10 th Grade English Ms. Kauffman

1. Tips to Writing 10th Grade EnglishMs. Kauffman Advance to the next slide

2. Tips to Writing 1. Know your assignment 2. Research and draft 3. Lead with your main idea 4. Have varying sentences 5. Use specific nouns and verbs 6. Cut clutter and fluff 7. Revise and read aloud 8. Complete with confidence Review Question

3. Know your assignment • Reread your prompt a few times • Highlight key elements and specific criteria • In the margin or on another paper, list the requirements as simply as you can • Turn the prompt into a question • List possible topics and choose the best one Return to Main Menu

4. Research and Draft • If research is required, this is the time to print out your many sources and identify what you are going to use from them • If research is not required this is still a good time to dig for some background information on your topic for inspiration • Begin drafting by listing things you want to include in your paper • Then organize those points into some type of order and make an outline of your paper • Begin writing your paper and stay focused on your plan; grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other mechanics can be taken care of at a later time • Don’t forget to include an introduction and a conclusion Return to Main Menu

5. Lead with your main idea • A strong paper identifies its main idea early in the paper • This allows your reader to grasp the concept of your paper immediately • This also applies to the style of your paper; each paragraph should have a topic sentence or main idea clearly expressed at the beginning • Do not keep your readers guessing Return to Main Menu

6. Have varying sentences • it is important that your paper have character, that is, in sentence form • sentences should vary in length and vary structure • short sentences can be used for emphasis or drama whereas long sentences can be used for explanation, definition, or illustration of ideas • be sure to have a blend of simple, compound, and complex sentences throughout your paper Return to Main Menu

7. Use specific nouns and verbs • be sure to show what you mean using concrete words to help your readers piece things together • specificity keeps readers engaged and allows for great detail as well as a better understanding • be sure to use active verbs in the active voice to avoid too much use of the passive voice and forms of “to be” Return to Main Menu

8. Cut clutter and fluff • eliminate any information that doesn’t seem to flow well • do not add additional information for length; your paper is better without fluff! • Cut any parts that seem confusing or repetitive • Do not add unnecessary information to your heading, it doesn’t make your paper much longer Return to Main Menu

9. Revise and read aloud • look over your paper and make any changes you see fit • then have a peer or guardian look over your paper as well • if able, have an additional person review it again to compare differing opinions and ideas • make your final corrections and read your paper aloud • continue these tips until you are satisfied with your final product Return to Main Menu

10. Complete with confidence • at this point, you should be confident in your product • turn in your final paper as advised but be sure you have it saved or an additional copy is kept somewhere safe • take a deep breath and take pride in yourself for the work you accomplished Return to Main Menu

11. Review Question • How do you show what you are trying to convey? • Use abstract words • Use concrete words • Use words that you think are cute

12. Incorrect • You chose letter (a) for your answer and that is incorrect. • Remember the slide that discusses the use of specific nouns and verbs. • Think about the type of words you are to use carefully and then try again! Back to Review Question

13. Incorrect • You chose letter (c) for your answer and that is incorrect. • Remember the slide that discusses the use of specific nouns and verbs. • Think about the type of words you are to use carefully and then try again! Back to Review Question

14. Correct! You chose letter (b) as your answer! You show what you mean using concrete words! Great job! Continue

15. Congratulations! You have completed this Interactive Lesson! Click below to return to the beginning slide for the next student!