The real test is in a few short weeks! You have come a LONG WAY and I am very proud of each of you! BUT! There is still a lot of work to do to make sure you will do your best on the test! Based on the results from the 3 rd FPMA, we need to practice: 1.Not using personal pronouns 2.Creating clear and precise claims/controlling ideas 3.Using a variety of different kinds of evidence 4.ELABORATING on cited evidence and CONNECTING it to your claim/controlling idea 5.Creating clear conclusions

Say the same idea, but take out the pronoun!

TYPEDESCRIPTIONEXAMPLE ExplanationExplain the evidence provided. (Often used when a direct quote is given.) Evidence: According to authors, Africa lost more than 60% of its elephants to poachers over the last ten years. Elaboration: That is more than half of all the elephants in the country, meaning that at this speed, the elephants could soon die out. EvaluationEvaluate the evidence based on other facts in the passages. Evidence: Surveys indicate that many citizens do not even realize that the elephants die when poachers get the ivory. Elaboration: However, this is not a good enough reason to let this practice continue, since groups like CITE educate their citizens with such facts. DefinitionDefining concept or idea to help your reader better understand the evidence. Evidence: Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is one possible reason why honeybees are disappearing. Elaboration: Colony collapse disorder is when bees leave their nest but never return. Scientists are searching for the cause.

TYPEDESCRIPTIONEXAMPLE Analyze (Compare) Provide a comparison to the evidence. Evidence: As the polar ice melts, polar bears become less afraid of humans as they look for food. Elaboration: The graphic provided shows a polar bear trying to get into a truck. Thus, as their habitat disappears, they search elsewhere, finding food wherever possible. Analyze (Prediction) Analyze the evidence and make a prediction based on evidence in the text. Evidence: Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is one possible reason why honeybees are disappearing. Elaboration: If this continues to happen and bees keep leaving their hives, crops will fail, costing farmers millions of dollars. Analyze (Cause/Effect Relationships) Analyze the evidence to show a likely cause and effect relationship. Evidence: Experts say that the coral reefs are disappearing at a rapid rate. Elaboration: Therefore, many aquatic creatures like the clown fish will become greatly in danger of losing their natural habitat.

POINT (claim/controlling idea) EVIDENCE (including source) ELABORATION

POINT (claim/controlling idea) EVIDENCE (including source) ELABORATION The American Dream is not achievable because the average income of most Americans does not support the needed costs of what makes the American Dream possible. 1.“Up to 15 million young Americans today are at risk.” (source 1, paragraph 5) 2.“Total income needed to live the American Dream: $130, 357.” (source 2) 1.Children are the most at risk in America because many parents are unable to provide the basics to ensure kids are successful in life. 2.Therefore, children are the most vulnerable victims of the loss of the American Dream. 3.For just the basic costs of living, the amount of money you need to make a year already exceeds the average income of most Americans. 4.The total cost of the American Dream can change depending on where you live. This is an argumentative prompt: Take a position on whether or not you believe that the American Dream is achievable by all Americans based on the evidence provided by the texts we read in class.