John PanaccioMs. RiegerPeriod 305/06/2010

Thesis Statement

The information regarding grammar,

style, organization, and other writing

skills I collect during my research will be

incorporated into a workshop created to

improve the overall writing of Mr.

Power’s eighth grade English class.

Personal Relevance

Elementary Rules of Usage

Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding ‘s

Do not break sentences in two

Use the proper case of Pronoun

Do not join independent clauses with a comma

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. Ed. Edward A Tenney. 4th ed. 1919. New York: Pearson Education Company, 1959. Print.

I

Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding ‘s

Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. For example,

Lewis’s car

Ryan’s sweater

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. Ed. Edward A Tenney. 4th ed. 1919. New York: Pearson Education Company, 1959. Print.

Use the proper case of pronoun

The personal pronouns, as well as the pronoun who, change forms as they function as subject or object.

Who calls?

Give this cookie to whoever looks hungry.

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. Ed. Edward A Tenney. 4th ed. 1919. New York: Pearson Education Company, 1959. Print.

Do not break sentences in two

In other words do not use periods as commas.

He was an amazing player. A man who had played soccer all over the world.

Do not break sentences in two

In other words do not use periods as commas.

He was an amazing player, a man who had played soccer all over the world.

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. Ed. Edward A Tenney. 4th ed. 1919. New York: Pearson Education Company, 1959. Print.

He was an amazing player. A man who had played soccer all over the world.

Do not join independent clauses with a comma

If two or more clauses grammatically complete and not joined by a conjunction are to form a single compound sentence, the proper mark of punctuation is a semi-colon. (Shrunk & White pg.5)

Ms. Rieger’s stories are funny; they are full of humorous details.

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. Ed. Edward A Tenney. 4th ed. 1919. New York: Pearson Education Company, 1959. Print.

Ms. Rieger’s stories are funny, they are full of humorous details.

Words And ExpressionsCommonly Misused

All right

Effect

Etc.

However

One

VeryAdams, Elizabeth Kemper. “Some Fundamentals in the Teaching of Written Composition.” The Elementary School Teacher. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1904. 391-406. JSTOR. Web. 30 Nov. 2009. <http://www.jstor.org/ stable/ 993023>.

Principles of Composition

Choose a suitable design and hold to it

Use the active voice

Use definite specific, concrete, language

Express coordinate ideas in similar form

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. Ed. Edward A Tenney. 4th ed. 1919. New York: Pearson Education Company, 1959. Print.

II

Choose a suitable design and hold to it

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. Ed. Edward A Tenney. 4th ed. 1919. New York: Pearson Education Company, 1959. Print.

Use the active voice

I shall always remember my first concert.

My first concert will always be remembered by me.

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. Ed. Edward A Tenney. 4th ed. 1919. New York: Pearson Education Company, 1959. Print.

Use definite, specific, concrete language

Ohmann, Richard. "Use Definite, Specific, Concrete Language." College English 41.4 (1979): 390-97. JSTOR. National Council of Teachers of English. Web. 2 Mar. 2010.

Prefer the specific to the general, the definite to the vague, and the concrete to the abstract. (Shrunk and White pg.21)

Express coordinate ideas in similar form

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. Ed. Edward A Tenney. 4th ed. 1919. New York: Pearson Education Company, 1959. Print.

Unclear focus and relevance

Insufficient proofreading and

revision

Poor attitude towards writing

Lack of style

Common Problems a Young Writer Might Face

III

Unclear focus and relevance

Freedman, Sarah Warshauer. “Student Characteristics and Essay Test Writing Performance.” Research in the Teaching of

English 17.4 (1983): 313-325. JSTOR. Web. 1 Dec. 2009.

Insufficient proofreading and revision

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. Ed. Edward A Tenney. 4th ed. 1919. New York: Pearson Education Company, 1959. Print.

Poor attitude towards writing

Gau, Elisabeth, Jennifer Hermanson, Michele Logar, and Christine Smerek. "Improving Student Attitudes and Writing Abilities through Increased Writing Time and Opportunities." Diss. Saint Xavier University, 2003. Education Resource Information Center. Web.

Lack of style

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. Ed. Edward A Tenney. 4th ed. 1919. New York: Pearson Education Company, 1959. Print.

What Every Skilled Writer Should Know

IV

Write to Your AudienceStrange, Rebecca L. An Investigation of the Ability of Sixth Grade Students to Write According to Sense of Audience. Diss. Indiana University, 1986. Print.

Components of a Well Written PaperAdams, Elizabeth Kemper. “Some Fundamentals in the Teaching of Written Composition.” The Elementary School Teacher.

Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1904. 391-406. JSTOR. Web. 30 Nov. 2009. <http://www.jstor.org/ stable/ 993023>.

Proper Grammar

And Mechanics

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. Ed. Edward A Tenney. 4th ed. 1919. New York: Pearson Education Company, 1959. Print.

Read

Hauser, Jane, and The Acess Center. “Differentiated Instruction.” The Access Center: Improving Outcomes for All Students K-8. Dept. of Education, 22 Feb. 2007. Web. 2 Dec. 2009. <http://www.k8accesscenter.org/ training_resources/ writingdifferentation.asp>.

Pennsylvania. Dept. of Education. The Impact of State Mandated, Large-Scale Writing Assessment Policies in Pennsylvania. By Dale R Lumley and Wenfan Yan. Seattle: American Educational Research Association, 2001. Education Resources Information Center. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. <http://www.eric.ed.gov>.

PSSA Writing Rubric

Data Recognition Corporation. Technical Report for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. [ Harrisburg ]: Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, February 2009. Pennsylvania Department of Education. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. <http://www.statelibrary.state.pa.us>.

Data Recognition Corporation. Technical Report for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. [ Harrisburg ]: Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, February 2009. Pennsylvania Department of Education. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. <http://www.statelibrary.state.pa.us>.

The Impact of State Mandated Testing on Writing

Pennsylvania. Dept. of Education. The Impact of State Mandated, Large-Scale Writing Assessment Policies in Pennsylvania. By Dale R Lumley and Wenfan Yan. Seattle: American Educational Research Association, 2001. Education Resources Information Center. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. <http://www.eric.ed.gov>.

Dworkin, A. Gary. “The No Child Left Behind Act: Accountability, High-Stakes Testing, and Roles for Sociologists.” Sociology of Education 78.2 (2005): 170-174 . JSTOR. Web. 1 Dec. 2009.

Application:Instructional

Ning

“To supplement the English/writing curriculum of Mr. Powers 8th grade English class with the research I conducted regarding various writing topics and techniques”

Class List AlexAlyssaBrandonBrianBrianaBrittanyJanice Mike O.Mike M.SarahTaleeykToriZach

Breakdown of the Ning1.) Students completed assignments given to them

by either me or Mr. Powers.

2.) Students submit their final word document, with

only their first name included, to me so that I can

review and ultimately upload their writing to “Mr.

Power’s 8 th Grade Class” Ning

3.) After revising each individual submission I print

out the essays I feel I can improve with my feedback

and personally conference with those student’s when

I visited the Middle School.

“Writing Workshop”Important Excerpts

Assignment #1 – Practice PSSA Prompt“Many people like to borrow

clothes, shoes, iPods, and other

items. However, if borrowed

items get lost or damaged,

people can end up having

arguments. Write an essay

explaining how to resolve this problem”

Assignment #2 – Peer Review Activity“Everyone has an activity that they

enjoy doing. It might be playing an

instrument, or a sport. Think about

what you like to do the most. Write an

expository piece telling what you

most enjoy doing and at least three

reasons why you like this activity.

Remember to use specific details to

support and explain your reasons. Use

interesting adjectives and descriptions to make your paper

interesting to read.”

Assignment #3 – Differentiated Instruction“How did the Holocaust affect the Jewish

people? ”“What made it so easy for Hitler to rise to

power in pre-WWII Germany?”

“Do you believe that the verdicts reached

in the Nuremberg trials provided

appropriate punishment for Nazis? ”“After completing the K-W-L chart, using your

knowledge of the Holocaust, please choose the

question you feel as though you can answer

most completely. Be sure to incorporate plenty

of supporting details and thoughtful insight into

your response.”1-2 paragraphs.

Class Activity

Describe the person next to you, making sure to include some sort of error (grammatical, usage, spelling,

etc.) that needs to be corrected. Exchange papers and try to revise the

mistake

http://www.towson.edu/ows/sentencestruct.htm

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/

Works CitedAdams, Elizabeth Kemper. “Some Fundamentals in the Teaching of Written Composition.” The Elementary School Teacher. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1904. 391-406. JSTOR. Web. 30 Nov. 2009. <http://www.jstor.org/ stable/ 993023>.

Data Recognition Corporation. Technical Report for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. [ Harrisburg ]: Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, February 2009. Pennsylvania Department of Education. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. <http://www.statelibrary.state.pa.us>.

Dworkin, A. Gary. “The No Child Left Behind Act: Accountability, High-Stakes Testing, and Roles for Sociologists.” Sociology of Education 78.2 (2005): 170-174 . JSTOR. Web. 1 Dec. 2009.

Freedman, Sarah Warshauer. “Student Characteristics and Essay Test Writing Performance.” Research in the Teaching of English 17.4 (1983): 313-325. JSTOR. Web. 1 Dec. 2009.

Works Cited/ Works ConsultedGau, Elisabeth, Jennifer Hermanson, Michele Logar, and Christine Smerek. "Improving Student Attitudes and Writing Abilities through Increased Writing Time and Opportunities." Diss. Saint Xavier University, 2003. Education Resource Information Center. Web.

Hauser, Jane, and The Acess Center. “Differentiated Instruction.” The Access Center: Improving Outcomes for All Students K-8. Dept. of Education, 22 Feb. 2007. Web. 2 Dec. 2009. <http://www.k8accesscenter.org/ training_resources/ writingdifferentation.asp>.

Pennsylvania. Dept. of Education. The Impact of State Mandated, Large-Scale Writing Assessment Policies in Pennsylvania. By Dale R Lumley and Wenfan Yan. Seattle: American Educational Research Association, 2001. Education Resources Information Center. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. <http://www.eric.ed.gov>.

Strange, Rebecca L. An Investigation of the Ability of Sixth Grade Students to Write According to Sense of Audience. Diss. Indiana University, 1986. Print.

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. Ed. Edward A Tenney. 4th ed. 1919. New York: Pearson Education Company, 1959. Print.

In Conclusion