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Grammar!
Parts of the Essay
Central Idea
Figure It Out.
R.A.C.E.
100
The dinosaur spotted it's prey hiding under the giant fern in the valley.
What is change "it's" to "its" because the contraction for "it is" doesn't make sense here.
100
An appropriate topic sentence for this paragraph: The tyrannosaurs rex was one of the largest carnivores to ever walk the Earth. He was 20 feet tall and weighed seven tons. His jaws could crush down with 3,000 lbs. of force, enough to smash the bones of his prey. The velociraptor was very small compared to rex. Raptors only stood three feet tall and were seven feet long, weighing merely 35 pounds. But the velociraptor was fast.� Scientists think that raptors could run 24 miles per hour and turn on a dime.If these two dinosaurs had fought, it would be difficult to say which would win.
What is ...answers will vary, but the right one will show that it is an essay contrasting these two dinosaurs.
100
These are two other terms for central idea.
What is "gist" and "main idea"?
100
Define the word using the context: Dignity: Even when the police officers put the handcuffs on my mother, she maintained her dignity, holding her head up high as she was marched off the protest site.
What is pride?
100
This is what the acronym R.A.C.E. stands for.
What is restate the question or prompt as the topic statement. Answer the question. Cite Evidence. Explain and Elaborate on the evidence.
200
Three ways to fix this sentence: Mrs. Kelley stayed up very late making a Jeopardy Powerpoint, she will probably fall asleep in class.
What is replace the comma with a comma and a conjunction; a period and capitalize the "s"; or a semi-colon
200
The sentence that is missing from this paragraph: The Best PB & J Ever When I got home from school after a long boring day, I took out the peanut butter, jelly, and bread. After taking the lid off of the jars, I spread the peanut butter on one side of the bread. Then I put the two pieces of bread together. After that, I enjoyed it while watching “Cops” on the TV. I swear, that was the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich I ever ate.
What is "Next, I spread jelly on the other side."
200
This is the term for writing main ideas next to the text as you read to help you remember the gist of the whole piece.
What is "annotating"?
200
The definition of the word Ascertain: The clues in the sentence were so helpful, Stanley was able to ascertain the meaning of the word beyond a shadow of a doubt.
What is to figure out
200
This is a topic statement derived from the following prompt: Describe three ways a person might spend the summer break.
What is three ways a person might spend the summer break are sleeping, traveling, learning a new skill.
300
This is what you should do to fix the problem in the following sentence and the reason you should make the change. Each of the girls remembered to bring 10 PBIS bucks to pay for their triple-lunch period.
What is "change "their" to her because "each" refers to a single person.
300
The part of R.A.C.E. that the student who wrote the following paragraph forgot to include: Peter would recommend several rules for staying alive in the wilderness. One of them is "never forget to bring a survival kit" (Stang 22).
What is "S/he did not explain or elaborate on the evidence."
300
The central idea of the following paragraph: A penny for your thoughts? If it’s a 1943 copper penny, it could be worth as much as fifty thousand dollars. In 1943, most pennies were made out of steel since copper was needed for World War II, so the 1943 copper penny is ultra-rare. Another rarity is the 1955 double die penny. These pennies were mistakenly double stamped, so they have overlapping dates and letters. If it’s uncirculated, it’d easily fetch $25,000 at an auction. Now that’s a pretty penny.
What is "Rare pennies can be worth quite a lot of money".
300
Three things you can infer about James: Kelvin was waiting in front of the corner store at 3:56. His muscles were tense and he was sweating a bit more than usual. The other kids gathered in front of the little storefront were much more relaxed, even playful. They joked back and forth lightly to each other but for Kelvin, time slowed. 3:57. “Don’t worry, Kelvin. He ain’t even gonna show up.” Kelvin hoped that he wouldn’t. A black four-door Camry with tinted windows pulled up and parked across the street. Kelvin gulped. 3:58. A group of teenagers piled out of the car. James was in the front. “Hi-ya, Kelvin. Glad you could make it,” James said. Kelvin felt smaller.
What is 1. Kelvin's scared of him 2. James and Kelvin are supposed to have a fight 3. James is a tough, bad dude.
300
This is another word or phrase for the "claim" in an essay.
What is a topic statement.
400
These are is the errors in the following sentence and how you fix it: My cousin the youngest on my mom's side gave the extra baseball tickets to my brother and I.
What is My brother, the youngest on my mom's side, gave the extra baseball tickets to my brother and me. commas around an interrupting phrase and replace the subject pronoun I with the object pronoun me.
400
A good concluding sentence for the following paragraph: Screen Protector Before applying the screen protector, clean the surface of your phone’s screen with a soft cloth. Once the surface of your screen is clean, remove the paper backing on the screen protector. Evenly apply the sticky side of the screen protector to your phone’s screen. Smooth out any air bubble trapped on between the protector and the phone screen.
What is "Rest at ease knowing that now your phone's screen is protected".
400
The main idea of the following paragraph: . Screech! When a driver pushes on the brake pedal, it initiates a process that causes the vehicle to stop in motion. You literally trust automotive braking systems with your life every time you get into a vehicle or cross at a busy intersection, but how does this process work? It begins when the pedal is pushed. At this moment brake fluid is released into the area where the braking mechanisms are. As the fluid collects, this creates a leverage, which causes a friction to be applied. If the braking system is functioning properly, this friction will create a force that will cause the wheels to stop and allow you to reach your destination safely.
What is "the brake system of a car works by using fluid and applying friction to stop the car."
400
This is one of the three techniques an author uses to develop a character and it is how we learn about the Gregg family. The farm next to ours is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Gregg. The Greggs have two children, both of them boys. Their names are Philip and William. Sometimes I go over to their farm to play with them. I am a girl and I am eight years old. Philip is also eight years old. Last week something very funny happened. I am going to tell you about it as best as I can.
What is narration.
400
These are two examples of evidence needed to support the following topic statement: There are many similarities and differences between Twitter and Facebook.
What is ...one similarity and one difference between the two.
500
Wow! This is how you fix every error in the paragraph below: On Saturday, my mom and me took a long hot drive out to the country to see my grandmother Bess my fathers mom. It was an unusually hot day for April but we decided to go on a picnic. Mom was in charge of the lunch Grandma Bess brought desert and I provided the entertainment.
What is 1. my mom and I 2. Bess, my father's mom 3. April, but 4. lunch, dessert, 5. change desert to dessert.
500
The correct way to cite the evidence from page 5 of an article by Mark Plotkin called "Endangered Plants!". "According to Plotkin, the rain forests are losing plants at the alarming rate of 500 species a week."
What is "According to Plotkin, the rain forests are losing plants at the alarming rate of 500 species a week" (Plotkin 5).
500
The sentence in the following paragraph that does not fit with the main idea & state the main idea.
What is "The platypus is the only mammal that lays eggs..." And the main idea is how the platypus, the only venomous mammal, kills its prey.
500
The type and the interpretation of the figurative language in this sentence: There’s a blue bird in my heart that / wants to get out / but I’m too tough for him, / I say, stay in there, I’m not going / to let anybody see you.
What is a metaphor? What is the speaker is hiding feelings of joy behind a tough facade?
500
This is adequate elaboration on the following evidence: According to the article, sleep loss can lead to accidents.
What is ...answers will vary, but correct answers need to add information that further explains the evidence.