XHS Writer s Handbook

XHS Writer s Handbook Table of Contents 1. Developing a Paragraph A. Three Parts of a Paragraph B. Paragraph Organization C. Strategies for Developing a Paragraph 2. Developing a Thesis Statement A. Thesis Statement B. Format for Developing a Good Thesis Statement for a Persuasive Essay/Paper C. ABC Thesis Formula with Example D. Examples of Thesis Statements 3. Types of Essays A. Descriptive B. Narrative C. Compare/Contrast D. Process Analysis E. Problem/Solution F. Definition G. Persuasive 4. Documentation A. Writing about Literature B. Writing about a Topic Using Secondary Sources C. Parenthetical Documentation 5. Organizing Your Paper A. Outline Format Example 6. Creating a Works-Cited Page A. Basic Rules B. How to Create a Works-Cited Page C. Links to Online Guides 7. Commonly Mixed Pairs 8. Six + 1 Traits 9. Grammar and Style and General Writing Help A. Grammar B. Spelling C. Vocabulary 1

Developing a Paragraph Three Parts of a Paragraph: 1. Topic sentence To build a good topic sentence: in your own words introduce the specific topic of the paragraph. 2. Body of paragraph The body contains sentences that develop or explain the idea given in the topic sentence. Generally 4-6 sentences are necessary per paragraph. 3. Closing sentence The closing sentence reminds the reader what the main idea of the paragraph is and what it means (why it is important). Closing sentences can also be a transition to the next paragraph. Example: The following paragraph is a good example of topic sentence, supporting material, and closing sentences. (1) My life may be a box full of frustrations, but learning how to overcome them has given me the gift of patience. (2a)For example, recently I began taking my two-year-old dog to obedience school. (2b)After four weeks of lessons and practice, she has learned to follow only three commands--sit, stand, and lie down--and even those she often gets confused. (2c) Frustrating (and costly) as this is, I continue to work with her every day. (3a)After dog school, my grandmother and I sometimes go grocery shopping. (3b)Inching along those aisles, elbowed by hundreds of fellow customers, backtracking to pick up forgotten items, and standing in the endless line at the checkout, I could easily grow frustrated and cranky. (3c) But through years of trying times I have learned to keep my temper in check. (4a)Finally, after putting away the groceries, I might go out to a movie with my fiance, to whom I have been engaged for three years. (4b) Layoffs, extra jobs, and problems at home have forced us to postpone our wedding date several times. (5)Still, my patience has enabled me to cancel and reschedule our wedding plans again and again without fuss, fights, or tears. Sentence 1 indicates the topic: The writer's patience is a result of dealing with various frustrations. Sentences 2, 3, and 4, give specific examples followed by descriptions of the frustrations and subsequent patience the writer has experienced. Sentence 5 explains how these frustrations have led to the patience that is serving the writer well in the present. From "Practice in Composing Topic Sentences" by Richard Nordquist, About.com Guide http://grammar.about.com/od/developingparagraphs/a/practicetopic.htm Paragraph Organization: Limit paragraphs to one main idea that is presented in the topic sentence and eliminate all sentences that do not support that idea or otherwise alter the topic sentence to include those ideas if you feel they are necessary. Strategies for Developing a Paragraph: Develop the body of the paragraph (depending on the type of paragraph) with reasons by giving examples by using a story/incident to illustrate the idea by using statistics with descriptive details 2

Developing a Thesis Statement Thesis Statement: The thesis statement is your statement of purpose. Thesis statements do not use "I" or "my" even though the idea present in your thesis statement is your own. Use third person for a stronger, more confident approach. Format for Developing a Good Thesis Statement for a Persuasive Essay/Paper: A good thesis statement DOES NOT: Make announcements like: My paper is about I want to explain I believe that Use fuzzy, catchall words like: Fascinating, bad, meaningful, or interesting A good thesis statement: Focuses on one central point or issue Tailors the scope of the issue to the length of the paper Provides an accurate forecast of what s to come Often previews the organization of the paper A good thesis statement also: Should be 1 or 2 complete sentences Should clearly convey the point you plan to make Should be broad enough to include all supporting ideas Should be narrow enough to make a precise statement A good thesis statement: Should not be set in stone at the beginning Should be consulted as writing progresses Should include a specific stance/opinion and reasons Thesis statements (like the rest of the paper) should be in the 3 rd person Placed at the end of the introduction ABC Thesis Formula with Example: A) Topic Example: nuclear power B) Opinion Example: nuclear power should not be used C) Why? Example: 1. It is potentially dangerous. 2. It is more expensive than other alternatives. 3. It causes water, land and air pollution. Thesis statement = A+B+C 3

Example: Nuclear power should not be used because it is potentially dangerous; it is more expensive than other alternatives, and it causes water, air and land pollution. Examples of Thesis Statements: Here is an example of a broad/fuzzy thesis versus a precise and focused thesis: Broad and fuzzy thesis statement: The Progressive Era included many reform programs that helped to shape the nation s economy. Precise and focused thesis statement: The reforms of the Progressive Era sought to rectify many of the evils developed in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. Although many reformers had worked avidly for change early, most of their significant victories occurred between 1900 and 1920 in legislation against corruption and social injustices. 4

Types of Essays Descriptive In a descriptive essay a writer relies on adjectives and will appeal to the senses to make the situation or subject come alive. Narrative A narrative is a writer's own account of an event or experience, usually written in first person point of view. Compare/Contrast To understand two subjects, writers will often show how they are alike (compare) and show how they are different (contrast). Process Analysis Here a writer explains how a thing or a process works or "how to" do something. Cause/Effect Cause/effect writers try to explain the relationship of a subject and its cause. Problem/Solution A writer explains a problem and offers a solution. Definition The writer chooses a subject to define completely. Persuasive In this type of essay, a writer supports his or her opinions with facts, examples, and reasons. 5

Documentation Plagiarism is defined as using other people s ideas or work as your own without citing the source. Double Dipping (reusing your own work without indicating that it has been used to fulfill a requirement in another class) is also considered cheating. Use the following examples as models for including all those summaries, paraphrases, or quotations. Writing about Literature: State a claim (something you think is true). Support it with evidence from the text. o Weave in the passage from the text by giving context (who said it, why, when, etc.) and by using a signal phrase such as "he said." Explain what you mean. Writing about a Topic (research paper, etc.) Using Secondary Sources: State a claim that supports your thesis. Support it with evidence from a source (article, website, book, etc.) o Use signal phrases to identify the speaker and the source. o Give context when necessary to set up the passage or quotation. o Give whatever information is needed in parentheses after the statement. If you have given the author's name in the signal phrase, you don't need to put it in parentheses. Include page number if available. Explain what you mean. Parenthetical Documentation Pay attention also to the variations in parenthetical documentation: placement of the author s name, name of book, the page numbers etc. will vary depending upon how you weave the information into your writing. Sometimes you will have only a page number in parentheses, sometimes an author's name and page number, sometimes only an author's name, sometimes only the first word of a title (such as for a website). Here are two resources commonly used for documentation information. Duke University's Guide to Citing Sources Purdue University's OWL: MLA Guide 6

Organizing Your Paper Outline Format Example Topic: Working Thesis statement: Outline of Paper: each point listed should not be vague or generic like: Church View I. Introduction II. Point 1 A. B. III. Point 2 A. B. IV. Point 3 A. B. Sources (Three sources documented in MLA format) Graphic organizers to: KWHL chart Concept Map Brainstorming Web Index of Graphic Organizers 7

Creating a Works-Cited Page Basic Rules: For authors names, the last name goes first, separated by a comma, then the first name. (Second author of two or more, order is first then last). A period and one space go after most elements of the citation. A works-cited list is always given in alphabetical order, determined by the first letter of the first word in your citation. A works-cited list is never numbered (or bulleted). Works-cited lists are formatted using "hanging indent," which means that the second, third, etc. lines are indented but not the first. In creating your citations, whenever any information is missing, leave it out and go with what is available. Months to spell out: May, June and July Date of access means the last date you visited a website. A works-cited page is double spaced. How to Create a Works-Cited Page: Check the guide for citing common sources. This version is VERY helpful. It was edited in 2007 by Tracy Kranzusch. Links to Online Guides: Duke University's Guide to Citing Sources Purdue University's OWL: MLA Guide 8

Commonly Mixed Pairs Spell check will not identify your mistakes made with mixed pairs. You will need to proofread carefully for these. accept, except affect, effect a lot, allot I accept this award. No one except Ryan may talk right now. The effect (noun) of the sun's rays can be harmful. Turning in that paper late will affect (verb) your grade. [effect: a result; affect: a change] effect (verb) to accomplish "A lot" is two words meaning many; "allot" means to disperse. (avoid using "a lot") bring, take Bring me my slippers then take the trash to the curb, please. Bring=come toward you Take=go away from you. could have, not could of should have, not should of; would have, not would of fewer, less good, well it's, its knew, new know, no lead, led loose, lose past, passed quiet, quite, quit than, then There are fewer students in Forensics this year, so our meetings will take less time. Use "fewer" when referring to plural things; use "less" when referring to singular things. I will do well today now that I know you ate a good breakfast. "Good" is an adjective; "well" is almost always an adverb. Its fur is brown and it's in need of washing. "Its" is a possessive pronoun. "It's" is a contraction for "it is." I knew you would ruin your new shoes. New is state of age; knew is past tense of to know. No, I don't know the capitol of Rhode Island. "No" is a negative response. "To know" is to be aware of something. Lead on, Kyle, or do you prefer being led? "Lead" is present tense; "led" is past tense. If you keep your hold on that leash so loose, you will lose the leash and the dog will run away. "Loose" is not tight. "Lose" is to have something disappear. In the past, people with manners would have asked for the potatoes to be passed instead of reaching over someone to get them. "Past" is a time before now. "Passed" is past tense of "to pass." Be quiet or you will have to quit practicing in our garage. Our neighbors are quite beside themselves because of the noise. "Quiet" is softer volume. "Quit" is to end something. "Quite" is a modifier. If I knew then what I know now, I would have chosen this rather than that. "Than" is used to make a comparison. "Then" is a time transition or adverb. their, there, they're threw, through to, too, two waist, waste If they're going to play over there with their toys, then they are going to need to be careful. "They're" is a contraction for they are. "There" shows where. "Their" is a possessive pronoun. She threw the ball through the air. Threw is past tense of to throw. Through is a preposition showing where. I too, have had two choices to make. "Too" means also, "two" is one more than one, and "to" is a preposition. Her waist was so small that we made a size 6 dress and the extra material went to waste. "Waist" is the middle of the body. "Waste" is to not use, to throw unnecessarily away. 9

weather, whether which, witch who's, whose woman, women your, you're The weather was so bad, we didn't know whether or not to go to the lake. "Weather" is rain, snow, and all that meteorological stuff, and "whether" is a transition used to show a choice. Which wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz did Dorothy's house fall on? (The WW of the East) "Which" is a relative pronoun used to refer to something. "Witch" is a sorceress. Whose article won an award? Who's going to go pick it up? "Whose" is a pronoun. "Who's" is a contraction for "who is." A woman I know was voted Woman of the Year for her work in helping battered women. "Woman" with an "a" is singular, one woman; "women" with an "e" is plural, two or more women. I'm happy to announce that your team won, and now you're going to go to the next round in the Brain Brawl. "Your" is possessive pronoun, and "you're" is a contraction for you are. 10

Six + 1 Traits Six + 1 Traits of writing is a language students and teachers can use to talk about writing. The traits are the qualities of writing. All students at all levels can talk about their writing using this language. These traits are: Idea/Content No paper has value without ideas. Ideas should be presented clearly and developed fully with reasons, examples and support from a text. Insightful development of interesting ideas makes a paper great. Organization Writing should be organized logically and be easy to follow. Word Choice Precise and effective word choice adds clarity to writing. Sentence Fluency Sentences should be varied in length and structure. Short, stilted sentences impair readability. Therefore, short sentences should be mixed with mid-length and longer sentences. To vary sentence structure writers should avoid beginning every sentence with a subject followed by a verb. Voice This is the personality and conviction of the writer showing through the words. Conventions Spelling, mechanics, usage, agreement are all conventions of writing. Too many errors in conventions impair readability. Presentation This is how the finished paper looks. Is it typed according to a format? Does it have a title page? Presentation affects readability. A rubric sets the standard for excellence for each of these areas. Different rubrics fit different purposes. Some teachers may choose to score a project or paper using only a few of the traits or they may choose to score it using all of the traits. 11

Grammar and Style and General Writing Help Find helpful links on specific topics below. Grammar Grammar Bytes The Elements of Style, Strunk & White Grammar Zoo, for 5th grade, but hey, if you need help learning parts of speech, this is pretty simple Spelling Zaner-Blosser Spelling Connections, an interactive site for grades 1-8. The 8th grade options can be somewhat challenging. Vocabulary Improve your vocabulary and feed people at FreeRice.com Greek and Latin roots The greater part of this handbook was been copied with permission from the School District of Sheboygan Falls, with special acknowledgement to Jean Born and Dawn Hogue of Sheboygan Falls High School. 12