Transcript Daily SOL Writing Practice Locker Searches

Daily SOL Writing Practice
Grade 8
Week 2
Locker Searches
The principal of Ryan’s school is considering conducting random locker
searches without letting students know in advance. His teacher has asked
the class to write a letter to the principal stating their positions and
supporting them with convincing reasons.
1
Which of these would best help
Ryan organize his ideas for this
letter?
2
Which of these best describes the
reason for writing this letter?
F
to explain
reading about student
rights
G
to tell a story
B
writing a draft of his letter
H
to entertain
C
listing reasons supporting
locker searches
J
to persuade
D
interviewing students on their
opinions
A
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Daily SOL Writing Practice
Grade 8
Week 2
Answer Sheet – For Teacher Use
Question
Correct Answer
VA SOL Essential Understanding Correlation
1
C
8.7ab – Use prewriting strategies to generate and
organize ideas.
2
J
8.7aa – Use prewriting strategies to generate and
organize ideas.
Notes to Teacher:
The writing subtest of the Grade 8 English test will have a series of brief scenarios, each of which defines a
writing task for a specified audience. Items following the statement of the writing task will address planning
or prewriting activities relevant to the specified task and will be coded to the Planning, Composing, and
Revising reporting category. A rough draft of a response to the specified writing task will follow the
planning/prewriting test items. The rough draft will be divided into sections. The first section will have errors
which require revision such as the inclusion of a sentence that does not belong or two sentences that need
to be combined. Items following the first section of the rough draft will require the student to correct these
errors by choosing the correct revision from the answer choices provided. These items will also be coded to
the Planning, Composing, and Revising reporting category.
The second section of the rough draft will contain embedded errors in usage or mechanics. Items following
this section will refer to underlined words or groups of words in the second section of the rough draft and will
require students to choose the answer which represents correct usage or mechanics. These items will be
coded to the Editing reporting category. In some cases, the underlined words will contain no error and the
correct answer will be "as it is." Following the expanded blueprint is a list of usage and mechanics skills
which are addressed in the Editing reporting category.
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Daily SOL Writing Practice
Grade 8
Week 2
Below is a list Ryan made before writing his rough draft. Use it to answer
questions 3 and 4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Drug use is increasing in school.
Students want to focus on school work and extra-curricular activities.
Random locker searches would help keep drugs out of school.
Students would feel safer knowing that criminal activity is not taking place in
school.
5. Students are violent at sporting events.
6. It’s time someone takes a stand and finds a way to keep the drugs out of our
school.
3
Which item does not belong on
Ryan’s list?
A
item 5
B
item 6
C
item 1
D
item 2
4
Based on this list, what is the
central idea of Ryan’s letter?
F
Drugs are dangerous for
students
G
Sporting events should be
kept drug-free.
H
Random locker searches
are a good idea.
J
Drugs should be kept out of
schools and off of playgrounds.
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Daily SOL Writing Practice
Grade 8
Week 2
Answer Sheet – For Teacher Use
Question
Correct Answer
VA SOL Essential Understanding Correlation
3
A
8.7bb – Organize details to elaborate the central idea.
4
H
8.7bb – Organize details to elaborate the central idea.
Notes to Teacher:
During the revising stage of the writing process students will revise for focus, organization, and
elaboration.
To assist students in developing these skills direct instruction must take place on including important
details, deleting unnecessary information and varying sentences.
The Standards of Learning writing assessments ask students to use their revising skills to identify ways
to improve a passage that is provided. To be successful on this section of the test, students must be
able to suggest the best way to combine provided sentences, choose a more descriptive way to write
provided sentences and locate unneeded information.
provided by Simply Achieve, Inc.
Daily SOL Writing Practice
Grade 8
Week 2
Read first part of Ryan’s rough draft. Use it to answer the questions below.
(1)Dear Dr. Powers,
(2)I recently heard about your decision to implement random and unannounced locker
searches throughout the school year. (3)Bravo! (4)Finally, someone is taking a stand
against the influx of drugs and their effects in our school. (5)Your decision is courageous.
(6)Many of my fellow classmates and I appreciate it.
5
How are sentences 5 and 6 best
combined without changing their
meaning?
6
Which of the following
sentences could best be added
to this portion of the letter?
A
Many of my fellow classmates
appreciate your courageous
decision and so do I.
F
B
Many of my fellow classmates
and I appreciate your courageous
decision.
G You should have searches at
sporting events as well.
C
D
Your courageous decision is much
appreciated by many of my fellow
classmates and myself.
We are looking forward to a
safer and more enjoyable
school year.
H I’ve witnessed drug activity in
the parking lot too.
J
Your decision is courageous and is
much appreciated by many of my
fellow classmates and I.
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Next year you should add
searches on the school buses.
Daily SOL Writing Practice
Grade 8
Week 2
Answer Sheet – For Teacher Use
Question
Correct Answer
VA SOL Essential Understanding Correlation
5
B
8.7dd – Revise writing for word choice, sentence
variety, and transitions among paragraphs.
6
F
8.7dd – Revise writing for word choice, sentence
variety, and transitions among paragraphs.
Notes to Teacher:
During the revising stage of the writing process students will revise for focus, organization, and
elaboration.
To assist students in developing these skills direct instruction must take place on including important
details, deleting unnecessary information and varying sentences.
The Standards of Learning writing assessments ask students to use their revising skills to identify ways
to improve a passage that is provided. To be successful on this section of the test, students must be
able to suggest the best way to combine provided sentences, choose a more descriptive way to write
provided sentences and locate unneeded information.
provided by Simply Achieve, Inc.
Daily SOL Writing Practice
Grade 8
Week 2
Read the next part of Ryan’s rough draft. Use it to answer the questions below.
(7)For years, my friends and I feel uncomfortable in school. (8)I have been threatened
with violence to keep me from telling the authorities about the illegal activities I have
seen. (9)Your decision to begin the locker searches should find those students involved
in drug activity. (10)My friends and I will be able to go on with our daily activities without
feeling threatened anymore.
7
In sentence 7, how is feel correctly
written?
8
In sentence 10, how is our correctly
written?
A
are feeling
F
my
B
have feeled
G
their
C
have felt
H
they’re
D
as it is
J
as it is
provided by Simply Achieve, Inc.
Daily SOL Writing Practice
Grade 8
Week 2
Answer Sheet – For Teacher Use
Question
Correct Answer
VA SOL Essential Understanding Correlation
7
C
8.8ac – Use a variety of graphic organizers, including
sentence diagrams, to analyze and improve sentence
formation and paragraph structure.
8
J
8.8ad – Use a variety of graphic organizers, including
sentence diagrams, to analyze and improve sentence
formation and paragraph structure.
Notes to Teacher:
During the editing stage of the writing process students will edit for correct grammar, punctuation,
capitalization, spelling and sentence construction.
Students should be provided with many opportunities to edit and correct punctuation in their writing and
the writing of their classmates.
The Standards of Learning writing assessments ask students to edit a given passage for punctuation,
correct case and number, verb tense, and comparative and superlative degrees. Students will be
expected to understand the use of conjunctions and transitional words.
provided by Simply Achieve, Inc.
Daily SOL Writing Practice
Grade 8
Week 2
Read the next part of Ryan’s rough draft. Use it to answer the questions below.
(11)My parents and I are so happy that someone has finally taken a stand against the increase
of drugs in school. (12)Your decision allows the rest of your students to concentrate on what
is important. (13)Focusing on academics and extra-curricular activities.
(14)Furthermore, your decision gives teachers and students a safer learning environment.
(15)Sincerely,
(16)Ryan Horton
9
Which item is not a complete
sentence?
A
item 11
B
item 12
C
item 13
D
item 14
10
How is sentence 14 best written?
F
Furthermore your decision, gives
teachers and students a safer
learning environment.
G
Furthermore your decision gives
teachers and students a safer
learning environment.
H
Furthermore you decision gives,
teachers and students, a safer
learning environment.
J
as it is
provided by Simply Achieve, Inc.
Daily SOL Writing Practice
Grade 8
Week 2
Answer Sheet – For Teacher Use
Question
Correct Answer
VA SOL Essential Understanding Correlation
9
C
8.8bj – Use and punctuate correctly varied sentence
structures to include conjunctions and transition words.
10
J
8.8eh– Use comparative and superlative degrees in
adverbs and adjectives.
Notes to Teacher:
During the editing stage of the writing process students will edit for use of language, capitalization,
punctuation and spelling. Students can earn 14 multiple choice points and 8 possible score from the
direct-writing component by accurately editing.
On Standards of Learning writing assessments students will edit for the use of:
Grade 6
•Subject-verb agreement with
intervening, phrases and clauses
•Pronoun-antecedent agreement to
include indefinite pronouns
•Maintain consistent tense inflections
across paragraphs
•Choose adverbs to describe verbs,
adjectives, and other adverbs
•Use correct spelling for frequently
used words
Grade 7
•Choose pronouns to agree with
antecedents
•Subject-verb agreement with
intervening phrases and clauses
•Edit for verb tense consistency
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Grade 8
•Use and punctuate correctly varied
sentence structures to include
conjunctions and transition words.
•Choose the correct case and number
for pronouns in prepositional phrases
with compound objects.
•Maintain consistent verb tense across
paragraphs
•Use comparative and superlative
degrees in adverbs and adjectives