Transcript Reference Tablex - Frankfort-Schuyler Central School District

Plan your work. Select a
topic and brainstorm what
you will say about it.
Organize your thoughts and
the evidence that support
them. Keep in mind your
audience and your purpose.
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Before starting your essay, you should always read
the rubric, to know what is expected of you.
New York State checks these areas of your writing.
◦ Claim and Reasons: the extent to which the essay conveys
complex ideas and information clearly and accurately in
order to logically support the author’s claim.
◦ Command of Evidence: the extent to which the essay
presents evidence from the provided texts to support
argument
◦ Coherence, Organization, and Style: the extent to which the
essay logically organizes complex ideas, concepts, and
information using formal style and precise language
◦ Control of Conventions: the extent to which the essay
demonstrates command of the conventions of Standard
English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling
It is important to figure out your essay’s purpose. From there you
can identify the main idea of your essay. Keeping the main idea in
mind when you write will help you focus your thoughts and ideas.
 Introduction: This is the first paragraph of your essay. It is there to
show the reader your essay’s purpose. It introduces the main idea
and grabs the reader’s attention. It should include brief background
information and context on your topic. Your thesis should appear
at the very end of it.
 Body: The body of an essay is the paragraph or paragraphs that
explain or support the main idea. Each body paragraph should
begin with a topic sentence that connects back to the thesis. Here
is where you include your reasons and evidence. Don’t forget to cite
where you found your evidence! After presenting evidence, you
should also include analysis sentences to explain why the evidence
supports your argument. Think of each body paragraph as a quote
sandwich.
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Conclusion: This is the last paragraph of your essay. The
conclusion states the main idea again, and brings the essay to a
close. It should show your reader the big picture behind why your
thesis is important. It should not just summarize or repeat what
was said earlier in your essay.
“Quote” (Author
page/ paragraph
number).
Write your work. Use
sentences and
paragraphs to
communicate the
ideas from your
prewriting plan.
Just as important as coming up with what to
write is pinpointing why you’re writing it. To
figure out your purpose, think about what you
want your essay to accomplish.
 The purpose is not the argument of your
essay. Rather, it should tell your reader why
your argument is interesting or important.
◦ Writing can persuade (change your reader’s mind)
◦ Writing can inform (educate your reader on your
topic).
◦ Writing can entertain (create enjoyment for your
reader).
A thesis statement lets your reader know
your idea on the topic.
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Should be arguable: it should be possible for someone to
come up with an argument against your idea. If your idea
can’t be contradicted, it probably isn’t worth reading or
writing.
Should appear the end of the first paragraph: Positioning it
here gives you time to present some background
information, lets you explain why the topic is important,
and steers the rest of the essay in the right direction.
Should be supported by reasons and evidence.
Should NOT include I: Don’t use personal pronouns (I, me,
my, us, we) in your thesis. No one cares to read “I think”
in an essay. Show your reader what you know instead.
Needs to include the following:
QUOTE SANDWICH
Background information on your quotes
Who, what, when, where of the situation in the quote.
At least one quote from the text
Before the quote, you must include a sentence starter to let your reader know where the
quote comes from.
Ex: In the text it states, According to the author, The text says
The quote must represent your answer to the question.
If you could pick any scene from the text to show exactly what you’re talking about,
what would it be? Your quote should be that scene.
The quote must be appropriately punctuated.
Ex: “Your quote here” (author page number).
Analysis of the quote(s)
Explain the quote and answer the question being asked.
Paragraphs have some set rules to always follow.
For example, the first line of a paragraph is
indented. Also, a paragraph should start with a
topic sentence. The topic sentence clearly tells the
reader what the paragraph is about. The topic
sentence should explain your main idea. The main
idea is what the paragraph is about. Supporting
details are the facts and information (evidence)
that prove the main idea of your topic sentence.
They give clear and specific details to support your
topic sentence. Each of these elements of a
paragraph will help make your writing stronger
and clearer for your reader.
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Whenever you are doing research, you must quote or
paraphrase the information from your source. To paraphrase
means to write the information in your own words. To quote
means to use exact wording and quotation marks to note
someone else’s thoughts. If you copy the words out of a
book or off the internet, you are committing plagiarism.
This means that you have stolen the ideas or words and
pretended they are your own, without saying where you got
them. This is cheating, and can result in serious
consequences.
Plagiarism includes:
◦ Failing to cite ideas or paraphrases that aren’t your own.
◦ Copying phrases, sentences, or paragraphs without citing
them.
◦ Replacing a source’s exact words with synonyms (similar
words).
◦ Submitting work written by others as your own.
Evidence can be facts, figures, quotes, expert opinions, anecdotes,
illustrations, or any other convincing proof.
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Should have at least one piece of evidence for each reason.
Should be true: Opinions are not evidence.
Should be followed by a citation (the source where you found it).
When you are selecting evidence, you must first decide if the information is
relevant, or closely connected to or appropriate for your topic.
Ask yourself:
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Does this information help to show, rather than tell, what is
happening in my argument? If I could pick any scene from out of
the text to represent my point, is this the scene?
What would happen if I took this information away? Would my
reader still understand the point I’m trying to make?
Does the information make sense? Is the information confusing? If I
include it, will my reader have more or fewer questions?
Does the information come from a reliable source? Is this
someone’s opinion or could it be incorrect information?
Is this information necessary? Am I giving too many details and
overwhelming my reader?
Rethink your work. Correct
any mistakes in your first
draft and look for ways to
make your writing stronger.
Add, remove, move, and
substitute as needed. The
best way to find mistakes is
to read your paper out loud
.
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The subject of a sentence tells you who or
what the sentence is about. The verb tells you
what the subject is doing or being. In a
sentence, it’s important that the subject and
the verb match.
Singular means one. Singular subjects go with
singular verbs. Ex: The student learns.
Plural means more than one. Plural subjects
go with plural verbs. Ex: The students learn.
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When you are writing, it is important to use the
same tense throughout. Tense means time. A
verb’s tense tells the reader when in time the
action of a verb takes place. There are three
main verb tenses.
◦ Present tense means the action is taking place now.
 Ex: I jump rope. It is fun.
◦ Past tense means the action took place before now.
 Ex: I jumped rope. It was fun.
◦ Future tense means the action has not happened yet,
but will any time after now.
 Ex: I will jump rope. It will be fun.
You’re: You are.
Your: It belongs to you.
They’re: They are.
Their: It belongs to them.
There: A place.
We’re: We are.
Were: Past tense of are.
Where: A place.
Wear: To have on an item of
clothing.
Then: A point in time.
Than: Comparing more than one.
Two: The number 2.
To: Indicates motion.
Too: Also or A lot.
Affect: The action of making a
change.
Effect: The thing changed by an
action.
Literally: Means that exactly what
you say is true.
A lot: A bunch of something. (A
lot is two words, not one).
Lose: Opposite of win.
Loose: Not tight.
Are: There is more than one.
Our: We own it.
Insert a word, letter, or phrase
Delete
Capitalize
Change to lower case
Insert a period
Insert a comma
Insert an apostrophe
Insert quotation marks
Insert a space
Close up a space
Transpose letter or words
New paragraph
Check spelling
Using these words and phrases can be unclear.
Try using a stronger synonym.
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think, I believe, Was, Is,
Are, Am, Went, Said, Like,
Nice, It, This, That, Really,
Very, Pretty, A Lot, Things,
Stuff , Big, Small, Good, Bad
Underline or Italics
 A novel, play, film, TV show, magazine,
encyclopedia, newspaper, pamphlet,
website
“Quotation Marks”
 A poem, short story, commercial,
episode of TV show,
 chapter, article, newspaper story
Polish your work. Look
one more time for
errors in spelling and
grammar. Check that
punctuation and
capitalization are
correct. Make final
changes.
It is very important to capitalize words correctly, or the
meaning of a sentence can be lost. Without correct
capitalization, the sentence could become unclear.
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Capitalize the first word in a sentence.
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Capitalize the pronoun I.
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Capitalize proper nouns (the names of specific
people, places, and things).
◦ Ex: My teacher is nuts.
◦ Ex: After finishing my homework, I was tired.
◦ Ex: Ms. Olson is from Ilion, New York.
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Capitalize the days of the week and the months of
the year.
◦ Ex: I can’t wait for the last Friday in October.
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Capitalize official titles or positions in a person’s
name.
◦ Ex: My teacher, Ms. Olson, sometimes talks to Dr. Race.
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Capitalize holidays, festivals, and special events.
◦ Ex: St. Patrick’s Day is my favorite holiday.
Fragment: An incomplete
thought.
 Usually:
Missing a subject or verb.
Run-On: Too much
information, not enough
punctuation.
 Usually:
needs a comma or period
to separate ideas.
Share your work. Give
it to a friend, read it
aloud to an audience,
turn it into a book, post
it on a website, or get a
grade on it from a
teacher.
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Each of paragraphs has one main idea.
I have used correct grammar/ punctuation.
My spelling is correct.
My sentences begin in different ways.
My sentences are complete with no run-ons or
fragments.
My ideas are in an order that makes sense.
I have capitalized the first word in each sentence and
proper nouns (people’s names, months, days, books,
cities, states, and places)
I used vivid adjectives (describing words) and nouns
(people, places, things, ideas).
I used strong verbs that show action.
My ideas are written in my own words.
My details give the reader important info.
Once we put words into sentences, we
have to punctuate them. How those little
marks are used can make a big
difference.
Let’s eat grandma.
Let’s eat, grandma.
◦ The words are exactly the same, but with
different punctuation, they tell an entirely
different story.
◦ Punctuate sentences so they express exactly
what you want to say.
Use commas to show where a reader should take a break.
Commas separate items in a list, or ideas in a sentence.
Use commas:
 After an introductory phrase in a sentence. Ex: After a chilly
night, the morning sun warmed us up.
 In a series. Ex: We sang about Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza,
and Festivus at the Winter Concert.
 Between the day and the year. Ex: The Declaration of
Independence wasn’t signed until August 2, 1776.
 With a conjunction (a word that joins others together) to
separate complete thoughts in a sentence. Ex: I wanted to go
swimming, but my mom decided the water was too cold.
 Between two adjectives (describing words) when they describe
the same noun (person, place, thing, idea). Ex: The moldy, old
bookshelf collapsed under the weight of the books.
 To set off a quotation. Ex: Olivia exclaimed, “Look out!” just
before the ball hit Brian in the face.
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Use an apostrophe for a possessive noun (one
that another noun belongs to).
◦ Ex: Svetlana’s homework earned her the highest
grade in the class.
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Use an apostrophe for a contraction (a word
formed by combining a verb and another
word). An apostrophe takes the place of
missing letters.
◦ Ex: I am = I’m; We are= We’re; You are=You’re; He
is=He’s; She is=She’s; It is=it’s
 Use
a semicolon instead of a
conjunction to separate two
complete thoughts.
◦ Ex: We decided that English was the
best subject in school; it’s awesome
because it has the best teacher.
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Use a colon before a list or a series. Ex: When
the new school year started, I had a few
school supplies to buy: a binder, some paper,
a composition notebook, and some index
cards.
 Use
quotation marks to show
dialogue (what someone is
saying).
◦ Ex: “Hurry!” Levi called. “The walls
are closing in. You’ll be crushed!”
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Use a period to end a sentence.
◦ Ex: Fred ate sushi for the first time.
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Use a question mark to end a
question.
◦ Ex: Have you ever tried sushi?
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Use an exclamation mark to show
excitement or concern.
◦ Ex: It’s disgusting!