Appling County Elementary School
Title 1 - Lunch and Learn
January 2014
WHO?
• All 5th grade students in the state
WHAT
• Students are given a
prompt to write about.
• They are allowed 120
minutes to write their
essay.
• The test must be given
in one day.
• A make-up session will
be given the following
day.
WHEN?
WHERE?
• Tests will be given in your child’s homeroom class.
HOW?
Students’ writing will be
scored in the following
areas:
• Ideas (40%)
• Organization (20%)
• Style (20%)
• Conventions (20%)
WHY
Writing is important
because it:
• Teaches students to
express their thoughts
and ideas clearly to
others. (life skill)
• Improves academic
progress in school.
• Improves self-reliance.
What will they write about?
Narrative
• Tells a story
Informational
• Gives facts,
explains
ideas,
directions,
or terms
Persuasive
• Tries to
convince
the reader
to support
an opinion
Narrative
As you wake up, you
realize that today is going
to be different. You look
in the mirror and see that
you are 20 years older.
Write a story about what
happens the day you wake
up 20 years older.
Informational
You have been chosen to
plan a field trip for your
class. Think about one place
that your class would like to
visit. Where would you go
and what would you do
while you were there?
In a letter to your class,
describe the field trip you
have planned.
Persuasive
Some students want to have
drink and snack machines at
your school. Many parents,
however think those foods are
not healthy for students.
What do you think about
having drink and snack
machines in school? Write a
letter to convince the principal
that drink and snack machines
should or should not be
allowed at your school.
What about descriptive writing?
Students are expected to be
descriptive in their writing
regardless of the type of
writing they are given.
“Show” don’t “Tell”
The dog ran across the
street.
The fluffy white dog ran
nervously across the busy
street.
Writing this essay will be a process.
PreWriting
Drafting
Revising &
Editing
Publishing
Pre-Writing
• “Dissect” the writing
prompt.
• Brainstorm ideas
• Map out/create an
outline for the essay
• Plan for writing
• Not graded
• 15 minutes (suggestion)
Drafting
• Put the pre-writing plan
into action!
• Write ideas in complete
sentences.
• Organize sentences into
paragraphs.
• Don’t worry about getting
it “just right”.
• Not graded
• 45 minutes (suggestion)
Revising and Editing
• Re-read it slowly and
carefully. Read it again!
• Does it make sense?
• Did I stay on the topic?
• Are my sentences and
paragraphs in the right
order?
• Could I have used
“stronger” words?
• Can I add or take away
anything to make it better?
• Check spelling.
• 20 minutes (suggestion)
Publishing
• Rewrite the essay neatly
and make any needed
changes. Reread the
essay again.
• This is the only part that
is graded.
• 40 minutes (suggestion)
Then what?
• Writing samples are sent
to the GA Department of
Education .
• Scored by a trained
evaluator.
• Evaluated in 4 areas:
ideas, organization, style,
conventions
• Given a label of:
– Did not meet: (100-199)
– Meets: (200-249)
– Exceeds: (250 and above)
What has my child been doing to
prepare?
• Writing in all subject
areas
• Learned about the
types of writing
• Learned about traits of
good writing
• Taken practice writing
tests
What can I do to help?
• Ask your child about the
writing that he/she does in
school.
• Practice writing at home.
–
–
–
–
Persuade me to…
What do you think about…
Explain how you…
What if…
• Point out examples of good
writing.
• Check out online resources.
• Visit the Discovery Place.
• Ask your child’s teacher.
What can I do to help?
• Make sure your child:
- Gets enough sleep the
night before.
- Eats a good breakfast.
- Wears comfortable
clothes.
- Feels confident.
• Encourage your child to
stay calm and just do
his or her best! 
Online Resources
https://www.gadoe.org/C
urriculum-Instruction-andAssessment/Assessment/
Pages/WA-Grade-5Resources.aspx