1. Interdisciplinary Writing Unit Jessica Pitts Garbett Grade 6 Persuasive Writing in Language Arts

2. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Georgia Grade 8 Writing Assessment Description  evaluation of student responses to assigned prompts  expository or persuasive prompts  100 minutes and one day

3. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Georgia Grade 8 Writing Assessment Scoring:  Analytic  Four domains: Ideas, Organization, Style, and Conventions  Total scores range from 10-50  Each domain ranges from 1-5  Three levels: Does Not Meet, Meets, and Exceeds

4. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Georgia Grade 8 Writing Assessment Ideas  directly related to content and development  Paper is clear and focused  Writing holds the reader’s attention  Details are used to support the theme  Writer uses experience and prior knowledge  Ideas are fresh and original

5. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Georgia Grade 8 Writing Assessment Organization  inviting introduction  satisfying conclusion  transitions show connection between ideas  details are written logically and effectively  title is original and captures theme  writing flows smoothly and matches purpose and audience

6. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Georgia Grade 8 Writing Assessment Style  writing shows awareness of audience and purpose  words are specific and accurate  language enhances meaning and clarifies understanding  Sentences vary in length and structure

7. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Georgia Grade 8 Writing Assessment Conventions  correct spelling  accurate punctuation  correct capitalization  correct grammar and usage  ready to be published

8. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Pre-assessment prompt  School uniforms – yea or nay? Your principal has asked you to give a speech to the school board about wearing required school uniforms. Write a paragraph persuading the school board to vote for or against this issue.

9. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Grouping Options  Whole class instruction: students view teacher modeling  Individual instruction: students consider topics, reread essays, publish final copies  Small group instruction: students share ideas, peer conferencing

10. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Grouping Options Developmental: accommodations and modifications will be made according to student’s needs, teacher will spend extra time assisting these students Cultural: topic selection relates to student’s culture, student-teacher writing conferences will be held to assist students Linguistic: availability of language dictionaries, thesauruses, and teacher conferencing for every writing stage

11. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Prewriting : Instructional Procedures  teacher will explain the structure of the persuasive genre  students will brainstorm and select topics of their choice  teacher will model filling in a persuasive map using generic topic  students complete persuasive map using their chosen topics

12. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School

13. Prewriting: Assessment Name________________________________________ Persuasive Prewriting Checklist Grade 6 Goal/Thesis:  My goal is persuading my audience to do something. Reason #1:  I included a reason that supports my goal Facts:  I used three facts to support reason #1. Reason #2:  I included a second reason for my goal. Facts:  I used three facts to support reason #2. Reason #3:  I included a third reason for my goal. Facts:  I used three facts to support reason #3. Pitts Garbett, J. (2007). Persuasive Prewriting Checklist. Unpublished document. Thomas County Middle School, Thomasville, GA.

14. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Accommodations/Modifications Developmental : students will receive immediate feedback from teacher when required, students will be given additional prompts when needed. Cultural : teacher will monitor students closely and check for understanding, conferences will be held to check student progress Linguistic : teacher will paraphrase any concepts that may be confusing, peer tutoring will also be used to assist students

15. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Drafting: Instructional Procedures  teacher will model drafting process using sample persuasive map  students will use checklist to write their own persuasive drafts  teacher will circulate to assist students when needed  writing conferences will be held to monitor student progress

16. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Drafting: Assessment Name ____________________________________________ Persuasive Essay Drafting Checklist In a persuasive essay, the writer tries to convince the reader to take a specific opinion. When you write a persuasive essay, remember to follow these guidelines. □ Clearly state your goal, what you want your audience to do. □ Include at least three strong reasons to support your goal. □ Support, or elaborate, each reason with three facts and examples based on research. □ Use convincing language that is both positive and polite. □ Put your reasons in an order that works best to persuade your audience. □ Answer objections your audience might have. □ End by summarizing your reasons and calling your audience to action. □ Use 12 pt. font and double space on word processor. Pitts Garbett, J. (2007). Persuasive Essay Drafting Checklist. Unpublished document. Thomas County Middle School, Thomasville, GA.

17. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Revising: Instructional Procedures  teacher will model revision using sample persuasive draft  students will print a copy of their drafts  students will use checklist to revise their drafts  teacher will circulate classroom to assist students  writing conferences will he held to monitor student progress

18. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Revising: Assessment Persuasive Revising Checklist Directions: Use your rough draft to complete each item in this check list. Revise  Paragraph 1—With a yellow highlighter, highlight your grabber sentence. With a green highlighter, highlight the sentence that explains the issue. With an orange highlighter, highlight the sentence that states your position.  Re-read your first body paragraph. With a blue highlighter, circle your transition word. Look at your first reason. Is it convincing? Does it have at least two specific examples, anecdotes, or statistics to support it? If not, fix this.  See box 2, and work on your other two body paragraphs in the same manner.  Read your conclusion. Does it summarize your position, address the reader, call for action, or end with a warning? If it doesn’t do at least one of these things, fix it.  In at least one paragraph you should have pointed out the opposition’s main objection to your view and addressed it. If you have done this, underline your opposition’s main objection in yellow. If you haven’t done this, add this information to paragraph 1, 2, or to your conclusion. You may want to add this information to both body paragraphs. Pitts Garbett, J. (2007). Persuasive Revising Checklist. Unpublished document. Thomas County Middle School. Thomasville, GA.

19. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Editing: Instructional Procedures  teacher will model the editing process using sample persuasive draft  students will participate in peer tutoring using prepared conferencing sheet as a guide  students will use editing marks to correct any mistakes in essay  teacher will be available for writing conferences as needed

20. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Editing: Assessment Name ____________________________________________ Persuasive Essay Editing Checklist □ Be sure to indent all paragraphs. □ Use all commas correctly. □ Make all subjects and verbs agree. □ Use contractions and possessive pronouns correctly. □ My capitalization and punctuation are correct. □ Check for spelling errors. □ Reread a printed copy to check for mistakes. □ One of my peers has read my essay and completed the conferencing sheet. □ Use 12 pt. font and double space on word processor. Pitts Garbett, 2007). Persuasive Essay Editing Checklist. Unpublished document. Thomas County Middle School, Thomasville, GA.

21. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Publishing: Instructional Procedures  Teacher will model publishing procedures.  Students will type their final copies on the computer.  Students will then take turns sharing their essays with the class.  The students will then vote on the most controversial issues.  A debate will be held about the chosen issue where students will be able to freely express their opinions.  The principal will sit in on the debate and make the final decision.

22. Jessica Pitts Garbett Thomas County Middle School Publishing: Assessment Name _______________________________________________________ Persuasive Essay Publishing Checklist Grade 6 Before you begin publishing, make sure you have reread your paper one last time to find any errors you may have overlooked. □ I have revised and edited my rough draft. □ I have participated in a peer conference. □ I have participated in a conference with my teacher. □ The word processor is set up to type size 12 font and double space. □ I have chosen a title for my essay that will grab the reader’s attention. □ I am prepared to share my work with the class. Pitts Garbett, J. (2007). Persuasive Essay Publishing Checklist. Unpublished document. Thomas County Middle School, Thomasville, GA.