Go to 11^th Grade Writing Skills

Improving Writing Skills in 9^th Grade

 

Audience

·          Use language that is inoffensive to your readers

·          Use Standard Edited English, not colloquial (common) language

o         Have something your audience needs to hear

Purpose

·          Not writing on the stated topic

Clarity

·          Often phrases are worded awkwardly

·          Sometimes, a better word is available to describe the idea than the one chosen

Organization

·          Have an introduction and a concluding paragraph, and more than one body paragraph

·          Have a thesis statement to guide the discussion

·          Have topic sentences in every paragraph

·          Have concluding statement in closing paragraph

·          Use effective transitions

·          Use words like and, then, and so sparingly to connect sentences and ideas

Punctuation

·          Use commas to set off introductory ideas or ideas that are inserted within a sentence (e.g. Sometimes, I like to sing, although I am horrible, out loud in the rain.) (e.g. I yelled, “Johnny, don’t go into the swamp!”)

·          Use commas just before a quotation in a sentence (e.g. He said, “Live long and prosper.”)

·          Use commas + a conjunction (f.a.n.b.o.y) to join two sentences.

·          Never, never, never join two sentences with a comma.

·          Use commas in a series (I have hope, determination, and opportunity to write better.)

·          Use commas to separate proper nouns (Atlanta, Georgia).

·          Use commas to separate adjectives that are not cumulative (e.g. “soft, yellow clay” versus “little red corvette”) Note: Do not use commas if inserting and or rearranging the adjectives become awkward.

Grammar

·          Subject-Verbs agree (singular subject + verb(s) OR plural subject + verb(no “s”)

o         Mary and Mark walk home together.

o         They walk together.

o         She kisses Mark.

·          She and I speak (transitive verb) about my son and me. (If you drop the “my son and,” the sentence sounds correct.)

·          She and I announced that the winners were (linking verb) my son and I.

·          Articles ~ There are only three: the and a and an

o         Use the for a definite, one of a kind, or specific noun.

o         Use a (with an initial consonant noun) or an (with an initial vowel noun) for an indefinite, general, or non-specific noun. Ideas in English are problematic. Generally, ideas like hope do not require an article, but the future is a notable exception  

·          Hyphenation

o         Use hyphens to link certain phrases used as adjectives (one-of-a-kind classic corvette)

o         Use with linked adjectives ending in ed or en (That flop-eared mut ate my sandwich.)

o         Use with words not yet standardized as a compound word (e-mail is becoming email, but not yet!)

Knowledge

·          Support ideas with expert and textual evidence.

·          Do not draw premature conclusions.

·          Do not treat a complex topic simplistically.

·          Do not attempt to hide a lack of knowledge by rambling or making it up.

·          Do not speak above the audience by using jargon (specialized for a field) words for a general audience

Vocabulary

·          USE THE DICTIONARY; DO NOT DEPEND ON SPELLCHECK!!!!!!!

·          Guard against common misspellings i before e, except after c = receive) (scared versus scarred).

·          Repeated words (redundancy)

o         (more better OR most happiest)

o         See banned word list.

 

·          Use the correct homophone. (there, their, they’re; here, hear; where, were)

·          Write out common phrases used in shorthand. (lol, syl, gtg)

·          Use concrete nouns when possible (German Shepherd instead of dog)

Capitalization

·          Capitalize proper nouns (Little John Coliseum), the first word of a sentence, and acronyms (CIA)

Improving Writing Skills in 11^th Grade

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**REVIEW AND FOLLOW LIST FOR 9^TH GRADERS

 

Audience

• Imagine writing for a general audience. Try to imagine yourself as if you were each person in our classroom and how your words would affect them. Master writing for a general audience before writing for a niche audience.

Purpose

• Find a way to get into the topic. Reframe your attitude if your not excited about it. Be novel.

Clarity

• If you organize your paper, infuse it with relevant knowledge, and use the best words to convey your ideas, then you have achieved clarity.

Organization

• Example of an excellent thesis statement for an argument or persuasion essay:
• Although many people rally against the notion of banning books, I feel that all too often the problem is really a question of age-appropriate exposure to those books and is not an attempt to ban those books outright. (This example demonstrates the concerns of the larger group and shows a refined understanding and explanation of the problem.)
• Length ~ Do not write longer than you have something to say! But write long enough to have an organized response.
• Use your prewriting exercise to order your paper. Eliminate unneeded information.
• WRITING ADVICE: On a computer, type up a thesis statement, topic headings for each body paragraph, and a concluding statement. Then, come under each heading and write only about the heading in that paragraph! Park other ideas under the other headings! WOW! THAT’S EASY! You can do the same with pen and paper.
• SEE comma rules for 9^th Grade.
• Semi-Colons ~ Use semi-colons to join a sentence that naturally grows out of the first. (e.g. I finally found the key to wisdom; it is to listen twice as much with the two ears God gave you and to talk half as much with the one mouth he placed under your ears).
• Vary your sentence structure, and practice sentence combining.

Knowledge

• Getting Started ~ Use prewriting strategies (brainstorm; just write; make an outline; read what others have to say; seek out an expert; draw it; go on imaginative walks; think about it before going to sleep).

Vocabulary

• USE THE DICTIONARY.  DO NOT DEPEND ON SPELLCHECKERS.
• Do not flower your writing with expletives (e.g. like taking God’s name in vain by saying it without addressing Him or saying words just to be vulgar. The words you choose should be powerful enough to convey your emotion. Overuse of exclamation points, CAPS, and very is a VERY VERY VERY VERY QUICK WAY TO BORE YOUR READER!!!!!! It takes away from the power of your writing.

Remember classroom rule #4: Play Hard!

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