How to pass the …

1. How to pass the … Georgia High School Graduation Writing Test

2. What is it? • The Georgia High School Graduation Writing Test is a persuasive essay that every 11th grader must write and pass to graduate. • You cannot get a high school diploma without passing this writing test. • BUT, don’t worry. We are going to help you through this.

3. What to expect… • The GHSWT topics are often referred to as “prompts,” for their purpose is to prompt or elicit a writing sample in an on-demand setting. • Each prompt is divided into two clearly marked parts: the Writing Situation and the Directions for Writing.

4. Audience… • The audience is specified. The audience may range from the familiar (fellow students or family members) to the distant (legislators, school board members, newspaper subscribers).

5. Grading… Domain Weight • Ideas 2 • Organization 1 • Style 1 • Conventions 1 1. A domain is an aspect of writing. 2. Each domain itself is scored holistically(this means that errors are not counted, but rather it is a feeling of how you measure up to other students that determines your score). The score assigned indicates the writer’s command of the components.

6. Successful Essays • 1. are consistently focused on the assigned topic, persuasive purpose, and audience • 2. have an effective introduction, body, and conclusion • 3. demonstrate a well developed and valid writer’s position • 4. present supporting ideas that are fully elaborated with specific examples and details

7. So how do you do all this?

8. Remember this… • PEARLS SAVE your paper.

9. Let’s begin with the “P” in Pearls • “P” stands for Paragraphs. • When you write your essay, you must break up your thoughts and ideas with paragraphs.

10. Now the “E” pEarls • The “E” stands for Expert. Tell your audience why they should believe you or why you are an expert on the matter. YES, you can lie!!!

11. The “A” stands for Audience. • You must acknowledge your audience in your opening, body and closing. Often when writing an essay like this, by the time you are at the end, you forget who you are writing to. • A good way to remember your audience in your closing is a Call To Action. • A call to action is when you ask your audience to do something that supports your stance or opinion.

12. The “R” stands for rhetorical question. • Ask a question that you already know the answer to or that you don’t expect an answer for. Have your parents ever asked you, “Do you know how much trouble you are in?” Do you think they really want you to answer? • Use this strategy in your writing. • ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

13. The “L” stands for Length • You must write at least two pages. • It’s as simple as that!!! 1+1=2

14. The “S” stands for Statistics • Make yourself sound more credible by using statistics. Can you lie? YES, you can lie!!!

15. That’s it for the PEARLS • P aragraphs • E xpert • A udience • R hetorical question • L ength • S tatistics

16. Now on to the word SAVE

17. The “S” in Save is for • Sentence Structure. You want to use different kinds of sentences throughout your essay. • 1. Simple. I have a cat. • 2. Simple but descriptive. I previously owned an adorable, three-legged tabby with bright green eyes. • 3. Compound. I owned an adorable, three-legged cat, and my brother had a vicious dog who tried to hurt her. • 4. Complex. Despite my brother’s vicious dog, I owned a three-legged tabby.

18. The “A” in sAve is for Adjectives. • Describe, describe, describe. • Pick at least one sentence in every paragraph where you can add some adjectives to paint a better picture for your reader. • Ugly StepsistersMagical MountainFerocious Dragon

19. The “V” stands for Vocabulary • Pick at least one sentence in every paragraph where you can use a better vocabulary word then the one you originally used. • 1. I don’t like it when people bully others. • I detest when people bully others. 2. He alwaysputs me down. He continuallybelittles me. IT MAKES YOU SOUND SMART!!!

20. The “E” in savE stands for • Emotion. Show your soft side. Relate to your audience’s emotional side. You can do this by telling a personal story or asking a personal question. For example, if you were arguing to your principal that River Ridge should not adopt school uniforms, you might use something like this: • Mr. Herring, do you want to be responsible for destroying every young person’s sense of individuality?

21. Now that you know PEARLSSAVE, let’s remember what it stands for • P –Paragraph – You have to separate your ideas • E – Expert – Tell your audience why they should listen to you • A – Audience – Remember who you are writing to in the intro, body and conclusion • R – Rhetorical Question – Ask a question that does not need an answer • L – Length – 2 pages • S – Statistics – 85% of good papers have statistics

22. S – Sentences – Use different lengths of sentences • A – Adjectives – Describe something • V – Vocabulary – Bump up your vocab • E – Emotion -Make em’ cry You Got It !!!!

23. In your groups… • Each of you will write and introductory paragraph. • You will then share and edit these with your group members. BE HONEST!! If you think something needs work, tell them. • Then as a group, write an introductory paragraph using the best elements of each paragraph written in the group. • When it comes to introducing the writer, just pick a group member’s name, or make one up.

24. Prompt s • Group A: RRHS students should be able to use their electronic devices in the hallway. • Group B: RRHS students should NOT be able to use their electronic devices in the hallway. • Group C: Watching too much TV has a negative effect on students. • Group D: Watching too much TV does NOT have a negative effect on students. • Group E: What is the most important technological invention of the last decade?