Expository Writing Deconstructing the Prompt and

Additive Scoring Process for STAARPresented by Stephanie Churchill

Adapted from Alice Nine and Pat JacobyRevised by Amanda DeMunbrun, Coronado High School

Start with a STUDENT Friendly rubric

Students MUST know the rubric for EACH type of writing inside and out

9th grade Expository (Inform) and Literary (A story)

10th grade Expository and Persuasive 11th grade Persuasive and Analytical (best

predictor of college readiness and success)

Do this FIRST!

Score Point 4Highly Effective

The essay represents an accomplished writing performance.

Score Point 3Generally Effective

The essay represents a satisfactory writing performance.

Score Point 2Somewhat Effective

The essay represents a basic writing performance.

Score Point 1Ineffective

The essay represents a very limited writing performance.

ORGANIZATION

Responds to prompt in a meaningful way Organized with clear central idea (thesis

statement) Ideas strongly related to central idea and

focused on topic Unified and coherent Uses meaningful transitions; ideas are

connected Easy to follow writer’s thinking

Responds to prompt in a way that makes sense

Organized with clear central idea (thesis statement)

Most supporting ideas related to central idea, but not always focused on topic

Most transitions are meaningful and sufficient to show relationships among ideas

Can follow flow of essay

Structure of essay is evident but not always appropriate

Central idea (thesis statement) is weak or unclear

Supporting ideas related to topic of prompt but not connected to central idea

Ideas are choppy or repetitive Transitions and connections between

sentences are weak Difficult to follow writer’s thinking

Structure of essay is inappropriate Response to prompt is vague or confused Not organized around a central idea (thesis

statement) Most ideas are weak and/or not related to

prompt Not focused on topic Ideas are choppy or repeated No transitions or connections between

sentences Unclear and/or difficult to read

DEVELOP-MENT

OF IDEAS

Uses specific, well-chosen details and examples

Thoughtful and engaging Uses his/her own experiences to connect

ideas in interesting ways Understands how to write an expository

essay

Uses specific details and examples that add some substance

Shows some thoughtfulness Expresses original ideas; is not formulaic Understands how to write an expository

essay

Details and examples do not always make sense or are not completely explained

Not very thoughtful Response to topic is formulaic Limited understanding of how to write an

expository essay

Development of ideas weak Details and examples are inappropriate,

vague or insufficient Confusing and/or weakly linked to the

prompt Writer does not understand how to write an

expository essay

USE OF LANGUA

GE CONVEN

TIONS

Uses words that express exactly what he/she means

Has an appropriate tone Word choice makes essay clear and strong Sentences have a purpose are varied, well-

controlled, and enhancing Uses different types of sentences Consistent control of sentence boundaries,

spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar

Minor errors do not make essay confusing Overall strength contributes to

effectiveness of essay

Uses words that are for the most part, clear and specific, and contribute to effectiveness of essay

Has an appropriate tone Uses different types of sentences Adequate control of sentence boundaries,

spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar

Some errors, but do not interrupt the meaning of the essay

Uses words that are not specific or not correct; makes writing confusing

Tone is not appropriate to the task Sentences are awkward or somewhat

controlled Has partial control of sentence boundaries,

spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar

Some errors distract and take away from meaning of essay

Uses words that are vague or limited Tone is not appropriate to the task Sentences are simple, awkward and

uncontrolled; take away from idea of essay Has little or no control of sentence

boundaries, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar

Serious, persistent errors interfere with meaning of the essay

Student Friendly Expository Rubric English I and English II

1. Read (typically 4th grade synopsis, 7th grade quote, English I Information, quote, fact, excerpt) – The Context

2. Think (topic)

3. Write (Charge)

4. Be sure to – (Rubric)

Deconstructing the Prompt

ReadThink

Write

FUNNEL DOWN PROMPT

Introduces context for

thinkingInter

-prets the quot

e

Establishes the topic

Presents assertion options and form

Personalized focus to the prompt

Rubric – what assessed on

READ

The digital audio player, also known as the MP3 player, first became available to the general public in 1996. Unlike the compact disc player, this technology did not require that music be stored on separate discs. MP3 players have now become the dominant medium for listening to music.

• The MP3 player came out in 1996

• It was different from CD players because it didn’t need

a bunch of discs• MP3 players is how people

listen to music

Focus on pulling out the nouns and the

verbs

THINK.

Think about the new technologies that people use in everyday life.

• Technologies used in everyday life are cell

phones, GPS, Laptops, iPads,

iPods….

Interprets the quote to establish the

topic

WRITE an essay explaining the effect of one new technology on people’s lives.

VERB

Root is Explain which means give

reasons

• When I explain I must give REASONS

• I must give EVIDENCE• The evidence must SUPPORT my reasons

Evidence could be facts,

definitions, or examples!

The Reasons are my topic sentences—then give evidence.

I must write about this.

TheCharge

Be sure to -

• Clearly state the Thesis

• Organize and develop your explanation effectively

• Choose your words carefully

• Edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling

Thesis

Organizationand Progression

Word Choice (Language)

Explanation means

evidence

Conventions

The digital audio player, also known as the MP3 player, first became available to the general public in 1996.

Unlike the compact disc player, this technology did not require that music to be stored on separate discs. MP3 players have now become the dominant medium for

listening to music.

Think about the new technologies that people

use in everyday life.

Write an

essay explaining the

effect of one new

technology

on people

’s lives.

English I Expository Prompt from the STAAR 2012 Study Guide 13

FUNNEL DOWN PROMPT

1. Read – just read it once through without the rubric in mind.

2. Thesis – find and identify the Thesis (highlight or flag it)

3. + (Strengths) – look for and identify the strengths in the paper

4. – (weaknesses) – look at the weaknesses of the paper

5. Score – score the composition according to the rubric (State stops here)

6. Feedback – Focused revision (2 items MAX!)

Additive Scoring Process Steps

Use three different colors to identify strengths and weaknesses in the paper (i.e. pink for organization +’s and –’s, yellow for idea +’s and –”s, and blue for conventions)

Flag the strengths (+’s) on the left side of the paper with specific feedback (i.e. write the detail they used down and label it under ideas)

Flag the weaknesses (-’s) on the right side of the paper (remember to be as specific as possible in your feedback)

Only ask students to work on 2 items MAX at a time. (i.e. Conventions – comma slices and run-on sentences)

Explicit Feedback

Writing workshop conferences don’t have to take a lot of time (except maybe the first time)

Additive Scoring is the key to saving time on conferencing

Peer conferencing Feedback

Conference

Read the following quotation:“Take risks. Ask big questions. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; if you don’t make mistakes, you’re not reaching far enough.”—David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard

[Think carefully about the following:]Taking a risk means acting without knowing whether the outcome will be good.

Write an essay explaining why it is sometimes necessary to take a chance.

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 Page

WRITTEN COMPOSITION: Expository

Brainstorm: ◦ Listing◦ Web◦ Outline◦ Think of what you need to provide:

When might it be necessary to take a chance / risk? Global [textual, historical] Example 1 Global Example 2 Personal Example (If Exceptionally strong)

Details Who was involved? What were the circumstances? What was the outcome?

Positive? Negative?

Write an essay explaining why it is sometimes necessary to take a chance.

Introduction: 2-3 sentences (maximum of 3) and make sure that the Thesis (which reflects / responds to the prompt) is the last sentence in the introduction.

Address the big idea Offer a specific thesis

Write an essay explaining why it is sometimes necessary to take a chance.

Body Paragraphs: Because organization is addressed, be sure to have clear, indented paragraphs with correct topic sentences.◦ The topic sentence should connect the content of the

body paragraph to the thesis statement◦ The 1st body paragraph should develop one of the

ideas—provide the example and explanation—discovered in the brainstorm

◦ The 2nd body paragraph should develop another of the ideas. . . . SUGGESTION: be sure to choose the strongest examples

to illustrate and explain AND put the strongest of these examples and explanations last..

Write an essay explaining why it is sometimes necessary to take a chance.

Conclusion: 2-3 sentences While it is OK to restate the idea—do not

say the EXACT SAME THING Consider concluding by looking at the

examples and commenting on what should be taken away from these—create a complete theme or use a truism

Write an essay explaining why it is sometimes necessary to take a chance.

If you have: ◦ clearly stated your thesis◦ organized and developed your ideas

effectively◦ chosen your words carefully◦ edited your writing for grammar, mechanics,

and spelling

FINALLY. . . Be Sure To Check