MCA Overview

1. MCA Overview

2. MCA overview • 10 ways to pass the state writing test: • Number 1 • Write in paragraph form • Must have introduction paragraph • Must have separate body paragraphs • Must have conclusion paragraph • Number 2 • Must answer the question(s) in the prompt • Do not write about another topic • Number 3 • Must write in complete sentences • Number 4 • Introduction paragraph must start with an attention-getter • Introduction must end with thesis statement that previews your three points • Number 5 • Subjects and verbs must agree

3. MCA overview • 10 ways to pass the state writing test: • Number 6 • You must use proper capitalization and punctuation. • Number 7 • You must spell common and frequently used words correctly. • Number 8 • Write clearly. • If the scorers cannot read your essay, they cannot score it. • Number 9 • Use the paper provided to create a rough draft. • Don’t put your first words down on the final scoring paper. • Take your time; this is not a timed test. • Number 10 • Get a good night’s sleep the night before; eat breakfast the day of. • Bring two #2 pencils with you.

4. MCA overview • Responses to recent tests: • Students didn’t seem to read the prompt as carefully as they should have to write what was asked for. • “Who is your favorite historical figure? Why is she/he your favorite? • Give enough details so readers will understand your ideas. • Many students wanted to write the chronological history of the person, NOT why he or she was the writers’ favorite. • One scorer suggests having students re-state the prompt in their thesis statement. For example, “Martin Luther King Jr. is my favorite historical figure because…” then list three reasons. The following paragraphs should then elaborate on the reasons. • Another problem: Students made all sorts of inaccurate statements: “Martin Luther King Jr. ended slavery.”

5. MCA overview • Strengths • Students seemed to take the task seriously. • Most had paragraphs, with an introduction, middle and conclusion. • Most went beyond simple sentences. • Most avoided the “flowery” introductions or descriptions that some had in the past.

6. MCA overview • Reminders: • Content: Read the prompt. Use the prompt in the thesis statement. • Organization: Use paragraphs. • Word choice: Avoid informal (“trite”) words such as “cool” or “like” • Conventions: Watch capital letters, especially with proper nouns, and check spelling. • Overall: Re-read; copy edit; correct

7. MCA overview: Writing to the prompt • Prompt: Think back to a favorite place to play when you were a child. Explain in detail why it was your favorite. Be descriptive and thorough. When I was a child, my favorite place to play was outside in my backyard. There is a certain place in my backyard where there are four pine trees that are planted very close to my house wall. This was my favorite place to play because it was a secret place that I found by myself, it was a good escape from the hot sun, and it wasn’t very big, so my parents couldn’t fit in it.

8. MCA overview: Writing to the prompt Every now and then, a tidal wave of nostalgia will hit me. I remember my childhood and the way things seemed weightless, and the world’s wonders were a great adventure. Right in my backyard lay a little world of my own to discover. My backyard was my favorite place to play when I was a child because it allowed me to be creative, it was readily available to me, and the air of mystery it held never failed to intrigue me.

9. MCA overview: Attention getter • One of my favorite places to play when I was younger was my dad’s office. I was thrilled anytime to be in there because I had my toys in the room, it was a very large space where I could do almost anything, and it gave me a chance to watch my dad work. ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: Attention getter It was a wondrous escape, this cozy hideaway in the back of my house that was filled with all the things that were important to me as a little girl.

10. MCA overview: Thank you! • Congratulations on reviewing this PowerPoint for the MCA test. I’m proud of you for taking the time to do it. • Did you know my favorite Beatles songs are “Hey Jude” and “This Boy”?

11. MCA overview: 3 clear points • Riding my bike, playing hide-and-seek at the park, and fishing at the lake. There are the things that I remember about the old park by my dad’s house. Although I do not remember the name of the old park, and I believe it was recently destroyed, I will never forget the fun time I had there, the bond that I made with my father and siblings, and the time that I spent in nature.

12. MCA overview: 3 clear points ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: Write in complete sentences; save some details for later. Riding my bike, playing hide-and-seek at the park, and fishing at the lake are all things that I remember about the old park by my dad’s house. Although I do not recall its name, the old park is etched into my mind and heart as my favorite place to play when I was a child. I will never forget the fun time I had there, the bond that I made with my father and siblings, and the time that I spent in nature. SAVE THE DELETED DETAIL FOR THE CONCLUSION: While the park was recently shut down, it will forever remain open in my memory.

13. MCA overview: 3 clear points • Prompt: If you could choose any place in the world to live, where would you choose, and why? • When I think of a place that I would love to live, the first image that comes to my mind is a Hawaiian beach. I see the waves crashing along the shore, the sun setting along the horizon, and the golden sand under my feet. I love warm weather and tropical climates, the sun, and the great wonder I feel when I look out at the ocean waves. That is why I would love to live in Hawaii.

14. MCA overview: 3 clear points ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT • Strive for variety in your points: warm weather, tropical climates, and the sun are all very closely related. I love warm weather, tropical landscapes, and the great wonder I feel when I look out at the ocean waves. That is why I would love to live in Hawaii.

15. MCA overview: Transitions • There is an island in Florida that seems like heaven. This island is called Sanibel. If I could live anywhere it would be Sanibel because of the weather, the trails/sidewalks, and the restaurants. Sanibel’s weather is gracious …With all the great weather, exercising outdoors in Sanibel is very common. Sanibel features many trails and sidewalks … After exercising on the smooth trails, your body will want some food for energy. Sanibel Island has some of the finest restaurants in Florida.

16. MCA overview: Transitions • Everyone has their favorite childhood memories of playing with their friends and family. My favorite place to play when I was younger was the magnolia tree in my garden. It was my favorite because it was part of my childhood, it was where I could play with my brothers, and it was my place to get away. Most of my childhood memories are in that tree …I managed to climb to the top. I was so proud of myself. The tree is not only part of my childhood but my brothers’, too. … That is one of the many games we played. In addition to enjoying the tree with my brothers,I would also go to the tree to get away if I wanted to be by myself.

17. MCA overview: Transitions • Prompt: Who is someone you admire or have admired growing up? (This person does not necessarily have to be famous.) Explain why, and note how this person has inspired you. Have you ever looked up to that really cool girl but she was always mean to you? When I was younger I looked up to my neighbor, Lucy Neary. She always had the latest fashion that I would dream of. With the clothes, she had all the new toys that every kid wanted in the neighborhood. Best of all, she got to mingle with the older kids in the neighborhood. Lucy always had the latest fashions…her flamboyant hairpiece changed by the second, it seemed. Not only did Lucy have the latest fashions but also the latest toys. …she was the first to have one. So Lucy had the material things, but she also had the friendship of the older kids in the neighborhood.

18. MCA overview: Reminders • Specifically state why: you want to live there, it was your favorite place to play, you admire this leader, etc. • Stay on topic. • Write in complete sentences. Fragments have their place: The state writing test isn’t it. • Be descriptive without overdoing it: The dewy grass tickled my feet is fine; The precipitated monocotyledonous plantclutched at my lower extremities, its tiny tentacles sending involuntary tremors through my nervous system is a bit much. • Use transitions: Help each point/paragraph flow into the next. • Revisit/reword but don’t merely repeat word-for-word your three points in your conclusion.

19. MCA overview: Reminders • Avoid second-person “you.” Use “I” to make it your experience, your favorite place, etc. • If you get tired, you can go down to the village to grab a hot chocolate. • If I get tired, I can go down to the village to grab a hot chocolate. • When you think of a place where you loved to play, your mind always travels to one place. • When I think of a place where I loved to play, my mind always travels to one place.

20. MCA overview: Reminders • Comma splices – please avoid them. When I go back there I am a kid again, there are no worries. However, I could not make a sand castle by myself, luckily, I had my cousins. This place was a jungle filled with ferocious animals, well, I guess it was in my little eyes.

21. MCA overview: Reminders • Pronoun/antecedent agreement • Confidence allows one to do things they otherwise wouldn’t do. • Sand toys were strewn across the entire beach, creating a hazard for anyone who wasn’t light on their feet. • Japan would be a great place to live because they have delicious food that can usually not be found anywhere else in the world. • Every child has a place where they can go and feel safer than anywhere else. • Everyone has their favorite childhood memories of playing with their friends and family.

22. MCA overview: Reminders • You have to be your own spell checker. • it’s = it is its = possessive • u/you (NEVER USE TEXTING SPELLING) • weather/whether • form/from • witch/which • mush/much • seamed/seemed • where/we’re/were • roster/rooster • thought/taught • herd/heard • Example in sentences: • From the begging, Japan has been full of different types of people, places, and things to see. • These quality’s best describe him to me. • I could clam myself by just listening to nature. • I was able to spend more time in nation (should read “nature”) • Periods and commas go inside quotation marks.

23. MCA overview: Reminders Be very clear in your wording and descriptions: • Living and breathing the beaches of Miami when I lived there… • …because now, years after my adolescence, … • The secret tree house didn’t only help me understand myself but also my friend. • Has there ever been a person who has changed your life in a very meaningful way? For me, there was someone. • …whereas in Minnesota, rain typically makes a barricade of cold, wet bullets locking us in our houses. • Write legibly: If the assessors can’t read your writing, they’ll move on to the next essay; you’ll move on to re-testing. • Outline your essay before you start. • PROOFREAD AFTER YOU’RE DONE. THEN PROOFREAD AGAIN. THEN DO IT AGAIN. AND AGAIN.

24. MCA overview Revision checklist: • Introduction: thesis statement containing the prompt; three points to support the thesis statement. • Transition words/statements (usually the first sentence of each new body paragraph). This can also serve as the paragraph’s topic sentence. • Specific details in each paragraph to support the topic sentence. • Conclusion: Re-word (rather than repeat) the thesis statement; summarize points you made in body of paper; leave the reader with a parting thought to take away from the reading.

25. MCA overview: Practice Typical prompt: Your teacher has asked you to write about your favorite time or season of the year. Name that time or season of the year and give specific reasons why it is a favorite. Give enough details so your teacher will understand your ideas. Do a brief outline of your essay. Construct an introductory paragraph.

26. MCA overview: Practice • Introduction • Attention getter • Thesis statement that addresses prompt • Preview of three points • First point (first body paragraph) • Transition • Supporting detail • Supporting detail • Supporting detail