Persuasive Writing Rubric

Follow this link to get to the official TEA persuasive writing rubric:

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/staar/writing/

Scroll down to English II, then find the link for Persuasive Writing Rubric.
It's a PDF.

Score point 4 = 100 in the grade book - "Accomplished Writing Performance"
Score point 3 = 90 in the grade book - "Satisfactory Writing Performance"
Score point 2 = 75 in the grade book - "Basic Writing Performance"
Score point 1 = 70 in the grade book - "Very Limited Writing Performance"
Score point 0 = 60 in the grade book
No attempt = 50

Persuasive Essay Reassessments:
On-level will reassess on Friday, November 1.
K/H will get scored papers back by November 1.
Reassessment dates will be after school on Monday, November 4 or before school (starting at 6:15) on Tuesday, November 5. These are the only dates I am available.

• I know that we typically do not allow reassessments the last week of a grading period. Obviously, I'm creating an exception for this.
• You may reassess up to a 3 - yes, that means a 90 will go in the grade book. 
• To reassess, you first must show evidence of additional learning/mastery. This means you need to come to the reassessment time with the original scored essay and a new, rewritten, improved version of it. There's a big difference between a 1 and a 2, and a big difference between a 2 and a 3. Adding one or two sentences or changing a few words with the help of a thesaurus isn't enough, and it's not evidence of additional mastery. The reassessment will be a new persuasive prompt and you will have 1 hour to complete it.

Mrs. Wise's Tone Word Master List

As promised, here's my favorite tone list.
I also put additional links to additional tone lists at the bottom of the document.
Good times. Enjoy! I recommend printing it out and keeping a copy in your binder. 
Mrs. Wise's Tone Word List

And the verdict is...

We're going to be expecting a girl!!!
So excited. :-)

Persuasive Outline

"Classic" Persuasive Essay Outline

Counterargument Notes

The counter argument notes we went over in class: CA Notes

Vocabulary Lists! Units 7/8 and Unit 4

Open document, scroll down for Unit 4: Vocab for On-level

Units 7 and 8: Vocab for K/H

Persuasive Text Structure

Board Notes from 10/17 and 10/18

Also, here are the counter argument notes from Thursday, 10/17 (K/H) and 10/21 (on-level).
Right here: Counterargument Notes (Google Doc)

QUIZLETS!

Scroll down - the quizlets were posted on October 10. Email me if the links aren't working, I can send them to you directly.

Practice Persuasive Prompt

English II Written Composition: Persuasive

Read the quotation.

One who breaks an unjust law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.                                                                    -Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Our nation was founded by men who broke old laws by creating new laws. Think carefully about this statement.

Write an essay stating your position on whether it is more important to follow one’s conscience or to follow the law.

Be sure to –

·        Clearly state your thesis

·        Organize and develop your ideas effectively

·        Choose your words carefully

·        Edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling

Writing Sentences with Variety: Complex Sentence Practice

Let us consider these two sentences:

I earned an A on the vocab quiz because I studied before the quiz.

Because I studied before the quiz, I earned an A on the vocab quiz.

Conjunctions are a way to combine two complete sentences. The conjunction can be in the middle of the two sentences, or in the beginning.

Here, let me show you - I've underlined the two conjunctions:

I earned an A on the vocab quiz because I studied before the quiz.

Because I studied before the quiz, I earned an A on the vocab quiz.

Notice that one uses a comma and one does not. If the conjunction comes first, you need the comma.

English is weird, huh?

Next, notice that the conjunction works to combine two complete ideas. I've highlighted them here:

I earned an A on the vocab quiz because I studied before the quiz.

Because I studied before the quiz, I earned an A on the vocab quiz.

A	W	U	B	I	S
after although as as if as long as as much as as soon as as though	when whenever where whereas where if wherever whether which while who whoever why	unless until	because before	if if only if when if then inasmuch in order that	since so that supposing

Vocabulary Quizlets

For Unit 3: Unit 3 Quizlet

For Unit 5: Unit 5 Quizlet

For Unit 6: Unit 6 Quizlet

Sentence Variety: The Basics: Simple and Compound, and Complex Sentences

On-level English II board notes from 10/9/13
(with vocab from Unit 3)

This grading period, the grammar objective is all about adding sentence variety to your writing. We started with basic stuff - simple and compound sentences.

All classes are also covering COMPLEX SENTENCES!

More about complex sentences:

A. When he handed in his homework, he forgot to give the teacher the last page. 
B. The teacher returned the homework after she noticed the error.
C. The students are studying because they have a test tomorrow.
D. After they finished studying, Juan and Maria went to the movies.
E. Juan and Maria went to the movies after they finished studying.

When a complex sentence begins with a subordinator such as sentences A and D, a comma is required at the end of the dependent clause. When the independent clause begins the sentence with subordinators in the middle as in sentences B, C, and E, no comma is required.

　
Source: http://eslbee.com/sentences.htm

Single-Selection Short Answer Responses - Scoring Guide

Here it is: Short Answer Scoring for Single Selection Reading

Inside the document:

Score Point 0: Insufficient Response to the Question These responses have one of the following problems. ·         The idea is not an answer to the question asked ·         The idea is incorrect because it is not based on the text. ·         The idea is too general, vague, or unclear to determine whether it is reasonable. ·         No idea is present. Sometimes the response only contains text evidence. At other times there appears to be an idea; however, this idea cannot be considered an answer to the question because it merely repeats verbatim, or “echoes,” the text evidence.

Score Point 1: Partially Sufficient Response to the Question ·         The idea is reasonable, but the response contains no text evidence. ·         The idea is reasonable, but the text evidence is flawed and downs not adequately support the idea. Text evidence is considered inadequate when it is o   Only a general reference to the text, o   Too partial to support the idea, o   Weakly linked to the idea, or o   Used inappropriately because it wrongly manipulates the meaning of the text ·         The idea needs more explanation or specificity even though it is supported with text evidence. ·         The idea represents only a literal reading of the text, with or without text evidence.

Score Point 2: Sufficient Response to the Question ·         The idea is reasonable and goes beyond a literal reading of the text. It is explained specifically enough to show that the student can make appropriate connections across the text and draw valid conclusions. ·         The text evidence used to support the idea is accurate and relevant. ·         The idea and text evidence used to support it are clearly linked. (Student must explain the connection.) ·         The combination of the idea and the text evidence demonstrates a good understanding of the text.

Score Point 3: Exemplary Response to the Question ·         The idea is perceptive and reflects an awareness of the complexities of the text. The student is able to develop a coherent explanation of the idea by making discerning connections across a text. ·         The text evidence used to support the idea is specific and well-chosen. Overall, the evidence strongly supports the validity of the idea. ·         The combination of the idea and the text evidence demonstrates a deep understanding of the text.

Do a happy dance!

We're almost done with the first grading period!

An appropriate celebration: HALLELUJAH!!!