1. YOUR GUIDE TO THE 7 TH GRADE WRITING PROCESS

2. THINGS TO REMEMBER… 7 TH Grade Mode of Writing RAFT 6-step Writing Process Graphic Organizers North Carolina Writing Assessment Essay and Letter Format Sample Prompts

3. 7TH GRADE MODE OF WRITING 7 TH GRADE MODE OF WRITING 7 th grade students will typically write addressing prompts that are evaluative or problem-solution. For this reason, the 7 th grade mode of writing is EVALUATIVE.

4. R A F T R = ROLE (What role will your response play after you read the prompt— evaluative or problem-solution?) A = AUDIENCE (The prompt will identify whom you shall address in your response.) F = FORMAT (What format is called for in the prompt—essay, letter, editorial, etc.?) T = TOPIC (What is the topic stated in the prompt? This becomes your focus.)

5. THE WRITING PROCESS 6-STEPS BRAINSTORM PREWRITE DRAFT REVISE EDIT PUBLISH

6. BRAINSTORM FIRST, read the prompt and dissect RAFT from it Jot down random ideas for consideration Draw a Tree Map to identify all possible responses to the prompt, with support When you think you have your point of focus, use a bubble map to scatter ideas on your paper Write about what you can substantiate the most

7. PREWRITE Look at your scattered thoughts on the paper. Gather together thoughts that form one paragraph at a time. Write your beginning paper in response to the prompt. Don’t worry about grammatical errors at this point—just write.

8. DRAFT This is your first attempt at writing your response to the prompt. Students typically mistake this for their final copy. Write with 5 paragraphs in mind—introduction, up to 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. Note—the number of body paragraphs is dictated by the number of solutions you are asked to offer as addressed in the prompt (ie)if the prompt calls for you to offer 3 possible solutions to a problem, then you need 3 body paragraphs to address them in.

9. REVISE Put down your freshly written response. Walk away and clear your head for a minute. Come back and reread your draft. Having taken a break, you will see errors you would not have seen before. Check to see if your ideas flow. Check for “So What?” statements—those are statements you make with no support to defend them. Strike them or add support. Realign paragraphs, if necessary, so that your thoughts follow a pattern of development. Make sure you have the proper word count for the prompt. Brevity will not earn you a good score.

10. EDIT Have a dictionary, thesaurus, and grammar rules handy. Now, check for grammatical errors. Check for proper subject-verb agreement. Check for capitalization errors. Check for run-ons or sentence fragments. Check for misspelled words. Then, have someone else check behind you. Make your corrections.

11. PUBLISH Rewrite your final copy. For classroom writing assessment, you most likely will write your final response. For formal assessment, you will type it. When typing, you must adhere to professional guidelines—type using black ink only, size 12 Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Prepare an error-free paper and submit. When typing, always include your full name, date, and teacher’s name at the top right of your paper. Drop down about 4 lines and begin typing your response. Always save electronically a copy of your paper and then print.

12. GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS (during Brainstorm) Use Thinking Maps to separate your ideas. Make charts of information. For comparison/contrast, use the Double Bubble Map, or the Venn Diagram for a visual of the similarities and differences of the topic. Loosely scatter ideas on your paper and draw connector lines from one set to another of similar information. Create a chain of ideas or events.

13. North Carolina Writing Assessment NC Department of Public Instruction, Accountability section, provides that all 4 th, 7 th, and 10 th grade students will take a formal writing assessment. Usually formal assessment occurs in March, but at least 3-4 writing benchmarks occur prior to March. Guidance Dept. will instruct. Student writing is scored holistically and receives 2 scores—conventions and content. Conventions—(0,1,or 2)—grammar and mechanics. Content—(NS, 1,2,3,or 4)—staying on topic throughout the paper with sufficient word count. Teachers will receive scoring training online prior to testing. Typically, it takes 10 hours and you receive CEU credit upon completion.

14. 2 TYPES OF WRITING TEST 1. ON-DEMAND—students will be placed in a lab or mobile lab brought to the class and will have 90 minutes in which to read a fresh prompt, write the rough draft, type it, and submit it. 2. CONTENT-SPECIFIC—students will be given a prompt that is content-based (social studies, science, math, or Language Arts). They will have 2 weeks for the content teacher to assist in research of the topic, while the Language Arts teacher assists with teaching the format and typing requirements.

15. PUBLISHING FORMAT 1 Typically, essays will follow the 5- paragraph rule (Introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion.) It will be easier for students to learn the block style for typing letters. Everything is left-justified with one blank line between paragraphs, two blank lines just before the complimentary closing. There must be an introduction and conclusion, regardless of the format.

16. PUBLISHING FORMAT 2 Block Style Letter Date (4 blank lines) Salutation (i.e.—Dear Principal,) (2 blank lines) Introduction ( blank line) Body Paragraphs with blank line between (1 blank line) Conclusion (2 blank lines) Sincerely, (Complimentary Close) Your full name

17. Sample Prompt 1 The principal has been awarded $5,000.00 for specific needs at your school. He wants students to define three areas most in need on the campus. Please be specific and explain why that money would benefit those three areas best. Remember to assess RAFT Remember to focus on three specific needs for the campus Remember to check for grammatical, capitalization, and punctuation errors Word limit 700 words

18. RAFT for sample prompt 1 R=ROLE= evaluative (students are being asked to evaluate the campus situation and define 3 specific areas of need) A=AUDIENCE= the principal (no name was given in the prompt) F=FORMAT= there are no other hints in the prompt; therefore, it is an essay T=TOPIC= students are being asked to write about 3 specific areas of need on the campus

19. Sample Prompt 2 Your 7 th grade class wants to schedule a trip to the American History Museum and IMAX theatre in Raleigh, North Carolina. The problem is the total cost per student is $50, more than some of your classmates’ parents can afford. Write a letter to your PTA president asking for assistance in paying for those students and offer 3 possible ways the money might be raised by the PTA. Remember to assess RAFT Remember to focus on the topic Remember to check for grammatical, punctuation, or capitalization errors Remember to explain in detail your 3 solutions Word limit 700 words

20. RAFT for sample prompt 2 R=ROLE= problem-solution (the key words problem and solution are in the prompt A=AUDIENCE= the PTA president F=FORMAT= a letter T=TOPIC= students should offer 3 solutions to help the PTA cover the cost for sending less fortunate 7 th graders on the trip

21. TEST 1. The 7 th grade mode of writing is ________________. 2. The 7 th grade mode of writing is divided into two areas, ______________ and _____-_______. 3. At least 3-4 benchmarks will occur until the month of _________. 4. Students will take the formal writing assessment in _________. 5. The two types of writing prompt are __ _________ and ___________-____________. 6. The method of scoring the writing assessments is ______________, meaning you study the whole piece instead of assessing one error at a time. 7. When scoring the writing assessments, two scores will be awarded— content and _______________. 8. For content, students may earn a score of NS (non-scorable)or __,__,__ or 4. 9. For conventions, students may earn a score of 0, __ or __.

22. ANSWERS 1. Argumentative 2. Evaluative and problem-solution 3. March 4. March 5. On Demand and Content-Specific 6. Holistic 7. Conventions 8. 1,2,3 9. 1,2