Third Nine Weeks Project Standards

RI.11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. 

W.11-12.1: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. 

 

• W.11-12.1.a: Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. 
• W.11-12.1.b: Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form that anticipates the audience's knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases. 
• W.11-12.1.c: Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims. 
• W.11-12.1.d: Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing. 
• W.11-12.1.e: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from or supports the argument presented. 

W.11-12.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 

W.11-12.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation. 

SL.11-12.3: Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used. 

SL.11-12.6: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. 

L.11-12.3: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. 

Third Nine Weeks Project Rubric

Click here to see the rubric I will use when grading your essays. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the rubric prior to submitting your essay.

Third Nine Weeks Project Directions

In class, we have analyzed the new ACT Writing section. We have discussed how the new section differs from the old section. Specifically, the new section makes us engage with a broader range of subject matter, offers different points of access to the issue, forces us to engage in more real-world argumentation, and provides us with more structure for planning as well as more time for composing.

On the surface, the new section seems harder than the old one where we simply had to take a pro/con position against a simple issue and flesh out our argument. However, as we discussed, the new section may actually be easier as it provides us with an opportunity to critically engage with more diverse perspectives and set ourselves apart from our competitors on the ACT (who may not even know about the new format of the section).

In order to aid us in our attack on the ACT Writing section, I have devised my own template for you to use on the test. We will study the template in depth during class. I will model its use for you, and you will practice using it several times before you use it to draft your project essay. 

Before we even use the template though, we will work on brainstorming ideas based on ACT Writing prompts. During the 40 minute ACT Writing test, I want you to spend the first 5 minutes simply reading the prompts and brainstorming. The ideas you come up with during that time will form the basis for your essay, so these are perhaps the most important 5 minutes of the test. During this time, you will consider all three perspectives provided by the ACT, you will select one, and you will generate ideas supporting your idea and combatting the other two.

The next step will be planning, which I expect will take you about 10 minutes. This is when we will use our template to draft an outline of our essay. Our essay will be four paragraphs long, and each paragraph will be 5 sentences. The first paragraph will introduce and expand on our argument, the second and third will defend against our opponents’ perspectives while adding more credence to our own, and the fourth will provide context as well as a summary conclusion.

I have invented a simple acronym to help you remember the template:

TREES-OUCHY-OUCHY-CRASH

Just imagine someone falling from the sky into a tree and you will have it memorized.

The blank template can be found here. An explanatory template with the purpose of each sentence can be found here. A completed outline (handwritten) responding to an ACT prompt can be found here. Finally, a completed, abbreviated response to an ACT prompt using the template and outline can be found here.

Once we have completed our outline, we will spend 20 minutes drafting our essay. It is important that we write in a clear, concise manner. We must also use precise word choice so we can be as convincing as possible. We will ensure that we establish a clear perspective on the stated issue. We will also be able to easily bring our perspective into a dialogue with other perspectives. We will generate specific examples that are relevant to the problem that is being presented. We will bolster those examples by exploring their larger implications. Our essays will be well-organized and guide the reader using transitions that link the relationships between our ideas. We will also use correct grammar, syntax, and mechanics while writing in a formal tone appropriate to our audience. 

Finally, during the last 5 minutes, we will review our essay and correct any errors.

During the month of February, we will become ACT Writing masters using this template. I will model it in class, we will practice it in pairs and groups, we will write practice essays, and - finally - we will write and upload finished products to this site.

In sum, we will practice hard and succeed on the ACT Writing test because we will have a plan!