Composition
Composition Monthly Assignment:
for each month, turn in:
one outline
one rough draft
one final copy
one graded rubric
(40 points)
for each month, turn in:
one outline
one rough draft
one final copy
one graded rubric
(40 points)
How to Easily Build a Year of Writing Assignments
The essays below are designed to move student to a level four depth of knowledge where students design, connect, synthesize, apply, analyze or prove their learning.
Students complete at least one essay per month, including at least four of the choices listed below, each year. All paper types should be completed at least twice within each two-year span to make sure all the learning targets for analysis and writing are addressed. Each year, work should show increasing mastery, sophistication and rigor of content and topics. Feel free to create alternate assignments that are a better fit for your student, but be aware of the learning targets.
Generally, the first assigned paper of the year is a personal narrative. It is a good first assignment because students can begin work on it immediately, while they are reading their first novel of the year.
The second month, students can write a paper analyzing the book read in the previous month, and so on throughout the year. Papers are assigned to be a good match for the book topic. Students are encouraged to annotate the novel as they read, in light of the paper they will be writing.
The essays below are designed to move student to a level four depth of knowledge where students design, connect, synthesize, apply, analyze or prove their learning.
Students complete at least one essay per month, including at least four of the choices listed below, each year. All paper types should be completed at least twice within each two-year span to make sure all the learning targets for analysis and writing are addressed. Each year, work should show increasing mastery, sophistication and rigor of content and topics. Feel free to create alternate assignments that are a better fit for your student, but be aware of the learning targets.
Generally, the first assigned paper of the year is a personal narrative. It is a good first assignment because students can begin work on it immediately, while they are reading their first novel of the year.
The second month, students can write a paper analyzing the book read in the previous month, and so on throughout the year. Papers are assigned to be a good match for the book topic. Students are encouraged to annotate the novel as they read, in light of the paper they will be writing.
High School Essay Grading
Students grade their own papers using the rubric attached below, to self-evaluate. The mentor teacher may agree or disagree with the grades, and the teacher's grades are the ones that are recorded. The essay counts for 40% of the overall monthly English grade. Essay Rubric The rubric file attached below is broken into two sections. Common Components (22 points) The first section addresses the components of essays that are common to every essay: sentence variation, word choice, grammar, usage and mechanics. The rubric is designed to allow the teacher and student to see growth over time. The rubric also has examples of "sentence starters" designed to help students increase the sophistication of their sentence structure. Specific Components (18 points) The second section address the components that are specific for different papers, including content and organization. You can see how the two sections are combined to grade the final essay in the portion of the rubric included as an image below. High School Essay Rubric
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Instruction in Composition
The best instruction involves 1-on-1 coaching/conferencing at the pre-write, rough draft and final copy stages of the essay. Further instruction in writing for these essays can be accessed several ways:
High School Essay Choices with Outlines/Links
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high_school_essays_with_outlines2017.docx |
High School Essay Choices
For each paper:
Revise and edit your work to include an appropriate variety of sentence types, precise vocabulary, a formal and objective tone, correct use of conventions, transitions between ideas and a clear conclusion. Provide EVIDENCE of planning, revising, and editing. All final work must be produced using technology (word processing, application, multimedia). Cite at least three sources for each paper, using MLA formatting.
Theme Paper Analysis: (Expository Rubric)
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly to develop a theme over the course of the text, as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. Include the impact of the author’s choices such as setting, plot and character development in the development of the theme. Student Sample 12 How to Write an Analysis Paper Theme paper process (Minimum of 5 paragraphs) Analysis paper Roen State Writing Lab
Alternate formatting: write and publish as a book review on Good Reads.
Point of View Analysis Paper (Expository Rubric)
Analyze a text, by discussing the differing points of view of two or more characters (or narrator). Cite strong and thorough textual evidence, addressing both what is said directly and what is inferred from symbols, motifs, satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement. Scroll to Page 8 of 12 in this PDF for support and instruction. (Minimum of 6 paragraphs)
Alternate formatting: write and publish as a book review on Good Reads.
Poetry Analysis Paper (Expository Rubric) Suggest length: 10 paragraphs.
Compile an anthology of at least 5 of the works of one poet, OR an anthology of 5 poems from a variety of poets addressing the same theme. Select your works with care and thoughtfulness. Explain how the themes of the various poems are connected and why the poems are important and the themes are expressed. Address both what is said directly and what is inferred from symbols, motifs, satire, sarcasm, irony, understatement, or other literary elements. Step-by-step instructions How to write a poetry analysis paper Sample of student notes on a poem Sample Student Essay Assignment with details (Minimum of 3 pages) Poems by Theme
Alternate formatting: Create a small hand-sewn book of poetry as a gift. Put the poems on the left-side page and commentary on the right side. A book of poems about courage and fortitude might be a nice option for a service member leaving the country...or for the spouse. Other options include: a book of poems about life for a new mom; poems about consolation for a friend struggling with a hard time; poems about nature for the new owner of a lake home.
Compare and Contrast Paper (Expository Rubric)
After reading a book, play, or poem, find another performance of the work in the form of a movie, theatrical production or audio dramatization OR a work from the same period or treating the same theme or topic. Compare and contrast the presentation of the theme or topic by the two authors by addressing their use of plot, vocabulary, imagery, literary devices and tone. Student Sample How to Write a Compare and Contrast Paper
(Suggestions: Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story; Of Mice and Men (novel) and Grapes of Wrath (movie); “The Most Dangerous Game” and “The Monkey’s Paw”) (Minimum of 6 paragraphs)
Argumentation/Persuasive Paper (Persuasive Rubric)
Create a paper that introduces a precise, knowledgeable claim, establishes the importance of this claim, and distinguishes the claim from alternate or opposing claims. Support the claim through at least seven paragraphs of organized and logically sequenced evidence. Explain clearly how the evidence supports your claim. Include at least one paragraph, which addresses a common counterclaim, and provide evidence to refute that claim. Student samples (Minimum of 6 paragraphs) How to Write an Argumentative Paper
Alternate formatting: Write a letter to a parent/teacher/principal/librarian/book store owner to buy/carry/display/offer the book you have read, because it provides a valuable life lesson. Use evidence from the text. Consider using Blabberize, a free tool, which allows students to upload a photo, create a mouth and have the photo argue their position digitally!
Research Paper (Research Rubric)
Write a paper, website or brochure to inform or explain to your audience a topic on which you have both interest and expertise. Select the most significant and relevant facts. Provide extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia (when useful) to help your reader understand your topic. Choose an audience, and write using words that are a good fit with the audience’s knowledge of the topic. Use precise vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to help your readers better understand your topic. Make sure that your concluding paragraph follows clearly from the information you have provided and mentions its significance. A Research Guide provides a step-by-step guidance in writing your research paper. Strong Student Sample Student samples (Minimum of 15 paragraphs)
Alternate formatting: Write a brochure to an audience who would benefit from the information; as an alternative, create a Voki (or series of Voki's) where the Voki presents the information to your audience.
Explain and Evaluate a student example Historical Document Paper (Persuasive Rubric)
Choose an important U.S. text such as a U.S. Supreme Court Case majority opinion and dissent, a presidential address or a founding document. Carefully explain and analyze the reasoning in the document. Summarize the arguments made by the author in your own words, to make them clear to your reader. Provide the historical context as evidence to help your reader understand the purpose or goal the author had in mind when he wrote the text. Explain the underlying beliefs (premises) upon which the author builds his argument. Conclude by explaining why this document is still important today. (Minimum of 8 paragraphs) How to write a historical document analysis paper Historical research links Sample analysis
Alternate formatting: Create a 3-panel poster or a digital product like a Prezi that would beneficial to a library or museum that provides information on a document of interest to their visitors.
Personal Narrative (Narrative Rubric)
Select an experience in your life that has changed you and can be told in the manner of an engaging story. Write a narrative of at least ten paragraphs, to develop this experience using well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. Begin your narrative by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and explain its significance, establish a point of view, and introduce the narrator and/or characters. Create a smooth progression of experiences or events, using narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and reflection to develop both the event(s), and/or character(s). Use precise words and details and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experience. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what you learned or changed as a result of this experience. Consider choosing a college entrance essay prompt. Student samples 500 Prompts How to write a Narrative Paper (Minimum of 8 paragraphs)
Alternate formatting: Create an interactive "choose your own adventure" version of the story using the free online tool: Inkl
For each paper:
Revise and edit your work to include an appropriate variety of sentence types, precise vocabulary, a formal and objective tone, correct use of conventions, transitions between ideas and a clear conclusion. Provide EVIDENCE of planning, revising, and editing. All final work must be produced using technology (word processing, application, multimedia). Cite at least three sources for each paper, using MLA formatting.
Theme Paper Analysis: (Expository Rubric)
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly to develop a theme over the course of the text, as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. Include the impact of the author’s choices such as setting, plot and character development in the development of the theme. Student Sample 12 How to Write an Analysis Paper Theme paper process (Minimum of 5 paragraphs) Analysis paper Roen State Writing Lab
Alternate formatting: write and publish as a book review on Good Reads.
Point of View Analysis Paper (Expository Rubric)
Analyze a text, by discussing the differing points of view of two or more characters (or narrator). Cite strong and thorough textual evidence, addressing both what is said directly and what is inferred from symbols, motifs, satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement. Scroll to Page 8 of 12 in this PDF for support and instruction. (Minimum of 6 paragraphs)
Alternate formatting: write and publish as a book review on Good Reads.
Poetry Analysis Paper (Expository Rubric) Suggest length: 10 paragraphs.
Compile an anthology of at least 5 of the works of one poet, OR an anthology of 5 poems from a variety of poets addressing the same theme. Select your works with care and thoughtfulness. Explain how the themes of the various poems are connected and why the poems are important and the themes are expressed. Address both what is said directly and what is inferred from symbols, motifs, satire, sarcasm, irony, understatement, or other literary elements. Step-by-step instructions How to write a poetry analysis paper Sample of student notes on a poem Sample Student Essay Assignment with details (Minimum of 3 pages) Poems by Theme
Alternate formatting: Create a small hand-sewn book of poetry as a gift. Put the poems on the left-side page and commentary on the right side. A book of poems about courage and fortitude might be a nice option for a service member leaving the country...or for the spouse. Other options include: a book of poems about life for a new mom; poems about consolation for a friend struggling with a hard time; poems about nature for the new owner of a lake home.
Compare and Contrast Paper (Expository Rubric)
After reading a book, play, or poem, find another performance of the work in the form of a movie, theatrical production or audio dramatization OR a work from the same period or treating the same theme or topic. Compare and contrast the presentation of the theme or topic by the two authors by addressing their use of plot, vocabulary, imagery, literary devices and tone. Student Sample How to Write a Compare and Contrast Paper
(Suggestions: Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story; Of Mice and Men (novel) and Grapes of Wrath (movie); “The Most Dangerous Game” and “The Monkey’s Paw”) (Minimum of 6 paragraphs)
Argumentation/Persuasive Paper (Persuasive Rubric)
Create a paper that introduces a precise, knowledgeable claim, establishes the importance of this claim, and distinguishes the claim from alternate or opposing claims. Support the claim through at least seven paragraphs of organized and logically sequenced evidence. Explain clearly how the evidence supports your claim. Include at least one paragraph, which addresses a common counterclaim, and provide evidence to refute that claim. Student samples (Minimum of 6 paragraphs) How to Write an Argumentative Paper
Alternate formatting: Write a letter to a parent/teacher/principal/librarian/book store owner to buy/carry/display/offer the book you have read, because it provides a valuable life lesson. Use evidence from the text. Consider using Blabberize, a free tool, which allows students to upload a photo, create a mouth and have the photo argue their position digitally!
Research Paper (Research Rubric)
Write a paper, website or brochure to inform or explain to your audience a topic on which you have both interest and expertise. Select the most significant and relevant facts. Provide extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia (when useful) to help your reader understand your topic. Choose an audience, and write using words that are a good fit with the audience’s knowledge of the topic. Use precise vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to help your readers better understand your topic. Make sure that your concluding paragraph follows clearly from the information you have provided and mentions its significance. A Research Guide provides a step-by-step guidance in writing your research paper. Strong Student Sample Student samples (Minimum of 15 paragraphs)
Alternate formatting: Write a brochure to an audience who would benefit from the information; as an alternative, create a Voki (or series of Voki's) where the Voki presents the information to your audience.
Explain and Evaluate a student example Historical Document Paper (Persuasive Rubric)
Choose an important U.S. text such as a U.S. Supreme Court Case majority opinion and dissent, a presidential address or a founding document. Carefully explain and analyze the reasoning in the document. Summarize the arguments made by the author in your own words, to make them clear to your reader. Provide the historical context as evidence to help your reader understand the purpose or goal the author had in mind when he wrote the text. Explain the underlying beliefs (premises) upon which the author builds his argument. Conclude by explaining why this document is still important today. (Minimum of 8 paragraphs) How to write a historical document analysis paper Historical research links Sample analysis
Alternate formatting: Create a 3-panel poster or a digital product like a Prezi that would beneficial to a library or museum that provides information on a document of interest to their visitors.
Personal Narrative (Narrative Rubric)
Select an experience in your life that has changed you and can be told in the manner of an engaging story. Write a narrative of at least ten paragraphs, to develop this experience using well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. Begin your narrative by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and explain its significance, establish a point of view, and introduce the narrator and/or characters. Create a smooth progression of experiences or events, using narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and reflection to develop both the event(s), and/or character(s). Use precise words and details and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experience. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what you learned or changed as a result of this experience. Consider choosing a college entrance essay prompt. Student samples 500 Prompts How to write a Narrative Paper (Minimum of 8 paragraphs)
Alternate formatting: Create an interactive "choose your own adventure" version of the story using the free online tool: Inkl