2015 – 2016
6 th , 7 th , and 8 th Grades

• The Writing Revolution (TWR) was created to help content area teachers incorporate the required literacy standards into lessons without too much additional work or strain being put on those content area teachers.
• The goal of TWR is to increase students’ academic writing across all content areas.

• Each weekly bell ringer focuses on one topic that is related to the literacy standards in your content area.
• The first two slides of each week’s topic were designed to refresh the teacher on the specific concept and its rules.
• Along with a definition and description of the concept being reviewed, teachers will find examples and nonexamples on the second slide of each week.
• The last slide contains the topic/task to be completed by students in the content area teacher’s classroom.

• Review the weekly concept prior to asking students to complete the task, so you are familiar with the topic.
• Have students complete the weekly task three times a week.
– This could be completed as a bell ringer, exit slip, or quick formative assessment during class.
• At the end of the week, look through the students’ work to check for mastery.
• Inform your grade-level English teachers of approximately how many of your students mastered the weekly concept during your next grade-level meeting or through email.
• In order to encourage students to try their best on these tasks, please assign a small grade for this work in your classroom grade book.

• Once the skill has been introduced in
English class and practiced in your classroom, please hold students accountable for each basic skill on all future writing assignments.
• This will help us build a culture of academic writing across all subject areas.

• Save this presentation as your own before you begin modifying this PowerPoint.
• Add pictures, sounds, animations, etc. to best suit your teaching style as well as your students’ needs.
• If you already have a presentation created for your bell ringers and exit slips, copy the task slides into your existing PowerPoint.

Lesson One : October 12-16
Using Ellipses to Remove Text from Quotes (PED)
• Altering the Source Material in a Quotation
Sometimes we need to use only part of a quote, but doing this is tricky because you don’t want to change the meaning. There are some ways to correctly shorten a quote without damaging it.
Original Quote: The quarterback told the reporter, "It's quite simple. They played a better game, scored more points, and that's why we lost.
Omitted Material: If the original quote is too long and you feel not all the words are necessary in your own paper, you may omit part of the quote. Replace the missing words with an ellipsis.
The quarterback told the reporter, "It's quite simple. They . . . scored more points, and that's why we lost.
"
You have to make sure that leaving out some of the words without messing up the meaning or the grammar of the sentence.
All material from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/577/02/ 20 OWL The Purdue Writing Lab

Lesson One : October 12-16
Using Ellipses to Remove Text from Quotes
Examples:
Original Quote: The quarterback told the reporter,
"It's quite simple.
They played a better game, scored more points, and that's why we lost.
(PED)
Non-Examples:
Original Quote: The quarterback told the reporter,
"It's quite simple.
They played a better game, scored more points, and that's why we lost.”
The quarterback told the reporter,
"It's quite simple.
They . . . scored more points, and that's why we lost."
• The quarterback told the reporter,
"It's simple...we lost.”
All material from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/577/
02/ 20 OWL The Purdue Writing Lab

Lesson One : October 12-16
Using Ellipses to Remove Text from Quotes
(PED)
• Content Topic:
• Task: Copy one sentence from the following slide. Then copy it again using ellipses to leave out some of the material.
(Teacher, please insert content topic related slide.)

Lesson Two : October 19-23
Using Brackets to Add Text to Quotes
Quote context
If the context of your quote might be unclear, you may add a few words to provide clarity. Enclose the added material in brackets.
Added Material : The quarterback told the reporter, "It's quite simple.
They [the other team] played a better game, scored more points, and that's why we lost."
All material from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/577/02/ 20 OWL The Purdue Writing
Lab

Lesson Two : October 19-23
Using Brackets to Add Text to Quotes
Example:
•
The quarterback told the reporter, "It's quite simple. They [the other team] played a better game, scored more points, and that's why we lost."
Non-Example
Don’t insert too much information.
• The quarterback [Tom Brady] told the reporter [Mike Tirico], "It's quite simple. They [the other team] played a better game
[football], scored more points [13-5], and that's why we [New
England Patriots] lost."
All material from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/577/02/ 20 OWL The Purdue Writing
Lab

Lesson Two : October 19-23
Using Brackets to Add Text to Quotes
• Content Topic:
• Task: Copy one quote from the material below adding one word in brackets that would clarify the meaning.
•(Teacher, please insert content topic related quote.)

Lesson Three : October 26-30
Citing Sources (PED)
P.E.D. is an acronym that stands for:
Point/Evidence/Discuss.
At B.G.J.H.S. we use P.E.D. to teach the steps in citing textual evidence.

Lesson Three : October 26-30
Citing Sources (PED)
P-
First, you make your “point” by answering the question or stating the main idea or claim of your paragraph.
E-
Next, you introduce evidence in support of your point by quoting or paraphrasing an author or text.
D-
Finally, you discuss the evidence through analysis, commentary, or explanation of how the evidence supports your point.

Lesson Three : October 26-30
Citing Sources (PED)
After making your point, you can use one of these sentence starters to introduce your evidence:
• According to (author’s name)/the text/the passage…
• In paragraph ___, the author states…
• The author states/states/argues/reports/writes/points out…
• As explained by (author’s name)…
• One example from the text/passage…
• One key aspect discussed in the text/passage….
• For example, …
• For instance, …

Lesson Three : October 26-30
Citing Sources (PED)
After stating your evidence, use one of these sentence starters to begin your discussion of the way the evidence proves your point.
• In other words, …
• This is relevant/important/significant because…
• The author emphasizes this in order to…
• The author’s use of (statistic, example, etc.) shows that…
• This demonstrates/suggests/proves/reveals/implies that…
• Therefore…
• Consequently, …
• Based on this, …

Lesson Three : October 26-30
Citing Sources (PED)
Example without sources:
Cats make better pets than dogs because they are more easily housetrained. For example once I had a dog that constantly made a mess on the rug even when it was two years old, but a tiny kitten just a month old prefers to use a litter box.
So, based on this, for a family that cannot give unlimited time to pet training, a cat is logically a more easily maintained pet.
Non-Examples:
Cats make better pets than dogs. I think they are way better and I like them more. People say that dogs are man’s best friend, but cats are actually like... way better pets. My aunt has a cat, and it is really cute!

Lesson Three : October 26-30
Citing Sources (PED)
Unlike Edith Hamilton, Rick
Riordan’s main purpose is to entertain , as this passage from
The Lightning Thief illustrates:
Something fell to the ground next to my foot. It took all my willpower not to look. I could feel warm ooze soaking into my sock, little dying snake heads tugging at my shoelaces.
“Oh, yuck,” Grover said. His eyes were still tightly closed, but I guess he could hear the thing gurgling and steaming. “Megayuck”.
Examples:
If Riordan’s main purpose was to inform or teach his readers about the Greek myth of Medusa and her deadly hair he would have used more dignified academic vocabulary and not “warm ooze” and “Mega-yuck.” by using more colorful imagery and slang,
Riordan creates an engagingly disgusting tone that entertains more than it teaches.

Lesson Three : October 26-30
Citing Sources (PED)
Non-Examples:
• Edith Hamilton’s purpose in Mythology is to teach.
• Athena was beside him now as well as Hermes. They told him which one was Medusa and that was important, for she alone of the three could be killed; the other two were immortal. Perseus on his winged sandals hovered above them, looking, however, only at the shield. Then he aimed a stroke down at Medusa’s throat and Athena guided his hand...He swooped low enough to seize the head. He dropped it into the wallet which closed around it.”
• One can see this teaches not entertains.

Lesson Three : October 26-30
Citing Sources (PED)
• Content Topic:
• Task: Write one paragraph in which you: make your point (underline or highlight in yellow) ; provide evidence (underline or highlight in green) ; and discuss how the evidence proves your point (underline or highlight in blue).

Lesson Four : November 2-6
• Topic:
Using Commas with Introductory
Phrases
Use a comma to separate an adverb or adjective clause from the independent clause that follows it.
Use a comma to separate a long phrase (3 words or more) from the rest of the sentence.
Use a comma to separate introductory phrases containing dates from the rest of the sentence.

Lesson Four : November 2-6
Using Commas with Introductory Phrases
Examples:
• To be a good hockey player, a person must be an excellent skater and superb athlete.
• Often considered a Canadian sport, hockey has grown in popularity in the United States.
• In 1945, World War II came to an end.
Non-Examples:
• In hindsight I wish I had behaved differently.
• When leaving please turn off the lights.
• World War II came to an abrupt end in 1945.

Lesson Four : November 2-6
Using Commas with Introductory Phrases
•
ontent Topic: Using Commas with
Introductory Phrases
• Task: Select a passage from your content which contains introductory phrases and ask the students to punctuate them correctly.

Lesson Five : November 9-13
Complete Sentences with Adjectives
• An adjective describes nouns or pronouns
• Adjectives answer the questions:
– Which one?
– What kind?
– How many?

Lesson Five : November 9-13
Complete Sentences with Adjectives
Examples:
•
The girl in the blue dress created five pieces of art for the exhibit.
• These oranges are naval varieties from Florida.
• The view from the balcony of our mountain chalet was breathtaking.
Non-Examples:
• The girl created art for the exhibit.
• Oranges come from Florida and California.
• We stayed in a chalet; it had a balcony.

Lesson Five : November 9-13
Complete Sentences with Adjectives
• Content Topic: Teachers add a content related topic of your choice.
• Task: Write one sentence which uses at least two adjectives. Underline the adjectives used.

Complete Sentences with Adverbs
• Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs
• Adverbs answer the questions:
–when?
–where?
–why?
–how?
–to what extent?

Complete Sentences with Adverbs
Examples:
• The boy raced energetically toward the finish line.
• There are so many opportunities for success in the United States.
• Joy searched up and down the book shelf for her favorite novel.
• Evelyn, you must finish your work now if you want full credit.
Non-Examples
• The boy raced toward the finish line.
• There are many opportunities for success in the United States.
• Joy searched the book shelf for her favorite novel.
• Evelyn, you must finish your work if you want full credit.

Complete Sentences with Adverbs
• Content Topic:
• Task: Write two sentences using at least two adverbs in each. Underline the adverbs you used.

• Topic: No writing lessons this week due to quarter finals