GED® Writing Round Up
Steve Schmidt
abspd.appstate.edu
Today’s Quote
“The genius of writing is re-writing.”
― Dr. Rick Howe
Please Write on the Packet!
You can find everything from this workshop and many other resources at: abspd.appstate.edu
Look under: Teaching Resources, GED® Writing Round Up.
Help Students Prepare for Extended Responses by:
Journaling
Our students are under stress. Journaling is a way they can practice writing while helping them relieve anxiety and be ready to learn. Start class with 5 or 10 minutes of structured (by giving a writing prompt) or unstructured (students can write on anything) journaling.
Quick Writes
A Quick Write helps students think about a topic before, during, and after reading. Students are asked to respond to a question or prompt related to a text and should write down whatever comes to their mind without worrying about grammar or organization.
The writing topics are related to a text and may be:
- Summaries of learning
- An explanation of a concept or vocabulary
- A prediction, inference, or hypothesis
Give students from 2 to 10 minutes to write. Quick Writes can be used as part of instruction, assessment, or discussion. They help bring out the writer in students, build their writing confidence, and help their reading skills too!
Prompt
What information did you learn about interdependence from reading this passage?
Did you know the microprocessor that lives in a laptop computer is a world traveler? It begins life as a pile of quartz chips and charcoal at a factory in Brazil. After being heated and processed, it is sent for more refining to a German factory. After being formed into blocks of polysilicon, it goes to Japan where it is made into tiny circular wafers. These thin disks are then shipped to the United States where Intel Corporation turns them into microprocessors by adding hundreds of tiny chips. They then journey for testing to the Philippines where more circuitry is added and testing takes place.
Continuing its journey, the chips move to a factory in China where they are placed on the laptop’s motherboard along with many other components made in Southeast Asia. The motherboard, along with the other parts of the computer including the battery, hard drive and keyboard, are assembled at another Chinese factory. Finally, the completed laptop is shipped to the United States for distribution. The other parts that make up this computer come from as many as 50 countries on six continents including steel from Russia, copper from Chile, glass from Korea and lithium from Zimbabwe.
So what’s the point of knowing how well traveled a laptop is? The global makeup of the laptop computer is a great example of an economic concept called interdependence. Interdependence means we rely on others to make or do things we do not make or do ourselves. No one country has all the raw materials it needs to produce the products it wants to sell. So, it must trade with other countries to get the materials it needs. Most all the other manufactured goods we buy have similar stories of raw material mining and finished product processing taking place around the globe. The next time you see a laptop; remember the amazing global journey it had just to reach you!
My Quick Write ______
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Writing Summaries
Helps students understand what they read
Helps students process their thoughts by phrasing them in their own words
Summaries should be:Short – Usually about 10 words per paragraph
Accurate – Ask: Does it reflect the author’s main points?
Written in students’ own words
Teach Students to Write Summaries Using Direct Instruction
(I Do) Explain why students should learn the skill and model the learning process
(We Do) Instructor and students work together on the skill
(You Do) Students do the skill while the instructor monitors the process
RAP Summary Strategy
R = Read a passage by paragraphs
A = Ask questions:
What is the topic? (circle key words)
What is the most important thing it tells me about the topic?
What are the important details?
P = Paraphrase (put in own words), aim for about 10 words per paragraph
Summary Practice
Of all the fish in the ocean, sharks are the greediest eaters and killers. They suffer from continual hunger. Almost as soon as they have eaten, they are on the prowl for more food. Sharks have been described as eating machines, and indeed they are perfectly designed for that activity. They are powerful swimmers, with smooth, well-muscled, streamlined bodies.
But the most remarkable part of a shark is its mouth – a wide gash lined with rows of jagged teeth. When a shark attacks, it opens its mouth wide until its teeth can stab straight into the body of its victim. The teeth slice like razors as the shark twists and rolls its body to tear off a chunk of food. New teeth are constantly being formed and moving forward to take the place of those lost during the shark’s violent feeding activities. Even very old sharks have razor-sharp teeth.
The largest and most fearsome of the species is the great white shark. Its average length is between fourteen and sixteen feet. A few great whites may reach well over thirty feet in length. The longest ever recorded was a thirty-seven-footer, a truly monstrous fish. The great white lives in the tropical seas and sometimes along the southern coast of the United States.
Adapted from 6 Way Paragraphs in the Content Areas, Middle Level
Topic / Summary SentenceParagraph 1
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 3
Writing Frames
Frames are outlines of words or key phrases withplenty of blank lines that provide a structure so
learners can focus on what they want to say.
Frames remove the, “I don’t know where to start”
problem and help students gain confidence in
their ability to write.
As students become more confident writers, we
can provide them with less structure over time.
Adapted from M. Corley (2012) / An Example Frame:
I am going to describe how _____
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I start by ______
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Then I ______
Somebody-Wanted-But-So Writing Frame
The story takes place ______
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______is a character in the story who ______
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A problem occurs when ______
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After that, ______
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The problem is solved when ______
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The story ends with ______
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Teach Writing as a Process
Teach students to tackle writing assignments using a process. A process is a standard method for doing something. For example, use URPWE as a process for writing extended responses and short answers.
U = Unpack the prompt – What are you being asked to do?
R = Read the source material
P = Plan the response
W = Write the response
E = Edit the response
How to Score Higher on Extended Responses
Source: GED® Testing Service
- Write essays that are 4–7 paragraphs and 300 – 500 words long
- Paraphrase evidence rather than quoting directly from the source
- Focus on fully developing two or three main ideas with supporting evidence
- Spend at least 5–10 minutes proofreading for correct grammar
- Write responses based on information in the prompts, not on personal opinion
Students are exposed to ads every day, and they are a great way to sneak up on argument based writing. As students analyze ads, they see how advertisers try and convince them to buy products. The claims the advertisers make are similar to claims writer’s make in argument writing. As students analyze ads to see if they make them more or less likely to buy a product, they practice analyzing arguments.
Product Ad Analyzer
Describe the images you seeHow is music used in this ad?
What is the ads’ main message?
How does the ad try to convince you to buy this product?
Does this ad make you more or less likely to buy this product? Why?
Political Ad Analyzer
Describe the images you seeHow is music used in this ad?
What is the ads’ main message?
How does the ad try to convince you to vote for the candidate?
Does this ad make you more or less likely to vote for this candidate? Why?
Argument Writing Body Paragraphs
Use PEA while writing body paragraphs:
PPoint - Make your point
Breathing is good for people’s health.
EEvidence – Support your point with evidence and examples
In 2008, two Stanford University researchers looked at breathing’s effect on life. They found study participants who breathed lived longer than those who did not breathe. A
later 2010 study in Iceland by top researchers agreed with the Stanford study’s findings.
AArgue – Explain how the evidence supports your points
Strong academic research supports the belief that breathing contributes to a longer
life span which helps everyone’s overall health. The author used two recent academic
studies, including one from Stanford University, to show how breathing helps make for
a longer life span.
Phrases to Discuss Passage Strengths (+) / Phrases to Discuss Passage Weaknesses (-)better supported / unsupported personal opinion
reliable evidence / weak evidence
sound reasons / contradictory evidence
valid / invalid
logical / weak logic (illogical)
reliable (knowledgeable, unbiased, credible, etc.) source(s) / (This passage) lacks sound reasons…. (or any other phrases from the strengths column)
significant evidence / uncited sources (source is not identified)
recent sources / evidence is out-of-date (or no source is included)
relevant reasons / evidence / biased sources
substantiated evidence / unsubstantiated evidence
expert testimony / personal attacks (name-calling)
sufficient reasons / evidence / insufficient reasons / evidence
reputable source (strong reputation) / fallacy/fallacies
well-supported argument / oversimplification
supports (demonstrates) / false conclusion
Source: C. Gibson, WCCS Writing Center, Selma Al
Reliable Evidence? Think CARBS
As students look at the evidence presented in source documents, they should consider how reliable it is. Some things used to measure reliability are:
Currency
Is the evidence up to date? Studies done more recently are usually better than ones conducted years ago, especially in science and technology.
Authority
Who created the source? Are they really an expert in this field? Just because someone is well known (actors, singers, sports stars) does not make them an expert.
Relevance
Does the evidence specifically relate to the topic being discussed? Let’s look at the following evidence for the following topic: There are great health benefits to running.
1. Running burns many calories
2. Running works out the entire body
3. Running can help someone lose weight
4. Running workout clothes are really fashionable
5. Running is great cardiovascular exercise
While number 4 talks about running, it is not relevant since it has nothing to do with running’s health benefits. Instead, it focuses on the fashionable styles of some runners.
Bias
Is the evidence from an unbiased source? Sources such as government agencies and educational institutions are usually unbiased. Look at who funds a study. For example, if a drug company is funding a study about one of its new drugs, we would be surprised if the findings showed that the drug did not work. We would expect the findings to be biased in favor of the company since it paid to have the study done and wants to show that its product works.
Specific
Is the evidence specific? For example, the phrase “two decades of research shows that breathing has positive health benefits” is not specific. We do not know over which two decades the research was done. Also, “several studies have shown that walking is a great way to move from one place to another” is not specific either. We know nothing about the studies so we cannot know if they are current, authoritative, relevant, or biased.
GED® RLA Graphic Organizer
Intro Summarize the two arguments (Include passage titles and authors.) “Argument 1 says . . . .On the other hand, Argument 2 says . . .”
Write the thesis: “Argument 1 is better supported than Argument 2 because:
Body 1 Explain one reason Argument 1 is better than Argument 2
Point (What is your reason?):
Evidence (Text evidence that backs your reason)
Argument: (Explain how the evidence supports your reason)
Body 2 Explain another reason why Argument 2 is weaker than Argument 1
Point: (What is your reason?):
Evidence: (Text evidence that backs your reason)
Argument: (Explain how the evidence supports your reason)
Conclusion Summarize your main points
Argument 1 is the stronger argument
GED® RLAWriting Frame
______makes the claim that ______
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______makes the claim that ______
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The best argument is ______
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because ______
The first reason ______is better is because ______
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Evidence supporting this reason is ______
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This evidence shows that ______
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Also, the second reason ______is better is because ______
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Evidence supporting this reason is ______
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This evidence shows that ______
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In conclusion, ______
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RLA Writing Prompt: Analyzing Speed Limits1 / The United States is a nation on the move. To make sure we do not move too fast, highway speed limits have been a fact of life for many years. Speed limits in America go back to 1757 in Boston when it was illegal for horses to move faster than a walking pace on Sundays. Interstate highways, first built in the 1950s, were designed to handle speeds of at least 70 miles per hour. When the energy crisis came in 1973, the National Maximum Speed Law established a 55 mile per hour limit for the entire country. By the late 1980s, lower oil prices meant states could choose to have higher speed limits which they did.
Let’s Not Race by Speed Limits, Keepit Slow, Washington Post Editorial
2 / I am concerned about a trend I see sweeping across our country. It seems that speed limits are moving ever higher. On Interstate highways in most of the central and western parts of the United States, speed limits range from 70 to 85 miles per hour. These higher speeds waste precious fuel and endanger the lives of motorists across our land. We need to keep speed limits below 60 miles per hour.
3 / Even though our country is now on pace to be the world’s leading energy producer by 2015, we still need to be concerned about saving fuel. The US Department of Commerce did a study that showed the difference between driving under and over 60 miles per hour. They found that driving under 60 would save Americans 2 billion dollars a year in fuel costs.
4 / In another important study done in 2007, the state of Florida examined consumer spending on gas during the 1990s. They found that consumers paid $220 million more dollars on gas as speed limits were increased on Florida roads during 1990 to 1999. This sharp increase was directly related to driving faster which lowers fuel economy.
5 / Much more important than saving fuel is saving lives. From 1973 to 1987 the National Maximum Speed Law lowered the speed limit to 55 for the entire country. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) did a study on how this change impacted highway deaths. What the NHTSA found was fewer people died in traffic related accidents because of the lower speed limits.
6 / Also, other important evidence shows that lower speed limits save lives. In 2006, the Pew Trust did a study on speed limits and traffic deaths. They found that deaths increased by 1200 people each year for every mile per hour the speed limit was raised. I call on our government to once again set a national speed limit of 55 miles per hour.
Speed Demon’s Blog Post
7 / Hey, I just got back from the most awesome ride I have ever had! Of course I was out in my mean machine. You know the car I’m talking about, my 2014 Chevy Camaro. Dude, I just love to boogity, boogity, boogity. For those of you living in a cave, boogity is NASCAR slang for going fast! When I want to go full throttle, I can’t go as fast as I want. I always have to put up with these stupid speed limits. I think speed limits are dumb, and we should not have them.
8 / I just read some stupid article from somebody about why speed limits are a good thing. It’s so lame, man! It says that speed limits save lives and gas. Cars back in the day were not built like they are today. I remember my first Camaro, a 1976. It could fly but it was a piece of junk. Everybody knows that cars today are so much better made. Those robots do a much better job making cars than those drunks on the assembly line did back in the 1970s. If you get hit or hit somebody, your better made car and air bags will save you!
9 / People talk about gas prices, but I don’t see that as an issue. Yeah, I remember when gas was above four bucks in 2008. That was five years ago. That’s ancient history. Gas prices are coming down, man. Just last week I paid just over three bucks a gallon. Gas hasn’t been that cheap in so long.
10 / So in my amazing opinion (the only one that matters) speed limits are just some big government attempt to keep us from having fun. My next post will be coming at you soon. Keep it real, dudes and dudettes!
Prompt
The article presents arguments from both supporters and critics of speed limits who disagree about the practice’s impact on gas consumption and safety.
In your response, analyze both positions presented in the article to determine which one is best supported. Use relevant and specific evidence from the article to support your response.
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Teaching Using Models (Uses Speed Limit Prompt from pgs. 13-14)