Writing Worksheet 1A: Writing a Personification Paragraph Within each category below, list two possible topics that you would find interesting to personify. 1. 2. 1. 2. 1. 2. Animal Object Idea Eliminate the three topics above that least appeal to you. Expand two or three of the remaining topics in greater detail using the cluster diagrams provided. Think of each topic in terms of human characteristics. Use the categories given appearance, actions, demeanor, expression and any other ones helpful to structure your brainstorming about each topic. for use with Unit 1
Writing Worksheet 1A: Writing a Personification Paragraph (continued) Expression Appearance Topic Actions Demeanor for use with Unit 1
Writing Worksheet 1B: Writing a Personification Paragraph Once you have finished your writing, use the following questions to help develop and/or revise your content. Jot down any problems you see that will need to be addressed. Ideas 1. Does my paragraph accomplish the purpose of the assignment? Does it personify one particular animal, object, or idea? Did I use a variety of human characteristics (appearance, actions, demeanor, expression, etc.)? 2. Is my paragraph well developed? Did I follow a specific method of organization (special or chronological)? 3. Does my paragraph engage reader interest? 4. Do the ideas in the paragraph flow from sentence to sentence? What transitional phrases did I use? 5. Does my paragraph have a topic sentence and a concluding sentence? Write them out. 6. Did I use precise, concise, lively words? Style 7. Did I use concrete imagery and appeal to most or all of the senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and scent)? for use with Unit 1
Writing Worksheet 1B: Writing a Personification Paragraph (continued) 8. Did I include examples of figurative language (simile, metaphor, etc.)? Write examples here. 9. Have I used verbs that are active or descriptive rather than depending on forms of to be? (Instead of I was so embarrassed, try I felt my face warm with embarrassment. ) Correctness 10. Did I proofread for grammatical, usage, and spelling errors? 11. Did I proofread for capitalization and punctuation errors? for use with Unit 1
Writing Worksheet 2A: Writing a Persuasive Speech In the boxes below, organize the arguments for and against the position you take on your topic. Include facts and illustrations supporting each argument in favor. Then formulate responses to any arguments against your position. Topic: Your Position: 1. Arguments Supporting Your Position 2. 3. 4. for use with Unit 2
Writing Worksheet 2A: Writing a Persuasive Speech (continued) 1. Arguments Opposing Your Position Your Answer: 2. Your Answer: 3. 4. Your Answer: Your Answer: for use with Unit 2
Writing Worksheet 2B: Writing a Persuasive Speech But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. James 3:17 Fallacies in Reasoning Avoid the following reasoning fallacies in your speech. Stereotype an oversimplified generalization often founded on either ignorance or malice and based solely on gender, race, cultural background, age, or physical characteristics The parents of Mr. Marley (Scrooge s opponent) came to these shores only thirty years ago. He can t understand this country s people and heritage like I do! (Just because a person s family came from elsewhere doesn t mean that he has no valuable insights to offer. He should be judged by his own ideas.) Ad Hominem attacking a person rather than the issue Mr. Marley is a greedy old miser. You shouldn t vote for him for governor! (Mr. Scrooge takes the focus off himself by hurling insults, completely unsupported, at his opponent.) Hasty Generalization basing a conclusion on too little evidence Vote for Mr. Scrooge the man of choice. (One hundred people were interviewed out of the entire state, and sixty-three said they would vote for Mr. Scrooge. These sixty-three were also people who stand to gain personally if he is placed into office.) Bandwagon or Popular Opinion encouraging others to join an allegedly overwhelming majority Everyone knows the right answer join us in voting for Mr. Scrooge for governor! (If you don t vote for Mr. Scrooge, the implication is that you are completely out of step with popular culture. Just who is everyone?) Card Stacking intentionally presenting only one side of the issue Mr. Marley has repeatedly refused to give money to the educational system. Mr. Scrooge promises to increase educational spending. (They fail to mention that Mr. Marley was working under a tight budget at a time when the economy was down. No spending was increased in order to keep the budget balanced. His actions were actually very prudent and beneficial to the state.) Testimonial citing a well-known personality as an authority on something that he or she is not qualified to speak about Hello. This is Mr. Local Celebrity. I ve just come from lunch with Mr. Scrooge. He is a trustworthy guy, and I know he is the best choice we have. He certainly has my vote! (The people all know Mr. Local Celebrity, but what does he know about how well Mr. Scrooge will be able to serve the people as governor?) for use with Unit 2
Writing Worksheet 2C: Peer Evaluation of the Persuasive Speech I am evaluating the speech of. Content Comments Do the ideas logically support the writer s position? Are they articulated with clarity and coherence? Organization Comments Is the organization clear? Does it support the content and purpose of the speech? Presentation Comments Does the writer/speaker hold audience attention? Was the presentation clear and engaging? Appeal Comments Does the writer/speaker strongly and clearly communicate what change or action the audience should take? Grammar/Usage Comments Were there any errors in agreement, pronoun reference, word usage, phrases, or clauses? Spelling If you are grading a written script of the speech, did you find any spelling errors? Are any visual aids being used free of these errors? Capitalization/Punctuation If you are grading a written script of the speech, did you find any capitalization or punctuation errors? Are any visual aids being used free of these errors? Comments Comments Circle the appropriate word to indicate your evaluation of the persuasive speech. Write any overall comments below. Excellent Average Needs Improvement for use with Unit 2
Writing Worksheet 3A: Symbols in the Bible Name If you choose to consult sources in addition to the Bible, you should include (in proper format) parenthetical citations and a works-cited list. Use the following chart to help you organize the information necessary to cite sources properly. Quotation / Paraphrase Page Number(s) Source Title and Publishing Information for use with Unit 3
Writing Worksheet 3B: Peer Evaluation Name Read and evaluate the attached paper. Then provide constructive encouragement and criticism to help the writer improve his or her writing. As indicated in the table, you should focus on problems in ideas, logic, and clarity rather than correcting errors of punctuation or grammar. Thesis Does the thesis statement communicate the main idea of the essay clearly and concisely? Reader 1 Comments Reader 2 Comments Reader 3 Comments Content Does the essay fully explore the meaning of the chosen symbol? Does the essay support its claims with relevant details from the passage? Reader 1 Comments Reader 2 Comments Reader 3 Comments for use with Unit 3
Writing Worksheet 3B: Peer Evaluation (continued) Organization Reader 1 Comments Does the essay follow the structural requirements of the assignment? Does each supporting point, along with its paragraph, create a clear, concise, and logical train of thought? Reader 2 Comments Reader 3 Comments Circle the appropriate word to indicate your evaluation of the essay. Write any overall comments below. Excellent Average Needs Improvement for use with Unit 3
Writing Worksheet 4A: A Study in Irony Name Use this worksheet to organize your ideas and research into the assignment s four divisions. In each box below, outline and list in order the ideas and support you plan to cover in that section. I. Introduction (Grab reader attention) Thesis: II. Analysis for use with Unit 4
Writing Worksheet 4A: A Study in Irony (continued) III. Application IV. Conclusion for use with Unit 4
Writing Worksheet 4B: A Study in Irony Name Answer the following questions to help you think about an overarching message the Scriptures are teaching through the ironic passage you have chosen. There may be more than one lesson to learn. Use your answers to develop a specific application for your paper. 1. What was the outcome of the character s decision or situation? 2. Did God approve or disapprove of his actions? 3. Was he blessed for or despite his actions? Why? 4. Did the character learn or change because of the situation s outcome? 5. How might the situation have turned out differently if the character had acted differently? 6. How does this message affect your view of God and man? 7. How should this message change the way you live? for use with Unit 4
Writing Worksheet 4C: Revision Checklist Name Use a check mark to indicate that you have considered each area of revision and taken the appropriate action to improve or correct it. Revising for Ideas Areas to Consider Actions to Take Purpose Is your purpose clear from your topic sentence or thesis statement? Focus on the main idea; eliminate irrelevant information. Check organization. Interest Does the beginning grab the reader s attention? Do details throughout the piece make the reader want to continue reading? Consider rewriting the beginning. Use an interesting fact, question, or anecdote that will interest your audience. Unity Is everything included that should be included? Is there anything unnecessary in the piece? Rewrite or eliminate sentences that do not relate to the topic of the paragraph. Coherence Is the relationship among ideas, sentences, and paragraphs obvious and logical? Include transitional expressions to link the various parts of the paper together. Revising for Style Areas to Consider Actions to Take Emphasis Precision Conciseness Smoothness Are the important ideas central or emphasized? Do wrong or unimportant ideas stand out? Have you chosen nouns and verbs that are imprecise or general? Are sentences overly convoluted and confusing? Is your writing redundant? Are sentences cumbersome because of their length? Does your writing contain awkward or rough parts? Place important ideas at the beginning or end of sentences. (The end is the strongest position in a sentence or paragraph.) Whenever possible, use very specific words. Consult your thesaurus for words with helpful nuances. Strengthen and clarify the relationships between a sentence s clauses. Break apart sentences if necessary. Circle words key to the sentence s content. Then considering the rest of the sentence, remove as many unnecessary words as you can without losing meaning. Possibly break sentences apart or reduce dependent clauses to shorter, simpler phrases. Rewrite using word choices and rhythms that sound natural. Remove excess words. Fresh Words Is your writing full of overused words and phrases? Replace clichéd words and phrases with new comparisons. for use with Unit 4
Writing Worksheet 4C: Revision Checklist (continued) Revising for Correctness: Proofreading Areas to Consider Actions to Take Sentence Structure Does your paper contain sentence errors? Use the computer grammar check to flag possible errors (though these programs are not always correct). Read carefully for each type of sentence error fragments, comma splices, and fused sentences. Usage Are there subjects and verbs that disagree? How about pronouns and antecedents? Have you used correct pronoun case and reference? Have any incorrectly used words crept into your paper? Check your paper twice for agreement errors first for subject-verb and then for pronoun-antecedent agreement problems. Correct pronoun usage problems. Check for troublesome word pairs (e.g., there/their or lay/lie) and other words that you easily use incorrectly. Spelling Do you have any spelling errors? Are you unsure whether a word is spelled correctly? Use the computer spell check for an initial check. Consult the dictionary for any potential misspellings. Review applicable spelling rules and exceptions. Punctuation Are your sentences punctuated correctly? Are you unsure whether a punctuation mark is used correctly? Read carefully for punctuation mistakes. Consult a style manual for punctuation rules and guidelines, particularly for punctuation you are unsure of. Capitalization Are your sentences capitalized correctly? Are you unsure whether a word should be capitalized? Correct capitalization errors. Consult a style manual for capitalization rules and guidelines. for use with Unit 4
Writing Worksheet 5: Writing a Biography Name Being prepared will help you to make the most of your interview time. The following questions are intended only as a starting place. Feel free to go beyond the questions given to other topics. Add, remove, and enhance questions to accommodate the subject of your interview. You can also search online for sites with recommended interview questions. Note: Throughout the interview, ask follow-up questions if you feel an area of discussion is yielding particularly interesting or insightful information. 1. Who are/were your parents and what are/were their occupations? 2. How many children are/were there in your family? Where do you fall in the birth order? 3. Are there any experiences from your childhood that are particularly memorable? 4. Do you remember any one Christmas more than others? Did your family have special traditions? Do you recall a special toy? 5. Were there any particularly memorable family vacations? Describe them. for use with Unit 5
Writing Worksheet 5: Writing a Biography (continued) 6. Where did you attend elementary school? High school? College? 7. What extracurricular activities were you involved in? 8. Of all your teachers, who was your favorite and why? 9. Tell me about your first job. How did you get it? Did you enjoy it? How much did you earn? What was your first big purchase? 10. [If married] How did you meet your spouse? How long did you date him/her? 11. [If married] What were the circumstances of the marriage proposal? 12. Did you ever serve in the military? Were there any particular lessons learned? for use with Unit 5
Writing Worksheet 5: Writing a Biography (continued) 13. Have any cultural or historical events impacted you significantly? 14. Have you ever lost someone very close to you a friend, a parent/grandparent, or a child? 15. Have there been any particularly difficult times during your life? Please explain. 16. Are there any personal events or circumstances that changed the course of your life? 17. What are you most grateful for in your life? 18. What has brought you the most satisfaction in life? for use with Unit 5
Writing Worksheet 5: Writing a Biography (continued) 19. Are there any life lessons that you would care to share with younger people? Do you have any advice to share? 20. What legacy would you like to leave, or what would you like to be remembered for? Conclude by soliciting any additional comments about which you have not specifically asked but that the interviewee would care to share. for use with Unit 5