFOLDING: Students may benefit from further study of rhetorical strategies. For more strategies, please see the ELA/MME Units of Study: Writing Grade 9 and Writing Grade 10. MATERIALS: Students should keep all materials for this unit in the “ELA/MME Units of Study: Student Materials Folder” since some will need to use some of them again on subsequent days. Overheads of student handouts are recommended. This unit uses The ACT Assessment—0255C (English Test, Passages IV & V, and Questions 46-75). (This retired test is available from the ACT by ordering from the attached form or calling 319/337-1429) • Day 2/Document 1 (Handout/Overhead): Anatomy of a

Rhetorical Skills Question (p. 21) • Day 2/Document 2 (Handout/Overhead): Rhetorical Skills

Cheat Sheet: Avoiding Redundancy, Repetition, and Other Repetitious Redundancy (p. 22)

• Day 2/Document 3: 0255C: Passage IV: A Creative Education (p. 23 – 24)

• Day 2/Document 4: 0255C: Passage IV: A Creative Education: Answers and Labels (p. 25)

• Day 1/Document 3: ACT English Strategies: Bessie Coleman Passage

• Day 1/Document 5: Bessie Coleman Passage: Answer Key with Explanations

CONNECTION: Yesterday we learned about the structure of the ACT English Test and how to determine what the questions are asking. We also learned to use the Process of Elimination (POE) for incorrect answers and reviewed standard pronoun usage. Today we will focus on strategies for the ACT English Rhetorical Questions.

HANDOUT: Day 2/Document 1: Anatomy of a Rhetorical Skills Question

TEACHING POINT 1: The ACT English Tests your ability to recognize grammar, as well as your knowledge of good writing. The latter is where the Rhetorical Skills Questions come in. ACT English Rhetorical Skills Questions focus on: first, organization, effective transitions, eliminating redundancy; second, the quality of the argument, thesis and evidence; and third, writing strategy, purpose, audience, unit and focus. Basically, the ACT English Rhetorical Skills Questions test whether you can distinguish strong writing from weak, and if you can offer solutions to remedy the weak writing. Use Day 2/Document 1 (Anatomy of a Rhetorical Skills Question) • Point out the question stem and answer choices. • Note that the Rhetorical Skills Questions often have questions

before the answer choices. Students get used to the Grammar and Usage items without a question—they sometimes actually SKIP OVER the rhetorical question’s stem and go straight to the answer choices, and become confused.

HANDOUT: Day 2/Document 2: Rhetorical Skills Cheat Sheet: Avoiding Redundancy, Repetition, and Other Repetitious Redundancy


TEACHING POINT 2: One of the required skills for the ACT English Rhetorical Skills Questions is the ability to weed out redundancy. For the ACT, the fewer words it takes to say something, the better. Use Day 2/Document 2 (Rhetorical Skills Cheat Sheet: Avoiding Redundancy, Repetition, and Other Repetitious Redundancy). Notice the title of your cheat sheet: it says in seven words what could be said in two. This is an example of redundancy that may show up in an ACT English passage. The way we fix it is to choose the shortest possible answer that still makes sense in the context of the overall passage. Go over Document 2, helping students understand the KISS (Keep it Simple, Silly!) strategy. KISS will help students when they are stuck on a question. When they identify the shortest or the simplest answer, they are almost always identifying the correct answer.

HANDOUT: Day 2/Document 3: 0255C: Passage IV: A Creative Education

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT: You will be reading a passage called “A Creative Education”; remember that the underlined portions of the passages are in question. You are to determine, from the choices provided, how the underlined portion should be changed. Remember to think about what the question is asking and to always use POE. Also, remember to use your redundancy strategy: KISS. You will have 8 minutes to complete this section. When time is up, give students a moment to identify the types of questions they answered: Grammar and Usage Questions (e.g., comma, punctuation, adverb usage, adjective usage); and Rhetorical Skills Questions (e.g., organization, transitions, redundancy, author’s purpose, effective argument). Use terms with which your students are familiar.

HANDOUT: Day 2/Document 4: 0255C: Passages IV: A Creative Education: Answers and Labels

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT: Go over answers and labels with the students.

HANDOUT: Day 1/Document 3: ACT English Strategies: Bessie Coleman Passage

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT: Remember, our best test strategy is POE (Process of Elimination). In order to eliminate an answer choice, we must discover what is wrong with that particular answer. • Using one or two questions from Questions 6 – 10 in Day

1/Document 3 (ACT English Strategies: Bessie Coleman Passage), model for students how to determine the wrong answer.

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT: Now, using your Rhetorical Skills Cheat Sheet (Day 2/Document 2) and Passage IV: A Creative Education (Day 2/Document 3), you are going to write an explanation for why each incorrect answer choice is wrong on item number 48. Explain why answer choice J is correct, and provide explanations for why each of the other answer choices—F, G, and H—are incorrect.

CHART: Let’s add our new knowledge of the objective

tests to the chart we made yesterday: THE STUDENT TEST-TAKING CHECKLIST: • Use KISS to avoid redundancy


WRAP UP: Today we continued working on editing skills. You learned to recognize Rhetorical Skill Questions and applied both POE and new strategies, like KISS, to get to the correct answer. In the next lesson, we will learn about effective prompt analysis for the writing portion of the ACT. GRADEBOOK: Teachers may give a grade for working with the practice items and identifying the wrong answers.


When ACT gives you a question like this, be sure to read carefully.


Anatomy of a Rhetorical Skills Question

ACT Rhetorical Skills Questions: Test your ability to recognize “writer’s strategy” This includes determining whether the writer has:

o The BEST organization for a passage o The BEST transitions for the passage o The quality of the writer’s argument o Whether the writer has:

A clear purpose A clear audience A sense of unity A sense of focus

This means that you will have to consider the passage as a whole, including its tone, point of view, topic, and purpose.

HERE IS WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE: From www.act.org: “Bessie Coleman: In Flight” Rhetorical Skills Question: 15. The writer intends to add the following sentence to the essay in order to provide a comparison that would help underline the challenges that Bessie Coleman faced: Her dream of becoming the world’s first black woman pilot seemed as remote in Chicago as it had been in Oklahoma. In order to accomplish this purpose, it would be most logical and appropriate to place this sentence after the:

A. first sentence in Paragraph 2. B. first sentence in Paragraph 3. C. last sentence in Paragraph 3. D. first sentence in Paragraph 5.

These are the answer choices.


GRADE 11:Day 2/Document 2

Rhetorical Skills Cheat Sheet: Avoiding Redundancy, Repetition, and other

Repetitious Redundancy The ACT Rhetorical Skills Questions often test whether you are strong enough to eliminate redundancy. Redundancy is when extra words can be omitted without losing meaning. In other words, it means that any extra words or repetitious phrases should be eliminated on ACT Rhetorical Skills Questions

Redundancy Test Trick: KISS KISS = Keep it Simple, Silly! Here is how we use KISS: the simplest answer is often correct. This means the answer choice with the fewest words is the one we want. We can also use this on punctuation questions: often the answer choice with the fewest punctuation marks is correct. EXAMPLE: From www.act.org: “Bessie Coleman: In Flight”

Bessie Coleman: Question 6 F. NO CHANGE [underlined portion in the passage: After both semesters of the two-year semester] = 6 words G. a year = 2 words H. a year like two full semesters = 6 words J. one year filled with two semesters = 6 words

KISS tells us that answer choice G is correct because it has the fewest words. Answer choice G is, in fact, the correct answer.



0225C: Passage IV: A Creative Education

N.C. Wyeth, gifted artist and illustrator, was in 46 the early twentieth century. He is celebrated for his vivid and haunting images by art historians, 47 many of which continue to be published in children’s books for the young today. Yet those 48 who knew him believe that [49]. Because he worked at home, Wyeth was able to devote much of his time and energy to their care and instruction. Rather than send his children to school, where, Wyeth believed, they would be “pruned to stumps, one resembling the other,” during the day he often tutored them at home. The children regularly engaged in activities stimulating their curiosity and creativity, which 50 were designed by Wyeth. He wanted his children to value time and spend it productively. Even mealtimes were educational, devoted to discussions of current events and the works of famous writers and artists.

The children’s activities continued into the evenings, too. Each night, Wyeth would tell stories of elves and other magical creatures or would read from the classics. The children’s favorite stories that they heard were those that he told while 51

(passage continued on next page)

46. F. NO CHANGE G. Wyeth was a gifted artist and illustrator H. Wyeth was a gifted artist, and illustrator J. Wyeth, a gifted artist and illustrator,

47. A. NO CHANGE B. by art historians for his vivid and

haunting images, C. for his vivid and haunting images, by

art historians, D. by art historians who consider the

images vivid and haunting, 48. F. NO CHANGE

G. for young people H. for young readers J. OMIT the underlined portion

49. The writer would like to link the information already presented about N.C. Wyeth to the topic discussed in the rest of the essay. Assuming all are true, which of the following completions of this sentence best achieves this effect? A. he raised his five children in an unusual

and successful way. B. he was ahead of his time in his role as

the primary caregiver of his five children C. his greatest artistic feat was in the

raising of his five children D. he spent more time with his five

children than most men did in those days 50. F. NO CHANGE G. that would stimulate their curiosity as

designed by Wyeth. H. designed by Wyeth, they were to

stimulate their curiosity. J. that were designed by Wyeth to

stimulate their curiosity. 51. A. NO CHANGE

B. that he told C. he told

D. OMIT the underlined portion



standing at his easel sketching the giants 52 monsters and other fantastic cretures that inhabited his lively tales.

The children were required to do more than sit and listen quietly through 53 their “lessons.” They were expected to keep scrupulously written journals containing 54 sketches and notes, and personal diaries they 55 also kept. Wyeth believed their richly textured childhood, both disciplined and fanciful, would lay the foundation for productive 56 adult years.

Child-rearing provides many subtle rewards. 57 Wyeth created a virtual dynasty of talent and achievement. Three of the children became successful artists, another a composer, and one who was a scientist and inventor. All of 58 them trace their accomplishments to their remarkable childhood under the watchful eye of their father’s dedication and determination. 59 Question 60 asks about the preceding passage as a whole. 60. Suppose the writer had been assigned to write a brief essay illustrating the influence of N. C. Wyeth’s artwork on the subsequent artwork on his children. Would this essay successfully fulfill the assignment? F. Yes, because the essay indicates that three

of his children became successful artists. G. Yes, because the essay indicates that Wyeth

used his artwork to help foster creativity in his children.

H. No, because the essay restricts the its focus to Wyeth’s creative child-rearing methods.

J. No, because the essay does not suggest the types of images Wyeth created.

52. F. NO CHANGE G. standing at his easel, sketching the

giants, monsters, H. standing, at his easel sketching the

giants, monsters, J. standing at his easel; sketching the

giants, monsters,

53. A. NO CHANGE B. more, than sit and listen quietly, C. more than sit and listen quietly, D. more than sit, and listen quietly

54. F. NO CHANGE G. written journals scrupulously containing H. journals, which were scrupulously

containing written J. scrupulously written journals, which

were containing

55. A. NO CHANGE B. also keeping personal diaries C. they also kept personal diaries D. as well as personal diaries

56. F. NO CHANGE G. were laying H. had lain J. OMIT the underlined portion

57. Which of the choices provides the most effect introductory sentence for the essay’s concluding paragraph?

A. NO CHANGE B. Raising children is life’s greatest challenge. C. His approach seems to have worked. D. Wyeth’s drawings will not be forgotten.

58. F. NO CHANGE G. the other H. one becoming J. another being

59. A. NO CHANGE B. the dedication and determination of their

father. C. their dedicated and determined father. D. the dedicated determination of their father.




0225C: Passage IV: A Creative Education: Answer Key and Labels

Question number Answer Type of question

46 G Usage/Mechanics 47 B Usage/Mechanics 48 J Rhetorical Skills 49 C Rhetorical Skills 50 J Rhetorical Skills 51 D Rhetorical Skills 52 G Usage/Mechanics 53 A Usage/Mechanics 54 F Usage/Mechanics 55 D Usage/Mechanics 56 F Usage/Mechanics 57 C Rhetorical Skills 58 G Usage/Mechanics 59 C Usage/Mechanics 60 H Rhetorical Skills


DAY 3

FOCUS: Writing on Demand: Writing Strong Arguments MATERIALS: Students should keep all materials for this unit in the “ELA/MME Units of Study: Student Materials Folder” since some will be used on subsequent days. Overheads of student handouts are recommended. • Student journals • Day 3/Document 1 (Overhead/Handout): Sample ACT Prompt

(Topic: 5th Year High School) (p. 28) • Day 3/Document 2 (Overhead/Handout): Sample Top-Scoring

Introduction on the ACT Writing Test (p. 29) • Day 3/Document 3 (Overhead/Handout): Sample Top-Scoring

Evidence and Warranting on the ACT Writing Test (p. 30 – 31) • Day 3/Document 4 (Overhead/Handout): Sample Top-Scoring

Conclusion on the ACT Writing Test (p. 32)

CONNECTION: In the past two days we learned how to improve our performance on the objective portion of the ACT English Test. Today we will learn about how to write an effective argument.

HANDOUTS: Day 3/Document 1: Sample ACT Prompt (Topic: 5th Year High School)

TEACHING POINT 1: Writers, in order to do well on both the ACT essay and the MME Civic essay, you will need to demonstrate the ability to create a strong argument. Today we are going learn about the general characteristics of a good argument. Review these qualities of a strong argument: • An effective introduction • A clear position on the topic • Specific support and evidence • Logical connections (warrants) made between the evidence and

your position

• An acknowledgement of the opposing position and a strong rebuttal of this opposing position

• An effective conclusion TEACHING POINT 2: Today we will look at some elements of a strong argument: the introduction, evidence and warrants, and the conclusion. An effective introduction lets your reader know the following: • The topic • Your position on the topic

The introduction should also do the following: • Capture your reader’s attention • Provide a context for your argument

HANDOUTS: Day 3/Document 2: Sample Top-Scoring Introduction on a Timed ACT Writing Test

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT: Pair up with another student, and use the handout to identify the elements of an effective introduction used by the writer of the sample top-scoring introductory paragraph. Share these possible answers with students: Possible answers: 1. Extension of high school to five years. 2. Extending high school to five years would make a beneficial

impact on students’ futures. 3. The writer acknowledges the commonly known phenomenon of

“The Senior Itch.”

4. The writer explains that getting into a selective university requires much preplanned effort, and students rarely have time to do all that is necessary.


HANDOUTS: Day 3/Document 3: Sample Top-Scoring Evidence and Warranting on the ACT Writing Test

TEACHING POINT 3: A strong argument provides specific support and evidence; it also makes logical connections (warrants) between the evidence and the writer’s position. In the introduction you just read, you should have identified the writer’s position as the following: “extending our high school career to five years would make an important and beneficial impact on our future.” Now we’ll see how this writer has both provided evidence and warranted that evidence. Display Day 3/Document 3 (Sample Top-Scoring Evidence and Warranting on the ACT Writing Test), and discuss the bolded section in “Body Paragraph with evidence and warranting highlighted.” ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT: Pair up with another student, and identify the evidence and warranting in the next paragraphs of the handout (following “Next Body Paragraphs”).

HANDOUTS: Day 3/Document 4: Sample Top-Scoring Conclusion on the ACT Writing Test

TEACHING POINT 4: A strong argument ends with an effective conclusion, which accomplishes the following: • Reminds the reader of your strongest points • Inspires the reader to take action • Gives the reader a sense of closure

Let’s look at the way the writer concludes this top-scoring ACT essay. Display Day 3/Document 4 (Sample Top-Scoring Conclusion on the ACT Writing Test) and read it aloud. What do you notice that is

effective? Discuss the effective moves this writer makes to conclude the essay. Share these possible answers with students:

Possible answers: 1. With the additional time, motivated students would be able to become more involved in their schools, boost their grades, and find the time for a job and community service. Colleges admire these attributes, and for the sake of high-schoolers' acceptance into these institutions, more time should be provided for their endeavors. 2. By describing high school as the “foundation” of the rest of one’s life and comparing the extra year of high school to a financial investment that will pay off in years to come. 3. By ending with a shorter sentence to clinch the point: Another year would help ensure their success. 4. Answers will vary.

REFLECTION: Ask students to write in their journals. What did you learn about writing strong arguments? What questions still remain as we end our work today? WRAP UP: Today we learned how to write strong arguments. Tomorrow we will learn how to analyze the ACT rubric, and we will actually score sample essays. GRADEBOOK: Teachers may consider assigning a participation grade and/or collecting worksheets for assessment. Journal reflections are assigned throughout the unit, so teachers may consider collecting the reflections for a journal grade at the end of the unit.

ELA/MME Unit of Study: Writing, Grade 11 Kelly Sassi, Laura Schiller, Kara Shuell, and Andrea Zellner Fall 2008 Oakland Schools Oakland Writing Project National Writing Projects of Michigan www.writingondemand.org 28 28


Sample ACT Prompt (Topic: 5th year HS) Sample ACT prompt: Educators debate extending high school to five years because of increasing demands on students from employers and colleges to participate in extracurricular activities and community service in addition to having high grades. Some educators support extending high school to five years because they think students need more time to achieve all that is expected of them. Other educators do not support extending high school to five years because they think students would lose interest in school and attendance would drop in the fifth year. In your opinion, should high school be extended to five years? In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Source: http://www.act.org



Sample Top-Scoring Introduction on the ACT Writing Test

The Senior Itch—the incurable chaffing we all crave to scratch. The cure? Graduation. As we progress through our high school years growing with wisdom and maturity, we all yearn for freedom. Yet what we desire most is not always what is best for us. Although most won’t want to admit it, extending our high school career to five years would make an important and beneficial impact on our future. With the four years that are currently provided, there is not enough time for motivated students to accomplish their goals before college. Merely being accepted by a selective college or university requires much pre-planned effort that is literally unavailable to students already concerned with grades and other activities.

QUESTIONS ANSWERS 1. What is the writer’s topic?

2. What is the writer’s position on the topic?

3. How does the writer capture the reader’s attention?

4. How does the writer provide a context for the argument?

Source of text: http://www.act.org



Sample Top-Scoring Evidence and

Warranting on the ACT Writing Test Position (from introduction): Although most won't want to admit it, extending our high school career to five years would make an important and beneficial impact on our future. Body Paragraph: Colleges look most thoroughly at how an applicant used his or her four years of high school. Leadership roles, a dedication to an organization, and a well-rounded, involved student is appealing to the most elite educational institutions. Often, students desire leadership positions in numerous extra-curricular organizations, but face limiting regulations on the number of offices they may hold at one time. Even if a school doesn't limit students' involvement, students eventually reach the limits of what a 24-hour day can hold. Too often, students cannot participate as much as they want in as many extra-curriculars as they want because there just isn't time. With an extra year of high school, those involved in more than one activity could successfully find the time to contribute to and to lead each one. Colleges would see a longer, more developed individual's resume that included a time for each of their interests. The organizations would benefit from stronger student participation and the students would be recognized for their true efforts as well. Body Paragraph with evidence and warranting highlighted: Colleges look most thoroughly at how an applicant used his or her four years of high school. Leadership roles, a dedication to an organization, and a well-rounded, involved student is appealing to the most elite educational institutions [evidence]. Often, students desire leadership positions in numerous extra-curricular organizations, but face limiting regulations on the number of offices they may hold at one time. Even if a school doesn't limit students' involvement, students eventually reach the limits of what a 24-hour day can hold. Too often, students cannot participate as much as they want in as many extra-curriculars as they want because there just isn't time. With an extra year of high school, those involved in more than one activity could successfully find the time to contribute to and to lead each one [warranting]. Colleges would see a longer, more developed individual's resume that included a time for each of their interests. The organizations would benefit from stronger student participation and the students would be recognized for their true efforts as well. Students: identify the evidence and warranting in the next body paragraphs.



GRADE 11: Day 3/Document 3 (cont.) Next Body Paragraphs: Because they struggle to gain leadership roles and become the well-rounded students colleges desire, the task of maintaining a respectable grade-point-average during high school is a struggle for many students. It is difficult to be involved in activities of interest while still keeping high grades. However, colleges don't consider this when they seek applicants with high grade-point-averages in their admissions pool. Elongating the span of high school would allow more students with both grades and activities on their agenda to spend more time focusing on each separate interest. Rather than feeling forced to crunch a large block of "weighted" classes together in hopes of elevating their GPA, students would find more time to spread out their difficult classes and make the most of every single year. With less pressure and more time, grades would improve for all dedicated students, as would the enjoyment of studying those subjects and the increased retainment of what we learned in those classes. Education aside, many high school students find that four years is not enough time to accomplish their varied goals. For instance, a student may desire a job in addition to school. The money they earn may help pay their way through college. With such a short preparation period before college, they can hardly be expected to make a successful life for themself without the proper funds. Also, many students are interested in community service prior to attending college, but find they do not have enough time in the four-year high school period. Colleges are drawn to students with a rich assortment of community service and evidence of responsibilities such as holding a job, but students have a hard time finding the hours to put into these tasks.



Sample Top-Scoring Conclusion on the ACT Writing Test

High school is the foundation of the rest of our life. Like money in the bank, the investment of an additional year when we are young can make all the difference. With the additional time, motivated students would be able to become more involved in their schools, boost their grades, and find the time for a job and community service. Colleges admire these attributes, and for the sake of high-schoolers' acceptance into these institutions, more time should be provided for their endeavors. High school students work hard toward their future. Another year would help ensure their success.

QUESTIONS ANSWERS 1. How does the writer remind the reader of his or her strongest points?

2. How does the writer inspire the reader to take action?

3. How does the writer give a sense of closure?

4. Is there anything else about this conclusion that you find effective?



DAY 4 FOCUS: Writing on Demand: Understanding the ACT Rubric and Scoring Sample Essays MATERIALS: Students should keep all materials for this unit in the “ELA/MME Units of Study: Student Materials Folder” since some will need to use some of them again on subsequent days. Overheads of student handouts are recommended. • Dictionaries • Student journals • Highlighters • Day 3/Document 1 (Overhead/Handout): Sample ACT Prompt

(Topic: 5th Year High School) • Day 4/Document 1 (Overhead/Handout): Six-Point Holistic

Scoring Rubric for the ACT Writing Test (p. 35 – 36) • Day 4/Document 2 (Overhead/Handout): Sample Student

Essays (p. 37 – 50)

CONNECTION: Yesterday you learned about how to write a strong argument. Today we will look at the ACT rubric, where you will find many references to the characteristics of a strong argument that we identified yesterday. First, however, we must discuss the word “rubric.” ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT: You have heard the term “rubric,” but let’s take a couple of minutes to really think about what that means and how it is used. Get out your journals and write the word RUBRIC. Now, write everything you think this word means. Write how you have heard it used it in the past, including how your teachers have used it. TEACHING POINT 1: Allow students two to three minutes to write. Then, have them briefly share their thoughts with a neighbor. Finally, conduct a brief class discussion regarding what “rubric” means. A rubric is used to score an essay. It helps readers distinguish between high, medium and low writing. A rubric includes scorepoints.

For the ACT rubric, scorepoints are from 1-6, with 6 being the highest. Discuss how a rubric reminds a writer what he/she should include in his/her writing.

SCAFFOLDING: This session requires students to look at

examples of student writing, grade them according to the test rubric, and justify their scores in small groups. In order to keep the activity running smoothly, students should be put in groups of 2-4 students such that stronger students are matched with students who are newer to this type of discussion. In this way, all students will benefit from their discussions of the justifications of their scores.

HANDOUTS: Day 3/Document 1: Sample ACT Prompt (Topic: 5th Year High School) Day 4/Document 1: Six-Point Holistic Scoring Rubric for the ACT Writing Test

TEACHING POINT 2: Review the ACT prompt and rubric with students. You will now examine two sample student essays: Essay X and Essay J. You are to score these samples of writing using the Six-Point Holistic Scoring Rubric for the ACT Writing Test.

HANDOUTS: Day 4/Document 2: Sample Student Essays ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT: You have two sample student essays and a scoring rubric. As I read aloud, highlight and/or make notes in the margins. Pause after reading Essay X (Sorepoint 2). Now that we have read the first essay, give this essay a score based on the rubric. Also, please write a few sentences to justify or defend your score, using the language of the rubric.


When you have finished, share your score and justification with your group. Be sure to use the rubric as your guide, and take notes of your group’s discussion. Will anyone change his/her score after listening to others’ justifications? Write the scores of students on the board for all to see. How many of you gave this essay a 6? Write down the number and continue asking through scorepoint 1. When you have all the scores, then share that this essay was given a 2 by ACT. Read the scoring explanation for essay X. ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT: Now let’s look at Essay J. Again, highlight and/or make notes in the margins as we read through it. Pause after reading Essay J. Now give this essay a score based on the rubric. And again, please write a few sentences to justify or defend your score, using the language of the rubric. When you have finished, share your score and justification with your group. Be sure to use the rubric and scoring explanation as your guide, and take notes of your group’s discussion. Will anyone change his/her score after listening to others’ justifications? Once again, call for scores, and put them on the board, then state that the ACT score for Essay J is a 5. Read the explanation for this score and field questions from students. TEACHING POINT 3: Everyone has a copy of the ACT Scoring Rubric (Day 4/Document 1). I will now put you into four groups, so each group can look closely at the differences from one scorepoint to the next on the ACT Writing rubric.

Group Essays to compare Differences noted 1 Z & J (6 and 5) 2 J & P (5 and 4) 3 P & H (4 and 3) 4 H & X (3 and 2)

Group 1, you will look closely at the differences between a 6 and a 5; Group 2, between a 5 and a 4; Group 3, between a 4 and a 3; and Group 4, between a 3 and a 2. Use your highlighter pens, and make notes in the margins. Be sure to discuss how the language of the rubric, and therefore the requirements for student writing, changes

from one scorepoint to the next. Allow students about 10 minutes to discuss these scorepoints in their groups. Walk around from group to group to ensure groups are on task. TEACHING POINT 4: Call the groups back together for a discussion of the scorepoints on the ACT rubric. Students should begin to take note of how these differences in scorepoint from one scoring point to the next can impact the scores they will receive.

REFLECTION: Now that you have examined sample essays and graded them according to a rubric, reflect for a moment on that experience. Write about what was difficult in scoring the essays and what was easy. Finally, what did you learn today about good writing that you will take with you when you write? WRAP-UP: Today you learned about the ACT rubric. Tomorrow you will actually write a practice timed ACT essay. GRADEBOOK: Teachers may consider assigning a participation grade and/or collecting worksheets for assessment. Journal reflections are assigned throughout the unit, so teachers may consider collecting the reflections for a journal grade at the end of the unit.



Six-Point Holistic Scoring Rubric for the ACT Writing Test

Source: http://www.actstudent.org/writing/scores/guidelines.html Papers at each level exhibit all or most of the characteristics described at each score point.

Score = 6 Essays within this score range demonstrate effective skill in responding to the task. The essay shows a clear understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer a critical context for discussion. The essay addresses complexity by examining different perspectives on the issue, or by evaluating the implications and/or complications of the issue, or by fully responding to counterarguments to the writer’s position. Development of ideas is ample, specific, and logical. Most ideas are fully elaborated. A clear focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained. The organization of the essay is clear: the organization may be somewhat predictable or it may grow from the writer’s purpose. Ideas are logically sequenced. Most transitions reflect the writer’s logic and are usually integrated into the essay. The introduction and conclusion are effective, clear, and well developed. The essay shows a good command of language. Sentences are varied and word choice is varied and precise. There are few, if any, errors to distract the reader. Score = 5 Essays within this score range demonstrate competent skill in responding to the task. The essay shows a clear understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer a broad context for discussion. The essay shows recognition of complexity by partially evaluating the implications and/or complications of the issue, or by responding to counterarguments to the writer’s position. Development of ideas is specific and logical. Most ideas are elaborated, with clear movement between general statements and specific reasons, examples, and details. Focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained. The organization of the essay is clear, although it may be predictable. Ideas are logically sequenced, although simple and obvious transitions may be used. The introduction and conclusion are clear and generally well developed. Language is competent. Sentences are somewhat varied and word choice is sometimes varied and precise. There may be a few errors, but they are rarely distracting.

Score = 4 Essays within this score range demonstrate adequate skill in responding to the task. The essay shows an understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer some context for discussion. The essay may show some recognition of complexity by providing some response to counterarguments to the writer’s position. Development of ideas is adequate, with some movement between general statements and specific reasons, examples, and details. Focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained throughout most of the essay. The organization of the essay is apparent but predictable. Some evidence of logical sequencing of ideas is apparent, although most transitions are simple and obvious. The introduction and conclusion are clear and somewhat developed. Language is adequate, with some sentence variety and appropriate word choice. There may be some distracting errors, but they do not impede understanding.



Score = 3 Essays within this score range demonstrate some developing skill in responding to the task. The essay shows some understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue but does not offer a context for discussion. The essay may acknowledge a counterargument to the writer’s position, but its development is brief or unclear. Development of ideas is limited and may be repetitious, with little, if any, movement between general statements and specific reasons, examples, and details. Focus on the general topic is maintained, but focus on the specific issue in the prompt may not be maintained. The organization of the essay is simple. Ideas are logically grouped within parts of the essay, but there is little or no evidence of logical sequencing of ideas. Transitions, if used, are simple and obvious. An introduction and conclusion are clearly discernible but underdeveloped. Language shows a basic control. Sentences show a little variety and word choice is appropriate. Errors may be distracting and may occasionally impede understanding.

Score = 2 Essays within this score range demonstrate inconsistent or weak skill in responding to the task. The essay shows a weak understanding of the task. The essay may not take a position on the issue, or the essay may take a position but fail to convey reasons to support that position, or the essay may take a position but fail to maintain a stance. There is little or no recognition of a counterargument to the writer’s position. The essay is thinly developed. If examples are given, they are general and may not be clearly relevant. The essay may include extensive repetition of the writer’s ideas or of ideas in the prompt. Focus on the general topic is maintained, but focus on the specific issue in the prompt may not be maintained. There is some indication of an organizational structure, and some logical grouping of ideas within parts of the essay is apparent. Transitions, if used, are simple and obvious, and they may be inappropriate or misleading. An introduction and conclusion are discernible but minimal. Sentence structure and word choice are usually simple. Errors may be frequently distracting and may sometimes impede understanding.

Score = 1 Essays within this score range show little or no skill in responding to the task. The essay shows little or no understanding of the task. If the essay takes a position, it fails to convey reasons to support that position. The essay is minimally developed. The essay may include excessive repetition of the writer’s ideas or of ideas in the prompt. Focus on the general topic is usually maintained, but focus on the specific issue in the prompt may not be maintained. There is little or no evidence of an organizational structure or of the logical grouping of ideas. Transitions are rarely used. If present, an introduction and conclusion are minimal. Sentence structure and word choice are simple. Errors may be frequently distracting and may significantly impede understanding.

No Score Blank, Off-Topic, Illegible, Not in English, or Void



Sample Student Essays

Source: http://www.act.org

Essay M: In this essay I am writing about that school should be extended for five year. I think that school should be extended for five year because it will help you how you are educate. The school for five year will help you a lot when you are doing something. The school for five year could help you in most everything that you are doing. I think that if you go to school for five years you could learn a lot of skills. School could help you out of most anything that you want to do in this world. School could teach you how to be educator. By going to school is a good thing because if you go to school it could help have experience in everything that you are doing. To have experience you to do that thing you do best and how well you do at it. I think that school could teach you how to have experience in everything you are doing. I know that to go to school you have to choice to go to school because nobody can make you go to school. I know that school are not for everyone but I think that every children should go to school because if you don't go to school you will not be educate. I know that when you have an education it is a good thing. School is a place where you could learn a lot of different that you don't know. I know that I learn a lot of thing I didn't know but I know them. By going to school you make new friends, and you see a lot of different people like people that is not from the United States. At school you do classwork and do all type of assignment your teacher told you to do. I believe that every students should want to be educator because you need education in this world. School shouldn't be a place where students fights. I think that every students should like going to school.


Score = 1 Scoring Explanation for Essay M:

This essay shows little skill in responding to the writing task.

While the writer takes a position on the issue in the beginning of the essay (I think that school should be extended for five year because it will help you how you are educate), the rest of the discussion does not convey reasons to support that position. Instead, the writer minimally develops many different ideas about school in general, repeating ideas rather than explaining them (School is a place where you could learn a lot of different that you don't know. I know that I learn a lot of thing I didn't know but I know them). At times, statements supporting claims are not understandable (By going to school is a good thing because if you go to school it could help have experience in everything that you are doing. To have experience you to do that thing you do best and how well you do at it).

There is no discernable organization to the essay other than a minimal introductory statement: ideas are not logically grouped, no transitions are used, and no conclusion is offered. Sentence structure and word choice are consistently simple, with sentences repeatedly beginning with, "I think" or "I know."

Language usage errors are frequently distracting and contribute to difficulty understanding some portions of the essay.


Essay X: If you ever ask a highschool student whether they would want to go one more year very few would say yes. I would, not because I like school, not because I enjoy spending six hours cooped up inside, but because I could use one more year to just be sure I am completely prepared for college. Along with this I feel that because we are required to take tenth grade graduation test and most of our tenth grade year is spent preparing for this test. Highschool students today are highly prepared for the world, but that one extra year in high school could possibly be spent taking time on preparatory courses in college type setting. Students get thrown into the college setting which is a major shock to them due to the major differences. Maybe doing this our freshmen's first quarter wouldn't be as much of a change. Because we have to take the graduation test in tenth grade we don't learn anything that year. We need another year due to that, so we should go one more year to make sure we are ready.


Score = 2 Scoring Explanation for Essay X:

This essay demonstrates inconsistent skill in responding to the task. The writer takes a position but displays no recognition of a counter-argument to that position.

Development of ideas is thin with general statements to explain the first idea (Students get thrown into the college setting which is a major shock to them due to the major differences) and very little explanation of the second idea (Because we have to take the graduation test in tenth grade we don't learn anything that year).

There is some indication of an organizational structure: a discernible introduction offers two ideas, with each discussed in its own paragraph. The conclusion is minimal and not clearly separated from discussion of the writer's second idea (We need another year due to that, so we should go one more year to make sure we are ready). Transitions are simple (but, because).

Sentence structure shows some variety (I would, not because I like school, not because I enjoy spending six hours cooped up inside, but because I could use one more year to just be sure I am completely prepared for college) and word choice is appropriate to the discussion (cooped up inside, preparatory courses, freshmen's first quarter).


Essay H: Educators debate extending high school to five years because of increasing demands on students from employers and colleges to participate in extracurricular activies and community service in addition to having high grades. Some educators support extending high school to five years because they think students need more time to achieve all that is expected of them. Other educators do not support extending high school to five years because they think students would lose interest in school and attendance would drop in the fifth year. Both sides have strong points, but I agree with the educators who say that their shouldn't be an extension to high school adding a fifth year. I agree that high school should not be made up of a fifth year because I agree with those people who say that students would loose interest. Some adolescence are already loosing interest in school and an increasing number of students are becoming dropouts. Being an high school student myself, it is hard and some students don't realize their full potential and think it is easier to give up than to succeed. I think adding an extra year to high school would increase the number of dropouts a year, create very serious attendance dilemmas, and cause student's interest in school to decline. I also feel that there should not be another year to high school because I just feel that it should be a job of the instructors at an high school to prepare us, high school students, for college within those four years of high school. I feel that creating another year to high school would decrease the teacher's interest and they would do a poor job and wait until the fifth year to make up for their mistakes. The teacher should have the need to do their best to prepare us for college and careers within the four years of high school I just think that five years is too long and students would get bored with school. Their drive would definitely decline. Students would loose interest and attendance would drop. The students would become dropouts. Educators should not extend high school with a fifth year to fully prepare students for college.


Score = 3 Scoring Explanation for Essay H:

This essay shows some understanding of the writing task.

The writer takes a position on the issue (Both sides have strong points, but I agree with the educators who say that their shouldn't be an extension to high school adding a fifth year) and offers some context for discussion by repeating the prompt as an introduction. By using the prompt as part of the essay, the writer acknowledges a counter-argument but does not discuss it at all.

Two main ideas are developed to support the writer's position (. . . I agree with those people who say that students would loose interest. . . . I also feel that there should not be another year to high school because I just feel that it should be a job of the instructors at an high school to prepare us, high school students, for college within those four years of high school), with the first idea repeated twice in separate parts of the discussion (I just think that five years is too long and students would get bored with school). Discussion of each idea is limited to general statements that are never illustrated by specific reasons, examples, or details (I feel that creating yet another year to high school would decrease the teacher's interest and they would do a poor job and wait until the fifth year to make up for their mistakes), but the essay does maintain focus on the specific issue in the prompt.

Organization is simple and clear but provides no evidence that ideas in the essay are logically sequenced within the discussion. Simple transitions connect the paragraphs (I agree . . . I also feel . . . I just think . . .) without making meaningful connections between ideas. The introduction and conclusion are clearly discernible as intentional frames for the discussion, but are underdeveloped—either because the language is merely repeated from the prompt or because the writer did not extend summation past a single conclusive statement.

Language use shows some sentence variety (Some adolescence are already loosing interest in school and an increasing number of students are becoming dropouts) and appropriate word choice (potential, succeed, attendance). Some errors distract but do not impede understanding.


Essay P: Educators debate extending high school to five years due to the increasing demands on students from employers and colleges. Those for it say that it will give students more time to achieve what is expected, and those against it say that students would lose intrest and attendance will drop in year five. Of course there seems to be advantages and disadvantages to both, but lets be realistic, in America today, education isn't exactly our most relishing topic. I feel that extending high school one more year is a bad idea for three reasons, students really only have three years, there will be a loss of intrest, and its just a "band aid" for bigger problems. Firstly, if you think about it, there are really only three years of high school, because does anyone really get anything done senior year? No. Senior year is a time of waiting, for school to end, for your acceptance letters to come in, it's a time of waiting. Not to mention the commonly known disease that seems to incubate all seniors called "senioritis". Senioritis is basically not doing anything. With 5 years of high school students would waste 2 years to senioritis instead of just one. Out of the millions of students enrolled in high school, maybe one out of 5 truly enjoys school, where as the others just treat it as a social gathering very early in the morning. After the first three years of high school, coming into your senior year, you become a human form of a slug, very slow, both physically and mentally. Of course I might be over exaggeraiting maybe a little bit, but the intrest is gone after sophomore year. What makes you think that it will magically pop up after an addition of one more year? It will just be more time to be bored. Lastly, extending high school an extra year just seems like a band aid for all the problems in the field of education. At a time where the illiteracy and dropout rate seems to be rising as much as gas prices these days, one more year isn't going to cut it. The solution isn't that easy. So in conclusion, four years is ample time to achieve greatness and fully take advantage of high school. For those that don't think so, explain how most of my generations parents did it in four years, does that make them super heros? I think not. Another year is just not a smart idea.


Score = 4 Scoring Explanation for Essay P:

This essay demonstrates adequate skill in responding to the task.

The writer takes a position (I feel that extending high school one more year is a bad idea for three reasons . . .) and offers some context for the discussion (Educators debate extending high school to five years due to the increasing demands on students for employers and colleges. Those for it say that it will give students more time to achieve what is expected, and those against it say that students would lost intrest and attendance will drop in year five). The essay also shows some recognition of complexity by acknowledging multiple perspectives and providing some response to counter-arguments to the writer's position (Of course there seems to be advantages and disadvantages to both, but lets be realistic, in America today, education isn't exactly our most relishing topic).

Development of ideas is adequate, with three ideas discussed and with some movement between general statements (extending high school an extra year just seems like a band aid for all the problems in the field of education) and specific examples and details (At a time where the illiteracy and dropout rate seems to be rising as much as gas prices these days, one more year isn't going to cut it). Focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained throughout the essay.

The organization of the essay is apparent but predictable, with obvious transitions (Firstly, Lastly, So in conclusion). There is some evidence of logical sequencing within the third paragraph (coming into senior year, you become a human form of a slug. . . . the intrest is gone after sophomore year. What makes you think that it will magically pop up after a addition of one more year? It will just be more time to be bored). The introduction and conclusion are both clear and somewhat developed.

The writer demonstrates adequate ability with language, using a variety of sentence types and some appropriate word choice (extending, social gathering, physically and mentally, illiteracy) as well as some inaccurate and distracting word choice (relishing, incubate). Other errors also distract the reader but do not impede understanding.

Language usage errors are frequently distracting and contribute to difficulty understanding some portions of the essay.


Essay J: Demand for more credits, community service, and better grades runs many high schoolers ragged. For many anything but the best is simply unexceptable. In a society that constantly tells it's youth they must have the highest pay check and newest car to be happy, why wouldn't this be the case? A fifth year of high school would give students more oppurtunity to take classes they would enjoy, take stress off of teenagers, and give the youth of our nation a chance to develop good priorities. Schools are always adding new and interesting courses, but for many, like the college bound student, there just isn't the time. Though an arts and crafts class might sound like fun, something like AP Music Theory would probably look better on a transcript. Since there is no time to take both the student will probably take the harder class even if it is just to keep up appearances. Fifteen years old seems to early to start making "career" choices over things that wold be fun. But it happens and it causes stress. Teenagers in the country have an ever growing load of stress being placed upon them. Starting before high school teens are faced with the questions: Where are you going to college? How are you going to get there? What are you going to be? All these questions are extremely daunting and often stress students out. Also, with the price of college so high many students take on a job during high school, which only adds to the stress. With an extra year of high school not only would students have time to think through big decisions, but they would also be better able to balance work with school. Time is so fleeting in this day and age. There is never enough time. No time for family, no time for relaxing, no time for sleep. Even if some time is stolen to recooperate, aren't the youth told that if they rest at home or sleep too much they are lazy and worthless?! While too much "vegging" could be a problem, teens need to know what is important and necessary for their mental and physical health. At the pace of many highs schoolers lives, this generation is sure to be one full of workaholics. Is that really what are society needs? When the lesson students learn in school is one that exhausts them and sets them up for an unhealthy lifestyle in their future, it is time for a change.


With such a high demands placed on the youth of our nation, it seems only fair that they are given more time. They are only young once. Teens should not be forced to grow up at such a fast pace. An extra year of high school will allow students to enjoy their education by giving them the gift of time, time to relax, time to take classes at their own pace and maintain a healthy lifestyle, time to discover the fun and interest in school. More time in high school will benefit students now and in the future.


Score = 5 Scoring Explanation for Essay J:

This essay takes a position in favor of extending high school and offers a broad context for discussion by situating high school effort within a larger society that values excellence and high achievement (In a society that constantly tells it's youth they must have the highest pay check and newest car to be happy, why wouldn't this be the case?).

The essay demonstrates recognition of complexity with discussion of the complications of the issue in the fourth paragraph. First, the writer establishes that students never have enough time, then anticipates the stereotype of the lazy teenager who "sleeps too much," then attempts to solve the acknowledged complication that "too much 'vegging' could be a problem." The essay thus demonstrates an ability to treat the complexity of the issue without undermining the essay's position or logic.

Development of ideas is specific and logical. The essay moves between general ideas (Schools are always adding new and interesting courses, but for many, like the college bound student, there just isn't the time) and specific examples (Though an arts and crafts class might sound like fun, something like AP Music Theory would probably look better on a transcript). Moreover, some ideas are developed fully as the writer draws critical conclusions from the discussion (Fifteen years old seems to early to start making "career" choices over things that wold be fun).

The essay has a simple structural organization, but generally demonstrates logical progression of ideas, especially through the second and fourth paragraphs. Transitions between ideas are well crafted both between paragraphs (But it happens and it causes stress. . . . Teenagers in the country have an ever growing load of stress being placed upon them) and within paragraphs to make logical connections between ideas.

Language use in the essay is generally clear, although misspellings of homophones (its/it's, our/are) are distracting. Some incorrect punctuation is also distracting, but the mistakes do not impede understanding. Some precise vocabulary (daunting, fleeting, generation) and a variety of sentence constructions are used effectively throughout the essay.


Essay Z: The Senior Itch—the incurable chaffing we all crave to scratch. The cure? Graduation. As we progress through our high school years growing with wisdom and maturity, we all yearn for freedom. Yet what we desire most is not always what is best for us. Although most won't want to admit it, extending our high school career to five years would make an important and beneficial impact on our future. With the four years that are currently provided, there is not enough time for motivated students to accomplish their goals before college. Merely being accepted by a selective college or university requires much pre-planned effort that is literally unavailable to students already concerned with grades and other activities. Colleges look most thoroughly at how an applicant used his or her four years of high school. Leadership roles, a dedication to an organization, and a well-rounded, involved student is appealing to the most elite educational institutions. Often, students desire leadership positions in numerous extra-curricular organizations, but face limiting regulations on the number of offices they may hold at one time. Even if a school doesn't limit students' involvement, students eventually reach the limits of what a 24-hour day can hold. Too often, students cannot participate as much as they want in as many extra-curriculars as they want because there just isn't time. With an extra year of high school, those involved in more than one activity could successfully find the time to contribute to and to lead each one. Colleges would see a longer, more developed individual's resume that included a time for each of their interests. The organizations would benefit from stronger student participation and the students would be recognized for their true efforts as well. Because they struggle to gain leadership roles and become the well-rounded students colleges desire, the task of maintaining a respectable grade-point-average during high school is a struggle for many students. It is difficult to be involved in activities of interest while still keeping high grades. However, colleges don't consider this when they seek applicants with high grade-point-averages in their admissions pool. Elongating the span of high school would allow more students with both grades and activities on their agenda to spend more time focusing on each separate interest. Rather than feeling forced to crunch a large block of "weighted" classes together in hopes of elevating their GPA, students would find more time to spread out their difficult classes and make the most of every single year. With less pressure and more time, grades would improve for all


dedicated students, as would the enjoyment of studying those subjects and the increased retainment of what we learned in those classes. Education aside, many high school students find that four years is not enough time to accomplish their varied goals. For instance, a student may desire a job in addition to school. The money they earn may help pay their way through college. With such a short preparation period before college, they can hardly be expected to make a successful life for themself without the proper funds. Also, many students are interested in community service prior to attending college, but find they do not have enough time in the four-year high school period. Colleges are drawn to students with a rich assortment of community service and evidence of responsibilities such as holding a job, but students have a hard time finding the hours to put into these tasks. High school is the foundation of the rest of our life. Like money in the bank, the investment of an additional year when we are young can make all the difference. With the additional time, motivated students would be able to become more involved in their schools, boost their grades, and find the time for a job and community service. Colleges admire these attributes, and for the sake of high-schoolers' acceptance into these institutions, more time should be provided for their endeavors. High school students work hard toward their future. Another year would help ensure their success.


Score = 6 Scoring Explanation for Essay Z:

This essay demonstrates effective skill in responding to the writing task.

The essay takes a position on the issue (extending our high school career to five years would make an important and beneficial impact on our future) and offers a critical context for discussion (Yet what we desire most is not always what is best for us). Complexity is addressed as the writer anticipates and responds to a counter-argument to the discussion (Even if a school doesn't limit students' involvement, students eventually reach the limits of what a 24-hour day can hold). Development is ample, specific and logical, discussing most ideas fully in terms of the resulting implications (Colleges would see a longer, more developed individual's resume that included a time for each of their interests. The organizations would benefit from stronger student participation and the students would be recognized for their true efforts as well). Clear focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained.

Organization of the essay is clear though predictable. Most of the essay demonstrates logical sequencing of ideas (It is difficult to be involved in activities of interest while still keeping high grades. However, colleges don't consider this when they seek applicants with high grade-point-averages in their admissions pool. Elongating the span of high school would allow more students with both grades and activities on their agenda to spend more time focusing on each separate interest). Transitions are used throughout the essay (Although, Even if, However, Rather than) and are often integrated into the essay (Because they struggle to gain leadership roles and become the well-rounded students colleges desire, the task of maintaining a respectable grade-point-average during high school is a struggle for many students). The conclusion and especially the introduction are effective and well developed.

The essay shows a good command of language, with precise and varied sentences and word choice (The Senior Itch—the incurable chaffing we all crave to scratch. . . . Merely being accepted by a selective college or university requires much pre-planned effort that is literally unavailable to students already concerned with grades and other activities).

There are few errors to distract the reader.


DAY 5

FOCUS: Writing on Demand: ACT Prompt Analysis and Practice Timed Writing NOTE TO TEACHERS: While a well-written, but slightly off-topic essay may be acceptable in some in-class writing assignments, professional writing exam scorers are instructed to give the lowest mark to such essays. Therefore, it is crucial that all students know how to analyze a prompt so they can write an essay that addresses the prompt completely. Understanding some general features of writing prompts, and specifically looking at the prompts for the ACT Writing Test will help writers understand what kind of essay is expected. Furthermore, writers with an inner sense of how much time is allotted feel more confident in a timed writing situation. Writers can develop a better sense of time through explicit planning and also through practicing writing under timed conditions. If writers practice writing with prompts that are similar to those they will encounter on an actual test, they will develop a familiarity with the prompt that will allow them to be successful. MATERIALS: Students should keep all materials for this unit in the “ELA/MME Units of Study: Student Materials Folder” since some will need to use some of them again on subsequent days. Overheads of student handouts are recommended. • Student journals • Day 5/Document 1 (Handout/Overhead): Prompt Analysis

Worksheet (p. 53) • Day 3/Document 1: Sample ACT Prompt (Topic: 5th year High

School) • Day 5/Document 2 (Handout): The Bump Chart: How to Move

One Score Point Higher on the ACT Rubric (p. 54) • Overhead transparency markers

CONNECTION: Today we will learn how to analyze prompts. Good test takers know how to analyze the prompts for the writing tasks on the ACT Writing Test.

HANDOUT: Day 3/Document 1: Sample ACT Prompt (Topic: 5th year High School)

TEACHING POINT 1: You know a prompt always has a topic, purpose, and audience. By taking time to consider these features of the prompt, you will make sure you are on target and discover strategies for answering the prompt competently. Review the prompt (Day 3/ Document 1) with a quick “tour,” and notice and name the parts: • Topic: What is the clear focus? • Purpose: What is the purpose? • Audience: Who is the audience and how is that important?

HANDOUT: Day 5/Document 1: Prompt Analysis Worksheet

ACTIVE ENGAGMENT: Look again at the prompt (Day 3/ Document 1) and use the worksheet (Day 5/Document 1) to break the prompt down into its key elements, and begin developing a framework of support. Give the students 10 minutes to complete the worksheet. Let’s take a look at how one of you generated ideas for the prompt. Use a copy of the handout on an overhead transparency to have the student write down what he or she has planned. Discuss the choices with the whole group, and/or have students share their charts in pairs or small groups. Encourage them to ask each other questions about their choices.


TEACHING POINT 2: You have a limited time to answer the prompt. Even if what you have written is very good, if it is not complete because you have run out of time, then you will not get the score that your writing deserves. Therefore, planning how you will use your time will give you the best chance of accomplishing everything you need to do in the time allotted. Divide your time into the following parts of the writing process: • Part 1: Prewriting/generating ideas

Allow 6-8 minutes for planning the essay • Part 2: Writing the essay

Allow 17-19 minutes for the ACT Writing • Part 3: Editing and Proofreading

Use the last 5 minutes to check and polish your work.

SCAFFOLDING: The Active Engagement below requires that students understand the three parts of the writing process in Teaching Point 2. Students may need specific examples of what to do during each part. For example, students may need a reminder that prewriting could include listing, creating an outline, mapping, bulleting, or other kinds of brainstorming. Successful test takers always take time to sketch out their ideas, even if it is just a list of topic sentences for their paragraphs. In the last five minutes, students should check to make sure they have addressed every area of the rubric and make simple corrections, such as spelling, punctuation, and grammar. There is not time for full-blown revision. ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT: In order to practice allocating time on the test, let’s actually go up against the clock with the remaining time in class today. I will let you know when each part is beginning so you can pace yourself. We will use the prompt we analyzed previously (Day 3/Document 1), so you should feel confident about it. Let students know when their prewriting time is over: You should now be finishing prewriting and moving on to writing your essay.

Also, let them know when their drafting is over: You should have finished writing your essay; take the last 5 minutes to check and polish your work. It would also be helpful to let them know when they have 2 minutes left. Collect.

REFLECTION: Next, ask students to write in their journals in response to these questions: What do you feel you did well when you were writing against the clock? What was difficult? What would you do differently next time? WRAP UP: Today we learned how to analyze prompts, and we practiced writing under timed conditions. GRADEBOOK: Teachers may consider assigning a participation grade and/or collecting the worksheet. Journal reflections are assigned throughout the unit, so teachers may consider collecting the reflections for a journal grade at the end of the unit. If teachers choose to score the essays, they might consider handing out the Bump Chart (Day 5/Document 2), so students can see specifically what they need to do to increase their scores.



Prompt Analysis Worksheet

Write your prompt here: Topic:

Purpose: Audience:

Your position on the topic: Reasons to support your position

Examples/evidence Warrant (Explain how do the reasons and examples support your position)

1.

2.

3.

Counterarguments Rebuttals to counterarguments



The Bump Chart: How to Move One

Score Point Higher on the ACT Rubric

Quick ways to move from 1 to 2 • Add an introduction paragraph

• Add a conclusion paragraph

Quick ways to move from a 2 to a 3 • Take a clear position

• Give two examples of that position in your body paragraph

Quick ways to move from 3 to a 4 • Avoid repetition

• Add to conclusion and introduction

Quick ways to move from a 4 to a 5 • Make transitions between paragraphs more interesting

• Improve development of body paragraphs by developing rebuttal

Quick ways to move from a 5 to a 6 • Strongly develop arguments and rebuttal

• Improve command of language


DAY 6 FOCUS: Writing on Demand: Understanding the Two MME Rubrics for the Civic Essay, and Scoring Sample Essays. MATERIALS: Students should keep all materials for this unit in the “ELA/MME Units of Study: Student Materials Folder” since some will need to use some of them again on subsequent days. Overheads of student handouts are recommended. • Day 6/Document 1 (Handout/Overhead): ELA Scoring Guide

for the Civic Essay (p. 57) • Day 6/Document 2 (Handout/Overhead): Social Studies Scoring

Guide for the Civic Essay (p. 58) • Day 6/Document 3 (Handout/Overhead): MME Civic Essay:

Combination of the Requirements for Top Scores on Both Rubrics (p. 59)

• Day 6/Document 4 (Handout): Sample Civic Essays (p. 60 – 61) TEACHING POINT 1: On Day 4, we looked closely at the ACT rubric for the writing exam. When you take the ACT/MME exam, you will also be required to write an essay for the social studies portion. This essay will be scored using two different rubrics: a 5-point Social Studies rubric and a 6-point ELA rubric. It is important that your essay fulfill the criteria of both rubrics. (At the time of this printing, it is understood that the Civic essay will be scored with both rubrics: “ELA Scoring Guide for the Civic Essay” and “Social Studies Scoring Guide for the Civic Essay.”)

HANDOUT: Day 6/Document 1: ELA Scoring Guide for the Civic Essay

: Day 6/Document 2: Social Studies Scoring Guide for the Civic Essay

TEACHING POINT 2: Get into groups as we look at the two rubrics. The civic essay you write will be graded using BOTH rubrics. Read the rubrics aloud to students.

HANDOUT: Day 6/Document 3: MME Civic Essay: Combination of the Requirements for Top Scores on Both Rubrics TEACHING POINT 3: Now, I am going to give you a third document, entitled “MME Civic Essay: Combination of the Requirements for Top Scores on Both Rubrics.” This rubric pulls out the top writing traits from BOTH Civic rubrics. As you read this rubric, discuss in your groups what qualities of good writing the scorers will look for in this essay.

HANDOUT: Day 6/Document 4: Sample Civic Essays ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT: Now you will score three sample student essays using the two rubrics. I invite you to actively debate the score in your small group; then, I will ask groups to share their scores with the class. According to a group of teachers, the scores were the following: Essay ELA Score MME Social Studies Score A 3 3 B 2 2 C 1 1 Note: Students may not always receive the same score on the ELA rubric that they receive on the MME rubric TEACHING POINT 4: Ask student groups to share their scores, and track them on the board. Next, share the scores that the graders would give, and discuss.


WRAP UP: Today we learned about the MME Civic rubrics. Tomorrow you will practice writing a Civic essay. GRADEBOOK: Teachers may consider collecting students’ notes and assigning a group participation grade.



ELA Scoring Guide for the Civic Essay

Remember that this essay will be scored twice, once using this rubric for the ELA score and once using the Social Studies Scoring Guide for the Civic Essay.

Points Persuasive Writing Scoring Guide 6 The essay takes a position on the issue in the prompt, shows clear understanding of

that issue, and maintains focus across the response. The position is supported thoroughly and consistently with specific, logical reasons and/or examples. The response may demonstrate insight and complexity by evaluating various implications of the position and/or by responding to arguments that differ from the writer’s position. Organization is well controlled, with a logical sequence of reasons and strong transitions and relationships among reasons. The essay shows a good command of varied, precise language that supports meaning. Few, if any, errors distract the reader.

5 The essay takes a position on the issue in the prompt, shows clear understanding of that issue, and is focused through most of the response. The position is supported with specific, logical reasons. The essay may show recognition of complexity by partially evaluating implications of the issue, or by responding to arguments that differ from the author’s position. Organization is generally controlled, with an occasional lapse in sequencing and/or relationships among reasons. Language is competent and supports meaning. Errors are rarely distracting.

4 The essay takes a position on the issue in the prompt, shows an understanding of that issue, and is generally focused. The position is supported adequately, and may be an uneven mixture of general and specific reasons. The essay may show some recognition of complexity by responding to some arguments that differ from the writer’s position. Some organization is evident in the sequencing and relationships of reasons. Language is adequate. Errors may distract, but do not interfere with meaning.

3 The essay takes a position on the issue in the prompt, shows an understanding of the issue in the prompt, but may not remain focused. The position is supported with reasons that may be limited and/or repetitious. The essay may also mention an argument that opposes the writer’s position. Organization may be uneven, but there are clusters of sequenced and related reasons. Language may be limited. Errors may occasionally interfere with meaning.

2 The essay takes a position, but shows little understanding of the issue in the prompt, or takes an unclear position. Support may be so minimal or unclear that organization may not be apparent. Language may be simple. Errors may interfere with meaning.

1 The essay takes no position, or takes a position with no support, showing little or no understanding of the issue in the prompt. There is little or no evidence of an organizational structure, or of sequencing and connecting reasons. Language may be limited and contain errors that detract from meaning.

0 The essay is (A) off-topic, (B) written in a language other than English or illegible, or (C) not found in your answer folder.

Source: http://www.michigan.gov/mde



Social Studies Scoring Guide for the Civic Essay

Points Description 5 The supporting prior knowledge, data, and core democratic value used by

students must be explained in enough detail to show a clear connection to the position taken in order to receive credit. In order to receive a 5-point score, the response must: 1. Give a clearly stated position on the issue and support their position. Do not accept those who do not take a stand, who say someone else (parents, school, or government) should decide. 2. Provide at least one supporting point that is based on core democratic values of American constitutional democracy that is explained in enough detail to show a clear connection to the position taken. Do not accept if this support contradicts stated position. 3. Provide one (or more) piece(s) of accurate, valid, and relevant supporting social studies information that comes from the student’s prior knowledge (information other than that supplied by the Data Section or a Core Democratic Value) that is explained in enough detail to show a clear connection to the position taken. Do not accept feelings or opinions. Support must be factual. Do not accept if this support contradicts stated position. 4. Provide one reason that acknowledges an argument from the opposing viewpoint and refutes that argument. Do not accept merely an acknowledgment that opposing viewpoints exist. 5. Provide one (or more) piece(s) of accurate, valid, and relevant supporting information from the Data Section that is explained in enough detail to show a clear connection to the position taken. Do not accept if this support contradicts stated position.

4 In order to receive a 4-point score, the response must • give a clearly stated position on the issue with support for their position, and • contain at least 3 of the remaining 4 elements listed above

3 3 In order to receive a 3-point score, the response must • give a clearly state and supported position on the issue, and • contain at least 2 of the remaining 4 elements

2 In order to receive a 2-point score, the response must • give a clearly state and supported position on the issue, and • contain at least 1 of the remaining 4 elements

1 In order to receive a 1-point score, the response must • give a clearly stated and supported position on the issue

0 Response shows no evidence of a clear position or the position is not supported in any way




MME Civic Essay: Combination of the Requirements for Top Scores on Both Rubrics

Clearly state your opinion Give a clearly stated and supported position on the issue. The essay takes a position on the issue in the prompt, shows clear understanding of that issue, and maintains focus across the response. The response may demonstrate insight and complexity by evaluating various implications of the position and/or by responding to arguments that differ from the writer’s position.

Support your opinion with examples Provide one (or more) piece(s) of accurate, valid, and relevant supporting information from the Data Section. Provide one (or more) statement(s) of accurate, relevant, and important supporting knowledge from history, geography, civics, or economics that come(s) from the student’s prior knowledge (information other than that supplied by the Data Section or a core democratic value of American constitutional democracy). Provide at least one supporting point that is based on the core democratic values of American constitutional democracy. The position is supported thoroughly and consistently with specific, logical reasons and/or examples.

Give an opinion opposite to yours and refute it Provide one reason that acknowledges an opposing viewpoint and refutes that position on the issue. The response may demonstrate insight and complexity by evaluating various implications of the position and/or by responding to arguments that differ from the writer’s position.

Use conventions of Good Writing Organization is well controlled, with a logical sequence of reasons as well as strong transitions between, and relationships among, reasons. The essay shows a good command of varied, precise language that supports meaning. Few, if any, errors distract the reader.



Sample Civic Essays

Student Sample A Dear Person of Congress, I heard there was an ongoing debate about whether or not the constitution should be written without gender identification. Well the truth of the matter is yes, it should. Women and men are supposed to be treated as equals in the United States, right? Then why not start with what actually makes up the U.S. A. People (men mostly) say that they are treating women as equals, then why not do the constitution so it is also equal. There’s that good ol’ core democratic value equality working for you. It’s not as if the constitution couldn’t be rewrote. Arizona rewrote the constitution in 1992 so if Michigan wanted to, then they could also rewrite it. Also, Florida rewrote the constitution in 1998, which also means it was only re-written about 6 years ago. So with better technology today, it would go by a lot faster.

Please take into consideration about changing the gender identifying constitution we go bye today.

Sincerely, Student signature



Student Sample B To Whom it May Concern: I belive that the constitution should be rewritten without gender indentification. There are many fundamental beifes that support this and a couple of constitutional principles that will support this as well. The fundamental believs that will support this idea are The pursuit of Happiness and Equality. The pursuit of happiness, will support this because with gender indentification many people will not pursue their dreams, mainly being women because they think that certain jobs are unwanted even though they are capable of doing them as well. Equailty is self explanitry. All people are supposed to be treaeted equal but that’s not always true because the law specifies what they can and can’t do because of their sex. The constitutional right that supports this is Individual Rights. With gender identifications in place in the Constitution the right to be treated equal cannot and does not always happen. An example is like when the president is always stated as he and not as just the president. Women will think that is something that they can never be. Even though I am a man, I still believe that is isn’t fair. In conclusion, I feel that the constitution should be rewritten to include gender indentifications for the country to be equal and I believe gender should be specified. Student Sample C Dear Congressional representative, I think the Constitution should be rewritten to remove gender identifying language. I feel like if all the other states like Maryland, Alabama, Alaska, and Michigan. If those states can do they can do. I feel women deserve rights like men. I have a mother, sister, and a neice and I want them to feel just as secure as I do. They should change it for the sake of America.



DAY 7 FOCUS: Effective MME Civic Prompt Analysis and Practice Timed Writing. MATERIALS: • Student journals • Day 7/Document 1 (Handout): MME Civic Essay Prompt (p. 64

– 65) • Day 7/Document 2 (Handout): Prompt Analysis and Civic

Essay Worksheets (p. 66 – 67) • Day 7/Document 3 (Overhead/Handout): Overview of

MME/ACT Writing Strategies (p. 68) • Highlighters

CONNECTION: In past days you learned how to analyze a prot by identifying topic, purpose and audience. The worksheet you used to do so also helped you start to think about how you would respond to the prompt by listing evidence and making connections between your evidence and your position, also called warranting. You also have learned an on-demand writing process. Today you will have a chance to put it all together and actually practice writing under timed conditions.

HANDOUT: Day 7/Document 1: MME Civic Prompt TEACHING POINT 1: Writers, today you will write a Civic essay. You have a limited time to answer the prompt. Even if what you have written is very good, if it is not complete because you have run out of time, you will not get the score that your writing deserves. Therefore, planning how you will use your time will give you the best chance of accomplishing everything you need to do in the time allotted. Divide your time into the following parts of the writing process:

• Part 1: Prewriting/generating ideas

Allow 5 minutes for planning • Part 2: Writing the essay

Allow 15 minutes • Part 3: Editing and Proofreading

Use the last 5 minutes of the test to check and polish your work.

SCAFFOLDING: The Active Engagement below requires that students understand the three parts of the writing process in Teaching Point 1. Students may need specific examples of what to do during each part. For example, students may need a reminder that prewriting could include listing, creating an outline, mapping, bulleting, or other kinds of brainstorming. Successful test takers always take time to sketch out their ideas, even if it is just a list of topic sentences for their paragraphs. In the last five minutes, students should check to make sure they have addressed every area of the rubric and make simple corrections, such as spelling, punctuation, and grammar. There is not time for full-blown revision.

HANDOUT: Day 7/Document 2: Prompt Analysis Worksheet


TEACHING POINT 2: In addition to fulfilling the general requirements for a strong argument, the Civic prompt asks you to fulfill the following four criteria: • A clear and supported statement of your position; • Supporting information using a core democratic value of

American constitutional democracy; • Supporting knowledge from your previous years studying

history, geography, civics (other than the core democratic values), or economics – it is not enough to state only your opinion; and

• Supporting information from the Data Section which will be provided just prior to the prompt.

So, writers, before I start timing your writing, take a few minutes to use the prompt analysis worksheet to plan out your essays. ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT: So that we practice allocating time on the test, let’s actually go up against the clock with the remaining time in class today. I will let you know when each part is beginning so you can pace yourself. Let students know when their prewriting time is over: You should now be finishing prewriting and moving on to writing your essay. Also, let them know when their drafting is over: You should have finished writing your essay; take the last 5 minutes to check and polish your work. It would also be helpful to let them know when they have 2 minutes left. Collect.

REFLECTION: Next, ask students to write in their journals in response to these questions: What do you feel you did well when you were writing against the clock? What was difficult? What would you do differently next time?

HANDOUT: Day 7/Document 3: Overview of MME/ACT Writing Strategies

WRAP UP: Today we learned how to analyze the Civic prompt, and we practiced writing an essay in response to this prompt under timed conditions. Review the Day 7/Document 3 (Overview of MME/ACT Writing Strategies). GRADEBOOK: Teachers may consider collecting and scoring the student essays, using the appropriate rubric. Teachers may also collect the reflections for a journal grade now that the unit has ended. Optional: In subsequent lessons, students might score and revise their essays.



MME Civic Essay Prompt Task II: Taking a Stand You will now take a stand on a the following public policy issue: Should the United States Congress propose an amendment allowing the United States Constitution to be rewritten without gender identification? You may either support or oppose allowing the Constitution to be rewritten with updated language. Write a letter to your congressional representative. Remember to: Use complete sentences. Explain your reasons in detail. Explain how the core democratic value you use connects to your position.

Write or print neatly on the lines provided in your Answer Folder. No additional sheets may be used.

Data Section, Part A

Some State Constitutions with and without gender identification State Year of Last Rewrite or Revision Gender Identification Maryland 1867 with Alabama 1901 with Alaska 1956 with Michigan 1963 with Arizona 1992 without Georgia 1982 without Florida 1998 without Current Language from the United States Constitution: Section 1. The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same term, be elected, as follows… Possible change in Language of the United States Constitution to exclude gender: Section 1. The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. The President shall hold office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same term, be elected, as follows…

You will be graded on the following criteria. Your letter must include:

• a clear and supported statement of your position; • supporting information using a core democratic value of American

constitutional democracy; • supporting knowledge from history, geography, civics (other than the

core democratic values), or economics (it is not enough to state only your opinion); and

• supporting information from the Data Section.



Part B

Changes in Some Job Titles to Exclude Gender Identification Old Title New Title Fireman Fire Fighter Fisherman Fisher Mailman Mail Carrier Policeman Police Officer Source for Data: Dictionary of Occupational Titles Source: Michigan Department of Education. “Social Studies Grade 9 Scoring Guide for Released Item 22 Updating the United States Constitution.” Fall 2005.

Some Core Democratic Values of American Constitutional Democracy

Core democratic values are the fundamental beliefs and constitutional principles of American society. These values unite all Americans. They are expressed the in the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and other significant documents, speeches, and writings of the nation. Below is a list of some core democratic values. You may use any core democratic value to support your position, including those not on this list. Be sure to explain how the value you choose supports the position you take.

Fundamental Beliefs

Life Liberty

The Pursuit of Happiness Public of Common Good

Justice Equality Diversity

Truth Popular Sovereignty

Patriotism

Constitutional Principles The Rule of Law

Separation of Powers Representative Government

Checks and Balances Individual Rights

Freedom of Religion Federalism

Civilian Control of the Military



Prompt Analysis Worksheet Write your prompt here: Topic:

Purpose: Audience:

Your position on the topic: Reasons to support your position

Examples/evidence Warrant (Explain how do the reasons and examples support your position)

1.

2.

3.

Counterarguments Rebuttals to counterarguments


Civic Essay Worksheet

Additional notes for the MME Social Studies exam only. (Use in addition to the Prompt Analysis Worksheet) core democratic value

supporting knowledge from your previous years studying history, geography, civics, or economics

supporting information from the data section of test



Overview of MME/ACT Writing Strategies

• Keep the focus on the characteristics of good writing, not on test preparation.

• Learn to recognize the rhetorical skills in writing: strategy, organization, style.

• Take advantage of opportunities to read sample essays and use critical thinking skills to identify the scores of sample essays.

• Learn to analyze writing prompts.

• Allocate your time during a writing exam, so you can follow an abbreviated version of the writing process, including time to prewrite, draft, and edit.

• Use strategies for sharpening your editing skills.

• Remember the elements of a strong argument.

• Understand the rubrics for the writing exams you will be taking.

• Take time to reflect on your development as writers.

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