British Literature It’s a Tax Day Tuesday! April 15, 2008 Ms. Cares

Stations! The ACT Writing Section Analyze the rubric for the ACT Writing Section. Read the prompt and the essay presented to you in your station. Using the ACT Writing Section rubric, give the essay a score. Discuss and come to a consensus on the score each essay should receive. Present your findings to the class.

Agenda- Periods 5, 6, and 9: 1.Review the essays: What worked and what didn’t work? 2.Re-Group: Why did the selected essays receive their respective scores? Examine Batman and Hawkgirl, specifically. 3.Pre-Writing Exercise: Setting yourself up to write your own Level 6 essay. 4.Exit Slip: ACT English and Reading questions.

Group work: 1.Sit with the same group that you worked with yesterday. 2.Look at the sample essays again. What works? What doesn’t work? Brainstorm at least three comments and post your group’s responses on the white board.

What works: Strong thesis: Your thesis and preview statement should be in your first paragraph, and they should delineate the entire essay. Effective lead: “The Senior Itch…” I’m curious, and I know that this writer has game. Clear organization: 5-paragraphs work beautifully. Make sure that they are fully developed and as long as possible.

What works continued… Counter argument: Why is the other side wrong? Recognize as many “wrong points” as possible and frame these in relationship to your own evidence.. Specific evidence: From general to specific. For example: –General: Students have too much to do in four years of high school. –Specific: “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.

Your Turn: In order to set yourself up for a highly effective level 6 essay, you must spend some time organizing your essay. Take 4-5 minutes and complete a pre-writing strategy in which you: 1. Brainstorm regarding the issue. 2. Identify a clear thesis statement. 3. Outline your main supporting ideas. I am a huge fan of the T-chart!

5 Minute Pre-Writing: In the spring of 2005, the United States Congress held hearings to investigate the use of steroids by athletes, and professional and international sports organizations continue to pursue the issue of steroid use in athletics. Assume that your high school is considering drug testing its student athletes. Arguments in favor of the testing include the fact that too many high school athletes are using illegal and harmful substances, specifically anabolic steroids, to enhance performance.

Opposition to the testing includes the idea that testing violates the rights of students to unreasonable search. In your opinion, should all high school athletes undergo random drug testing in order to be able to participate in high school sports? In your essay, take a position on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Homework: Take 25 minutes and write an essay in response to the drug testing question. Use your pre-writing and consider the essay samples that we’ve examined. DUE: Thursday. We will go over the English and Reading sections from last night and assess our own essays on Thursday. Keep up the excellent work!

Exit Slip Review the Rules and Critical Words Exercise YOU CAN DO IT!