Precise Wording and Vivid Language
Which sentence uses the most precise language to describe a specific action: "The scientist put the liquid in" or "The biologist transferred five drops of saline solution"?
The biologist transferred five drops of saline solution
Rank these words from the most general way to move to the most specific and descriptive: Ran, Moved, Sprinted, Scurried
Moved (general), Ran, then Sprinted or Scurried (specific)
What is the "Concise Golden Rule" for editing sentences? How do you simply make a sentence more concise?
If you can remove a word and the sentence still means the exact same thing, remove it!
Shrink this 11-word sentence to 4 words or less without losing the meaning: "At this point in time, we should go to the playground"
"Go play now" or "Go to the playground"
What are the four achievement levels used by the Georgia Milestones? ____, Developing, __________, and Distinguished Learner.
Beginning, Developing, Proficient, and Distinguished Learner
In the sentence "The biologist transferred five drops of the saline solution into the glass beaker using a pipette," identify two precise nouns
Possible answers include biologist, saline solution, glass beaker, or pipette
Rank these from the vaguest description of "hot" to the most intense: Sizzling, Hot, Warm, Scorching
Warm (vaguest), Hot, Sizzling, Scorching (most intense)
Identify the redundancy (repetition) in the phrase "the two twins cooperated together".
"Two" (twins are always two) and "together" (cooperate already means working together)
Trim the "fluff" from this sentence and add one adverb: "The small little kitten purred in a very loud way"
"The kitten purred loudly."
Which achievement level describes a student who is "well prepared for the next grade level" and shows "advanced proficiency"?
Distinguished Learner
Replace the phrase "ran in a very fast way" with one vivid or strong verb.
Sprinted (or dashed/bolted)
Rank these by the volume and tone of the voice: Muttered, Said, Spoke, Whispered
Said/Spoke (simplest), then Whispered or Muttered (specific volume/tone)
Why is "revert back" considered a repetitive phrase?
Because "revert" already means to go "back"
Rewrite this 22-word sentence into 6 words or less: "The person who puts out fires ran in a very fast way into the building that was burning with a lot of flames."
"The firefighter sprinted into the inferno."
In 5th grade, students take End-of-Grade (EOG) assessments in English language arts, mathematics, and which third subject?
Science
How can you use a single precise noun to replace the wordy phrase "building that was burning with a lot of flames"?
Inferno (or blaze)
Why is "scurried" considered a more precise shade of meaning than "moved" or "ran" when describing a mouse?
While "moved" is general, "scurried" specifically describes the quick, short steps typical of a small animal
Analyze this sentence: "In my opinion, I think that the blue whale is a very giant animal." Identify the two phrases that mean the same thing and explain why they create wordiness.
"In my opinion" and "I think." They are redundant because both indicate a personal belief, so a concise writer should only use one
Use the "Sentence Shrinker" strategy to trim the "fluff" from this 11-word sentence until it is exactly 5 words: "The reason why he was late was because of the traffic."
"Traffic caused him to delay" or "He was late due to traffic"
According to the Achievement Level Descriptors, which level describes a student who demonstrates "partial proficiency" and needs "additional academic support" to be successful in 6th grade?
A. Developing Learner
B. Proficient Learner
C. Distinguished Learner
A. Developing Learner
Transform this "Beginning Learner" sentence into a Distinguished one by replacing all general words with one precise noun, one vivid verb, and one precise adjective: "The person put the stuff in the cold box."
"The chef stored the ingredients in the freezer"
Rank these three descriptors of a voice from the least specific to the most specific regarding both volume and tone: Said, Muttered, Spoke
Said/Spoke (simplest/general), then Muttered (specific tone and low volume)
Apply the "Concise Golden Rule" to fix the repetition in this sentence: "We need to revert back to the original plan we had at the start."
"Revert to the original plan" (The words "back" and "at the start" are unnecessary because "revert" and "original" already imply those meanings)
A student is tasked with shrinking: "The small little kitten purred in a very loud way." To reach Distinguished status, they must reduce it to 3 words. What is the result?
"Kitten purred loudly"
What is your ELA achievement goal? Beginning, Developing, Proficent, Distingushed?