Writing On Demand
Preparing for Assessment in
Middle School
On-Demand Writing is…

A timed assessment given to test your writing skills

An opportunity for you to show how well you can




persuade
inform
narrate an event to
 inform
 persuade
Your chance to show how well you can write a letter,
an article, an editorial, or a speech for a specified
audience
FAP IT!!!
Steps to make the right choice and
give your best response
What is FAP?

FAP stands for FORM, AUDIENCE, and
PURPOSE.

It is used to organize the information that you will
see in the OD test prompts.

You will find FAP in the writing task of the
prompts.
F is for FORM
WHAT are you writing?
You will be given the form in the writing task.
The FORMS are
letter
 article
 editorial
 speech

A is for AUDIENCE
To WHOM are you writing?

You will be given the AUDIENCE in
the writing task.

There are many possible audiences,
such as parents, principal, teacher,
site-based council, author, student(s),
neighbor(s), board of education, and
others
P is for PURPOSE
WHY are you writing?
You will write for one of three
purposes. This is given in the writing
task and is set up in the situation:



to persuade
to inform
to narrate an event for a specific purpose
So…NOW WHAT?
You will always be given TWO prompts and be
asked to choose ONE to write. It is important
to make good choices.

Read both prompts carefully.

FAP both prompts to identify the FORM,
AUDIENCE, and PURPOSE.
Let’s practice
Writing to Inform
Read both prompts carefully
Prompt # One
SITUATION: A new 7th grade student has moved into
your school district. He has been very active in
extracurricular activities in the past such as sports,
marching band and chess club. He is anxious to find
out what school activities there are so that he can be
involved in at your school.
WRITING TASK: Write a letter to the new student to
inform him about extracurricular activities he can be
involved in as a seventh grader. Be sure to include
relevant details to help him choose.
Prompt # Two
SITUATION: The noise level in the gym in getting
out of control in the morning when students are
waiting to go to class. The principal wants
students to be able to talk to each other but needs
to control the noise level.
WRITING TASK: Write an article for the school
newspaper to inform students of the problem and
suggest practical solutions.
Step Number One:
FAP it!
SITUATION: A new 7th grade student has moved into
your school district. He has been very active in
extracurricular activities in the past such as
basketball, marching band and chess club. He is
anxious to find out what school activities there are so
that he can make decisions about what to be involved
in at your school.
WRITING TASK: Write a letter to the new student to
inform him about extracurricular activities he can be
involved in as a seventh grader. Be sure to include
relevant details to help him choose.
FAP it!
SITUATION: The noise level in the gym in
getting out of control in the morning when
students are waiting to go to class. The
principal wants students to be able to talk to
each other but needs to control the noise
level.
WRITING TASK: Write an article for the
school newspaper to inform students of the
problem and suggest practical solutions.
Step Two: Listing
Ideas
The “Rule of THREE”
three extracurricular activities
three supporting details/elaborated
Basket
ball
Chess
Tryouts…
Time
Commitment
…
Coaches…
Schedule…
?
1.
Players…
Tournaments
…
2.
3.
Listing ideas
the “Rule of THREE”
Problem:
Solutions:
Noise in gym in morning
before classes
(1) Restrict talking to people
around you so you don’t
have to shout
(2) ?
(3) ?
(2)
Step three: Time to decide…

What topic do you know the most
about?
or

What topic do you know the most
about and which one appeals to you
the most?
Step four: Identify Key
Words

Key words are mostly found in the situation
of the writing prompts and sometimes in the
writing task.

Key words can help you write the
introductory paragraph of your letter or
article.

Key words help your audience focus on the
main ideas of your letter or article.
Key words
A new 7th grade student has moved into
your school district. He has been very
active in extracurricular activities in the
past such as basketball, marching band and
chess club. He is anxious to find out what
school activities there are so that he can
make decisions about what to be involved in
at your school.
Write a letter to the new student to inform
him about extracurricular activities he can
be involved in as a seventh grader.
Key words are “free”
words!
Dear Friend,
Welcome to our school! I understand you would like to
know what extracurricular activities we have at Clark
Middle so that you can become involved. A complete
list of activities is in our Student Handbook if you want
to try something new. But, since you play basketball
and chess, you will be pleased to know that you can do
those two activities at Clark Middle too. We don’t have
a marching band in middle school but we do have
classes in band, orchestra and chorus. Another activity
that you might enjoy is ________________.
The “Rule of THREE!”
Here are some relevant details to help you decide
if you want to try out for basketball.
In case you want to continue with chess, here is
some information to help you decide.
Another activity you would probably enjoy is
______
Conclusion
I hope you are now less anxious about fitting
in at our school. Clark Middle is a great place
to be and I am sure you will feel at home in no
time especially because you want to be active.
Sincerely,
Important points to keep in mind:
Article

Focus on an interesting angle of the
topic

Develop your ideas using the “Rule
of Three”


three main ideas, each supported by
three details or examples
Use text features effectively (sections
with headings, bulleted lists, etc.)
Important points to keep in mind:
Letter

Use the correct letter form
(business or friendly)

Develop your ideas using the
“Rule of Three”


three main ideas, each supported
by three details or examples
Anticipate your audience’s
questions and make sure you
answer them
Editing
Make sure:

Your sentences are varied and complete

You have used language appropriate for your
reader and purpose

Your spelling is correct

You have used correct punctuation
Jennifer Bernhard
Literacy Specialist
Clark County Schools
jennifer.bernhard@clark.kyschools.us