Writing
What is a claim?
a statement that answers a question, topic or idea.
what is chunking?
splitting the text into smaller pieces
use this strategy to evaluate choices on multiple choice questions
what are headings?
mini titles that tell what the section will be about
if you get to a question that is hard / confusing, what should you do?
bookmark it and come back to the question at the end
how does a R.A.F.T. help you with writing?
it helps you understand the prompt and make sure you answer the question completely.
how big should a chunk be?
1. 1 - 2 paragraphs
2. 2 - 3 paragraphs
3. 3 - 4 paragraphs
4. depends on the length of the text & the reader
When a question ask you about "main idea", what does this mean & what can you use to help you answer the question?
Main idea = what the text is mostly about
You can use your meaning statement (T & APoV Box)
where can you find the APoV of a text?
usually the last 2 or 3 paragraphs of the text
do the questions again by: reading the question carefully, thinking about your answer and closely reading each choice again to pick the best one.
Write a strong claim for this writing prompt:
Explain how astronomers use rovers to learn more about Mars.
1. Astronomers use rovers to learn more about Mars by sending the rovers to space to take pictures.
TT is broken down into two main parts:
1. who the section is about
2. what you learned about (it must teach you more about the topic)
the question ask you to find the meaning of the unknown word/phrase. How do you know if you've picked the correct answer?
Take the choice you've picked and plug it into the unknown word/phrase. If it keeps the meaning of the paragraph/sentence, it is correct
Test makers try to trick you by putting choices that are partly correct. How do you know when a choice doesn't make sense?
1. it doesn't match what the text was about
2. only part of the choice is correct
3. it doesn't answer the question
you are stuck between two good choices, what should you do to find the correct answer?
1. pick the choice with the most text evidence
2. pick the choice that closely aligns/matches your meaning statement
what are the components for a strong body paragraph?
what are the two parts of APoV?
what - what the author thinks about the topic (authors opinion)
why - why the author wrote the text
what does quotes mean? how do you quote from the text for evidence?
quote: words that someone else says
introduce the text and use quotation marks. Take 1 - 2 sentences from the text that support your claim.
Good readers pay attention to the Title and the details in the text. If a question ask you to match the details to a text, what should you do?
1. read the details carefully. (one by one)
2. go into each text to find where the detail came from
3. mark the answer accordingly.
if a question ask you about a specific idea or part of the text, what should you do?
Go into the text, find that idea or part. re-read and use the information to answer the question.
Create a R.A.F.T. for this writing prompt:
You have read “The Girl Who Changed the Universe” and “Who is Katherine Johnson?” about two women who influence NASA and U.S. space discoveries.
Using details from both texts, write at least 3 paragraphs that explain their experience as women in science fields and why its important.
R. myself
A. teacher
F. 3 paragraphs (1. Experience (text 1), 2. Experience (text 2) 3. why its important)
T. experience as women in science, why its important,
after the first read, you should identify the genre and have this written in the jot section of you meaning statement
title inference - what you think the text is about based on the title
the question ask you to find the meaning of the unknown word/phrase. what steps do you take to answer the question?
1. read the paragraph with the unknown word/phrase
2. ask yourself "what is this paragraph about?" - Make meaning of the paragraph
3. find clues for the unknown word or phrase
4. plug in the answer choices, the correct choice KEEPS the meaning of the paragraph
This question ask you to compare the point of views from each text. How do you answer?
1. check your meaning statement for the APoV and Topic of each text
2. ask yourself "how are they similar?"
3. pick the choice that FULLY matches
This essay will require 3 body paragraphs. Write 3 strong claims for this essay:
You have read “Mapping Mars: Robots on the Red Planet” and “Exploring Mars” about astronomers who are eager to learn more about planet Mars. Using details from both texts, write an essay about the technology that helped astronomers learn about Mars. In your essay be sure to describe how astronomers use rovers and what information they learned about Mars.
1. Technology that has helped astronomers learn about mars is rovers.
2. Astronomers use rovers to complete experiments and capture photographs for scientist to analyze.
3. One thing astronomers learned about Mars is that it once had water.