Sample Writing Prompt Your principal is asking interested students to write a letter to him, explaining 3 reasons why you would be a good candidate to judge the upcoming talent show at your school. Be sure to: Write a letter to the principal Give 3 reasons why you would be a good judge for the talent show

IDEAS EXPLOSION ! STEP 1 “BRAINSTORMING”

BRAINSTORMING You’ve read the writing prompt and your mind begins to wander Focus on the topic You have ideas, or maybe not Randomly jot down what you’re thinking Suppose you have no thoughts In that case, write “I don’t know anything about this…” or “I don’t understand this…” When you’ve done that maybe 3 times, something begins to click—YOU HAVE A THOUGHT

GET ORGANIZED STEP 2 “PRE-WRITING”

PRE-WRITING This is similar to sorting laundry Take those random thoughts and start organizing them into chunks of similar thoughts Use Thinking Maps, graphic organizers, or just pile similar thoughts together in sections of your scratch paper You’ll soon notice a pattern

LET YOUR SKILLS SHINE STEP 3 “DRAFTING”

DRAFTING Now, let’s get down to business Look at those chunks of similar ideas and begin to think of them as paragraphs After you organize them, begin writing your essay, letter, or whatever the prompt calls for Remember, the writing format will differ one type to another

If you’re writing an essay… You know you must have an introduction and a conclusion That’s the beginning and the end What about the middle? That’s the body The number of body paragraphs are determined by the number of supporting statements you offer in your paper, typically it’s 3

An essay looks like this… The introduction is the 1st paragraph. It explains the focus/purpose of the paper. You also want to list the supporting details you plan to cover in your paper. 2nd paragraph is the 1st body paragraph. Explain the 1st detail to support your topic. 3rd paragraph is the 2nd body paragraph. Explain the 2nd detail to support your topic. 4th paragraph is the 3rd/final body paragraph. Explain the 3rd detail to support your topic. The conclusion is the final paragraph. It wraps up all your thoughts and leaves the reader with something to consider or a question to ponder about the topic.

A block style letter looks like this… October 12, 2009 Dear Principal, I have been informed that you wish to have a panel of students to judge the talent contest next week. I feel that I am a worthy candidate for the panel. You will find that I have no disciplinary issues here at school, so I have the integrity to be a judge on the panel. I am a member of the school chorus, so I know the proper procedure for stage performance. Further, I will view each contestant fairly and without bias. Should you select me as a judge for the talent contest, I can assure you that I will do my best to represent our school with honor and integrity. Willing to serve, Anthony Tompkins

A letter… ALWAYS begins with the date ALWAYS has a salutation to follow the date (Dear____, or To Whom It May Concern) ALWAYS has an introduction, body and conclusion, just like an essay ALWAYS has a complimentary close (Sincerely, or Respectfully submitted, or A concerned student, etc.)

CHANGE IT UP VIEW IT DIFFERENTLY STEP 4 “REVISING”

Take a second look… Look at your sentence sequence. Do your thoughts follow each other logically? Does your writing confuse the reader? Don’t stray from the topic. Do you have complete sentences? Did you include the bulleted info from the writing prompt guide?

How do you revise? You might not want to, but do it anyway… Re-read your writing Have someone else read it Both of you will look for errors Remove unnecessary details Stick to the topic throughout Make sentences follow in sequence of thought—must be logical Follow the writing prompt guidelines and include all bulleted items

YOU’RE ALMOST DONE, PUT ON YOUR EDITOR’S CAP STEP 5 “EDITING”

EDITING—Similar to Revising, But Different By now, you’ve reorganized your thoughts in your paper Now, focus on spelling errors Focus on proper use of verbs Focus on capitalization and punctuation Clean up the mechanics of your writing

PREPARE TO BE A STAR ! STEP 6 “PUBLISH”

THAT’S RIGHT, WRITE IT AGAIN… You can’t submit your first draft! Publish simply means to take the time to rewrite, or type, the paper to be submitted for the best grade It must be neat and error free ! If typed, you must follow the prescribed guidelines set by your teacher When typing, use size 12 font, Times New Roman, black ink only, single spaced

REMEMBER… Your work represents you, even when you are not around. Several people will read your writing. Make yourself proud, first, by doing a thorough job and then everyone will be proud of you !

Now, Take Out a Sheet Of Paper Your quiz is in 2 parts. Write Part 1 on your paper and number 1 – 5. Then, write Part 2 and number 1 – 5. LET’S SEE HOW MUCH YOU REMEMBER…

QUIZ part 1 __T__F There are 6 steps in the writing process. __T__F During the Brainstorming phase, it is important to write any thoughts that come to mind. __T__F Prewriting is like sorting laundry. You begin to organize your thoughts. __T__F It is important to read the prompt clearly and note any bulleted items to be included. __T__F Drafting simply means to write your paper for the first time.

QUIZ part 2 ___________is step 4 in the writing process wherein you will re-organize your paper. During ____________, you correct any spelling, capitalization or punctuation errors. When you prepare your paper for step 6, ____________, you write it for the second time, or type it for the first time. Submit it for a grade. Many people will read it. __T__F A letter must have a date, salutation, and complimentary close. __T__F An essay usually has 5 paragraphs.

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