Version 2
These materials were developed by Washington teachers to help students improve their writing.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
1

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Nikki Elliott-Schuman – OSPI, Project Director
Charlotte Carr – Retired Seattle SD, Facilitator
Barbara Ballard – Coupeville SD
Anne Beitlers – Seattle SD
Marcie Belgard – Richland SD
Betsy Cornell – Moses Lake SD
Lydia-Laquatra Fesler – Spokane SD
Lori Hadley – Puyallup SD
Lissa Humphreys – East Valley SD (Spokane)
Kathleen McGuinness – Kennewick SD
Lisa McKeen – East Valley SD (Yakima)
Sharon Schilperoort – Yakima SD
Holly Stein – Eastside Catholic High School
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
2

To help you improve your expository and persuasive writing, including conventions, in order to meet standard on the writing portion of the WASL.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
3

~ Week 1 – Choosing topics, narrowing topics, and organizing topics for expository writing
~ Week 2 – Elaboration in expository writing
~ Week 3 – Persuasive writing, including elaboration
~ Week 4 – Introductions and conclusions, application
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
4

There is a particular emphasis on the following GLEs:
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3.1.1
Analyzes ideas, selects a manageable topic, and elaborates using specific, relevant details and/or examples.
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Presents a manageable thesis while maintaining a consistent focus in an individualized and purposeful manner (e.g.,
Obtaining a driver’s license should not be tied to grades in school.).
Selects specific details relevant to the topic to extend ideas or develop elaboration (e.g., quotations, data, reasons, multiple examples that build upon each other).
Uses personal experiences, observations, and/or research from a variety of sources to support opinions and ideas (e.g., relevant data to support conclusions in math, science, social studies; appropriate, researched information to explain or persuade; contrasting points of view to support a hypothesis or argument).
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
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5

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Emphasis on the following GLEs, continued
3.1.2
Analyzes and selects effective organizational structures.
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Writes unified, cohesive paragraphs (e.g., repetition of key terms; parallel structure).
Selects from a variety of opening strategies and composes an engaging introduction (e.g., vivid, detailed description; historical/cultural background; contrasting situation).
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Selects from a variety of ending/conclusion strategies and composes an effective conclusion that is more than a repetition of the introduction
(e.g., prediction, anecdote, question).
Uses transitional words and phrases between paragraphs to signal emphasis or show logical relationships among ideas (e.g., in fact …, consequently …, as a result …, on the other hand…).
Determines effective sequence between and within paragraphs by using transitions to emphasize points in an argument or show logical connections (e.g., in as much as…, possibly…, therefore…).
Selects and uses effective organizational patterns as determined by purpose:
~ varied placement of thesis for effect.
~ persuasion using comparisons (e.g., all similarities grouped together and all differences grouped together).
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
6

Emphasis on the following GLEs, continued
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After looking at papers from the WASL, scorers found five areas of conventions that needed attention.
These are
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Spelling -- especially homonyms -e.g., there/their (GLE 3.3.2)
Capitalization (GLE 3.3.3)
Punctuation – specifically, periods, commas, question marks
(especially in rhetorical questions), apostrophes (GLE 3.3.4)
Usage – specifically subject verb agreement (GLE 3.3.5)
Complete sentences (GLE 3.3.6)
Paragraphing -- indicating paragraphs (GLE 3.3.7).
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
7

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Allen, Janet. Tools for Teaching Content Literacy. NY:
Stenhouse Publishers, 2004.
Atwell, Nancy. Lessons that Change Writers.
Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2002.
Daniels, Barbara J. and David I. Daniels. Persuasive
Writing. New York: Harper Collins, 1993.
Elbow, Peter. Writing Without Teachers. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1998.
Elbow, Peter. Writing With Power. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1998.
Fletcher, Ralph. Craft Lessons: Teaching Writing K-8.
New York: Stenhouse Publishers, 1998.
Flower, Linda. The Construction of Negotiated Meaning.
Carbondale: Heinle,1997.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
8

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Fulkerson, Richard. Teaching the Argument in Writing.
Urbana: National Council of Teachers of English, 1996.
Gere, Anne Ruggles, Leila Christenbury, and Kelly Sassi.
Writing on Demand. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2005.
Jacobs, Vicki A. "Reading, Writing, and Understanding."
Educational Leadership. November (2002): 58-61.
Kagan, Spencer, Cooperative Learning. San Juan Capistrano:
Kagan Cooperative Learning, 1997.
Kiester, Jane Bell. Blowing Away the State Writing
Assessment Test. Gainesville, Florida: Maupin House. 1996.
LeGuin, Ursula. Steering the Craft. Eighth Mountain Press,
1998.
Macrorie, Ken. Writing to Be Read. Third revised ed. Upper
Montclair: Boynton/Cook, 1984.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
9

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Olson, Carol Booth. “Fostering Critical Thinking Skills
Through Writing.” Educational Leadership. November
(1984): 28-39.
Pedersen, Don. "Question and Answer: Reading Non-
Fiction to Develop the Persuasive Essay." English
Journal. March (2002): 59-63.
Petit, Angela and Edna Soto. "Already Experts: Showing
Students How Much They Know About Writing and
Reading Arguments." Journal of Adolescent & Adult
Literacy. August (2002): 674-683.
Routman, Regie. Writing Essentials: Raising
Expectations and Results while Simplifying Teaching.
Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2005.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
10

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Schrecengost, Maity. Writing Wizardry.
Gainesville, Florida: Maupin House, 2001.
Wood, Nancy V. Perspectives on Argument.
Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, 2001.
Zemelman, Steven, Harvey Daniels, and Arthur
Hyde. Best Practices: New Standards for
Teaching and Learning in America's Schools.
Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2005.
Zemelman, Steven and Harvey Daniels. A
Community of Writers: Teaching Writing in the
Junior and Senior High School. Portsmouth:
Heinemann, 1988.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
11

 Write to a prompt
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Read for conventions
Do mind sweep activity
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Analyze prompt
Brainstorm
 Whole Group
 Pairs
 Individual
 Reflect
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 If you could be any age, what age would you be? Write a multiple-paragraph essay for your teacher identifying the age you would be and explaining why you would choose this age.
 Be sure to put the date on all pieces of writing.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
13

 Basic spelling (including homonyms)
 Capitalization
 Punctuation
 Periods (run-togethers), apostrophes (possessives), commas, question marks especially in rhetorical questions
 Subject-verb agreement, particularly number agreement with “their” (pronoun referents and verb agreement)
 Complete sentences
 Paragraphing
 Conventions on your own personal list in your folder
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
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14

 Number down the left side of the paper 1 –10.
After each number, write “Writing is.”
 For the next few minutes, complete each sentence. The sentences may be positive or negative ideas about what writing means to you.
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15

 Form groups of four.
 In your small group, share one sentence from your list. If someone else shares something that is the same as one of yours, choose a different sentence.
 Continue taking turns until all ideas have been shared.
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 Think about all the ideas that have been shared.
 In your group, choose one negative thought about writing and talk about how you could turn it into something positive or how you could fix the problem.
 Each group makes a poster of one positive message about writing. These will be displayed in the classroom for the next 4 weeks.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
17

Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
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To begin any approach to a prompt, it helps to identify topic, audience, and purpose.
 If you could be any age, what age would you be?
Write a multiple-paragraph essay for your teacher identifying the age you would be and explaining why you would choose this age.
What is the prompt’s topic ?
 Who is the intended audience ?
 What is the purpose of your essay?
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
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19

 Look at the paper you wrote on Monday.
 How many different ways did the class respond to the “different age” prompt?
 Younger
 Older
 Other ways to look at “age”
 Now, what are some other ways to connect to this topic?
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
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20

 Now, working with a partner, brainstorm possible topics using this prompt.
 School is not the only place to learn. Write a multiple-paragraph letter to a teacher in which you identify something you remember learning outside of school and explain why this has been important to you.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
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21

 List as many kinds of learning as possible.
 Different ideas
 Try to think of a wide range of different kinds of learning (games vs. languages, etc.).
 Many ideas
 Go for as many ideas as possible.
 Stand and share. Sit when your ideas have been reported out.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
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22

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From your list, select four things you learned
“outside of school” about which you have the most to say.
For each of the four things, list ideas you’d use to develop each one.
 Then, select one topic that you seem to know the most about.
 Now further develop that topic.
 Select specific examples or anecdotes.
 Give all the details of those examples and anecdotes
(elaborate).
 Be sure you know why what you learned is important to you.
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23

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How did you get started with this morning’s prompt?
 If you used a specific prewriting technique, what was it?
 How might you have started differently after what you learned today?
 Turn to a partner and share something from your reflection.
 Put your notebook in your folder.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
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24

 Quick write
 Narrow a topic
 Respond to narrowed topic
 Read for conventions
 Reflect -- set goals with the WASL
Expository Checklist and WASL Scoring
Guides
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
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25

 What one thing do you remember from yesterday’s lesson and how will you use it?
 Be sure to put the date on all pieces of writing.
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26

 Today, we are going to make sure that your topic isn’t too broad.
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We’ll start with a very broad topic
 Global Issues
 How can you tell that Global Issues is too broad?
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27

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List different Global Issues (e.g., poverty, pollution, human rights violations).
Select one of those issues (e.g., pollution).
 List subtopics for the selected issue (e.g., air, water, noise, soil).
Select one of those subtopics (e.g., air).
 List subtopics for that issue (e.g., emissions, fossil fuels, SUVs).
Have you found a topic you can develop specifically?
If not, continue the process.
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28

 Now practice again, with a different topic.
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We’ll start with a broad topic
 Sports or activities
 How can you tell that Sports or Activities is too big?
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29

 List different sports or activities.
 Select one of those sports or activities.
 List subtopics for the selected sport or activity .
 Select one of those subtopics.
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 List subtopics for that issue.
Have you found a topic you can develop specifically?
 If not, continue the process.
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30

 Narrow a topic from the following prompt.
 Think about a sport or activity you enjoy doing. Write several paragraphs explaining to a teacher why you enjoy doing that sport or activity.
 Write several paragraphs on your narrowed topic.
 Select specific examples or anecdotes.
 Give all the details of those examples and anecdotes
(elaborate).
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31

 Basic spelling (including homonyms)
 Capitalization
 Punctuation
 Periods (run-togethers), apostrophes
(possessives), commas, question marks especially in rhetorical questions
 Subject-verb agreement, particularly number agreement with “their” (pronoun referents and verb agreement)
 Complete sentences
 Paragraphing
 Conventions on your own personal list in your folder
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
32

 Think about the writing you have done over the past two days.
 Look at the WASL Scoring Guides and
Expository Checklist. Think about what you want to be able to do with your writing. Think about narrowing a topic. Do you want to
 Build on something you do well?
 Turn a weakness into a strength?
 Pick some conventions, too.
 Write these on the goal form in week one and staple to your folder.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
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33

Checklist for Expository Writing
My essay or letter will explain successfully if I select specific, relevant content and organize my writing well. That means I should
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 follow the directions given in the writing prompt; narrow my topic;
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 stay focused on the main ideas; elaborate by using reasons, well-chosen and specific details, examples, and/or anecdotes to support my ideas;
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 include information that is interesting, thoughtful, and necessary for my audience to know; organize my writing with an introduction, supporting paragraphs with main points and elaboration, and an effective conclusion; organize my writing in effective paragraphs; and use transitions to connect my ideas.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
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34

Checklist for Expository Writing, continued
My essay or letter will explain successfully if I demonstrate an effective style. That means I should
 show that I care about my topic by writing in a voice appropriate for my audience and purpose,
 use language that is appropriate for my audience and purpose,
 use specific words and phrases that help the reader understand my ideas, and
 use sentences of varied length and structure.
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35

Checklist for Expository Writing, continued
My essay or letter will explain successfully if I follow conventions in writing. That means I should
 follow the rules of Standard English usage,
 spell words correctly,
 use correct capitalization,
 use correct punctuation,
 write complete sentences, and
 indicate where new paragraphs begin.
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36

 Review choosing and narrowing topics
 Read for conventions
 Organize
 List, group, label
 Order of importance
 Reflect
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37

 On day one, you learned different ways to choose a topic. Now practice!
 Brainstorm different topics for this prompt.
 Imagine that you had the chance to meet anyone in the world. Write a multiple paragraph letter to your teacher explaining why you would like to meet that person.
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38

 Pick two people you know the most about and list reasons and details to support these choices.
 Narrow the topic to the one that seems to work best for you.
 Remember the prompt -
 Imagine that you had the chance to meet anyone in the world. Write a multiple paragraph letter to your teacher explaining why you would like to meet that person.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
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39

 You have practiced how to choose a topic today.
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You have practiced how to narrow a topic today.
Now you’ll learn two ways to organize all those ideas.
 List, group, label
 Order of importance
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40

 Form groups of four.
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In your group, tell each other the names of the people you thought you’d like to meet. Choose one topic per group.
Start with that student’s list and add more words or phrases that relate to the topic. Use sticky notes and write one word or phrase per note.
 Group the words you have listed by looking for those that have something in common.
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41

 Once you have grouped your words, decide on a label or name for each group.
 Decide on a focus for your topic and write a sentence (thesis statement).
 Look at your groups and decide which groups fit with your thesis and which to throw out.
 Number the groups that fit in a logical order to create an organizational structure for writing.
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42

 Refer to your groups from List, Group, Label.
 Think about another way you might organize your paper.
 From most important to least important
 From least important to most important
 Which is the most effective?
 Order of importance is another way to organize!
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43

 What have you learned about organizing your writing before you begin?
 Be sure to put the date on all pieces of writing.
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44

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Conventions mini-lesson(s)
Practice what we’ve learned with a prompt.
 Choose a topic that relates to the prompt.
 Narrow the topic.
 Organize ideas that support the topic.
 Write about the topic
 Read for conventions
 Assess how you did
 Reflect
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45

 Over the years, humans have benefited from inventions (as simple as a zipper and as complex as a computer or space ship). Write a multi-paragraph essay for your teacher in which you name an invention that has had an important impact, and explain why it is an important invention.
 Choose a topic related to the prompt, narrow it, brainstorm ideas, organize ideas, then write an essay.
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46

 Basic spelling (including homonyms)
 Capitalization
 Punctuation
 Periods (run-togethers), apostrophes
(possessives), commas, question marks especially in rhetorical questions
 Subject-verb agreement, particularly number agreement with “their” (pronoun referents and verb agreement)
 Complete sentences
 Paragraphing
 Conventions on your own personal list in your folder
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
47

 Take out your WASL Expository Checklist and WASL Scoring Guides.
 Compare your writing to the Checklist and
Guides.
 Discuss with a partner strengths and weaknesses of your paper.
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48

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Tomorrow you’re on your own!
 Which part of brainstorming got easier as you practiced?
 Refer back to your goal-setting form.
 On which goal did you make the most progress?
 Have you been checking your conventions?
Which ones?
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49

 Write to a WASL expository prompt
 Read for conventions
 Compare with scoring guide
 Reflect
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50

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Use what you’ve already learned about
 choosing a topic
 selecting the one you know most about
 narrowing the topic
 organizing ideas
 checking for conventions
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51

 Write to this prompt.
 By the time you are a sophomore in high school you have been in many different classes. Think about a memorable class.
Write a multiple-paragraph letter to a teacher explaining why that class was memorable.
 You may use a commercially published thesaurus and dictionary in print form.
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52

 Basic spelling (including homonyms)
 Capitalization
 Punctuation
 Periods (run-togethers), apostrophes
(possessives), commas, question marks especially in rhetorical questions
 Subject-verb agreement, particularly number agreement with “their” (pronoun referents and verb agreement)
 Complete sentences
 Paragraphing
 Conventions on your own personal list in your folder
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All rights reserved.
53

 Review the WASL Scoring Guides and
WASL Expository Checklist.
 Discuss with a partner.
 What did you do well?
 What was the most challenging for you?
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54

 Today you experienced writing in a testing situation. What different approaches did you try from what you did on day one?
 How have you improved?
 What goals do you still need to work on?
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
55

We welcome your comments. Please feel free to try these lessons and send feedback to Nikki Elliott-Schuman at nelliott@ospi.wednet.edu
. We appreciate your labeling the subject line as Feedback:
OSPI Instructional Support Materials.
Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI.
All rights reserved.
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