Informative Writing

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Foundation Unit Informative Writing Middle School

ISBN: 978-1-40261-254-1 ISBN 978-5-90801-643-8 Pearson Washington, DC Foundation Foundation 800.221.3641 202.783.3672 fax www.pearson.com

ISBN: 978-1-40261-254-1 Pearson Washington, DC Foundation InformativeFoundation Writing 800.221.3641 202.783.3672 fax www.pearson.com

Online Resources packet

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ISBN: 978-5-90801-645-2 Contents Informative Writing

Pre-Assessment Writing an Informative/Explanatory Essay Scoring Guide Lesson Resources L esson 1: Setting Up a Writer’s Notebook Lesson 5: “That Thin Girl Should Be Me” Excerpt Pizza Lesson 6: Sharing Showing All Over but the Shoutin’ Excerpt Lesson 7: Talking about Places Main Points Subtopics Lesson 10: Features of a Good Informative Essay Analyzing Good Informative Writing Lesson 11: Possible Topics Topic Talks Topic Choice Lesson 12: Evaluating and Citing Resources Lesson 13: Examining Research Lesson 14: Talking about My Subtopic Lesson 17: Writing a Draft Lesson 18: First Reading Anecdotal Introductions

Lesson 19: The Saturday Farmers’ Market Anorexia Nervosa: Introduction Background Information: What Do Readers Need? L esson 20: Writing Terms

L esson 22: Subtopic 1 Subtopic 2 Creating Transitions Lesson 23: Sharing Transitions Summation Summary Lesson 24: Focusing Writing Combining Sentences “Sammy’s of Solaria” Passage Quick Editing

Post-Assessment Writing an Informative/Explanatory Essay Scoring Guide

Writing an Informative/Explanatory Essay

Directions Read the following article and prompt carefully. As you read, make notes on your initial responses, questions, and insights. Use these notes to write a well-organized essay to explain what “dress for success” means to you.

Prompt Many teenagers are very interested in clothing and personal appearance. They have heard that they should “dress for success,” but this phrase means something different to each person.

By now, you have developed an understanding of what it means to “dress for success,” and the article, “Clothes Make the Teen,” will provide you with additional information and insights.

Using your notes from the article as well as your own observations, thinking, and/or experience, write a well-organized essay to explain what “dress for success” means to you.

Writing an Informative/Explanatory Essay

Clothes Make the Teen

During adolescence, everything changes. Teens are no longer children but not yet adults, and their bodies, moods, personalities and, most importantly, friends change every day. In an attempt to make some sense of these changes, teens choose their friends and their clothing to mirror their growing sense of independence and individuality.

For generations, teens have chosen styles of clothing to show that they are different from their parents and to be like their friends. Adolescent dress is a form of communication. It carries nonverbal messages that say “this is who I am.”

Clothing is heraldry that defines social identity. It is a language, a nonverbal system of communication that makes a statement that expresses sex, age, class, occupation, origin, and personality, as well as what people are or what they want to be at a particular moment.

As a language, clothing can range from conventional to eccentric, depending on the image that people want to project. For teens, denim pants are essential. They can be baggy, form fitting, plain, decorated, patterned, or a single color, and no teen would wear the “wrong” pants. Denim pants are extremely important to adolescents. While their mothers may see them as sturdy pants that will last a long time and can easily be washed, adolescents focus on the style, cost, color, designer labels, and, most importantly, wearing the pants that are similar to those worn by their friends. Different groups wear different pants. The person who wears form-fitting denims will not be accepted in the baggy crowd. Those who favor plain button fronts would never appear in a pair of denims with embroidery. And those who always wear black wouldn’t consider a pair that was lime green.

Having the right denims is a way for teens to visually place themselves within teen social hierarchy. Other signs include hats, shoes, and types of shirts. In choosing what to wear, teens brand themselves. They wear a social sign that

Writing an Informative/Explanatory Essay

announces “I’m rebellious,” or “I’m a partier,” or “I’m smart,” or “I’m a jock.” Even though they see themselves as individuals, teens buy the clothes worn by their tribe.

The connection between dressing cool and being popular has been well established by social research. In study after study, researchers have asked teens to describe “the popular crowd.” They have found consistency in the way teens describe this group, and acknowledgement that “dressing well” is always a key to social status—even more important than physical attractiveness. Every teen can describe the clothing worn by “jocks” or “rebels.” They can describe the uniform of those who belong to other groups as well. Teens know what to look for: jeans, shoes, hats, shirts, color. Furthermore, they routinely rely on the clothing worn by an unfamiliar teen to place him or her into a social group.

The clothing styles of these various groups are regulated through unwritten rules. Certain clothing styles and colors are chosen and worn by key individuals, and members of the group tend to follow the rules when they appear in public. If plain t-shirts are what the group wears, everyone will wear plain t-shirts; if the group favors shirts with collars, everyone will wear shirts with collars. Those who diverge from the group norm may be criticized, either gently as a joke or more harshly through ridicule and exclusion. Since teens’ sense of self is reflected through their membership with a group, conformity is an easy way to avoid being uncomfortable.

An old adage encouraged people to “dress for success,” and success, for adolescents, is signifying who and what they are. Teens have learned that adage well.

Scoring Guide

Informative/Explanatory Essay Date:

Student’s Name: Student ID:

Read each of the statements below, and circle the number on the scale that most accurately reflects your assessment of the essay.

4 = strong 3 = moderately strong 2 = somewhat weak 1 = weak

1. The essay focuses entirely on the meaning of the adage “dress for success.” 4 3 2 1

2. The opening introduces the topic, previewing what is to follow and 4 3 2 1 engaging the reader’s interest.

3. The essay is organized into multiple, logical subtopics. 4 3 2 1

4. The topic is developed with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, and 4 3 2 1 other information and examples.

5. The essay includes direct, well-chosen references to the article, “Clothes 4 3 2 1 Make the Teen.”

6. The essay includes appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the 4 3 2 1 relationships amongst ideas and concepts.

7. The essay includes precise, appropriate language to explain its concepts. 4 3 2 1

8. The essay is written in a formal style. 4 3 2 1

9. The essay includes a closing that follows from and supports the information 4 3 2 1 presented.

10. The surface features (spelling, punctuation, and grammar) are correct. 4 3 2 1

Additional comments:

Setting Up a Writer’s Notebook

Step 1: At the center top of the very first page, Date Table of Contents Page # I. Writing Explorations 1 write the title Table II. Glossar y of Informative/ # 10 pages Explanatory Writing from the of Contents. end of the notebook Step 2: T o the left of the title, write Date.

Step 3: T o the right of the title, write Page #.

Step 4: On the seventh page, create a title page for Writing Explorations, and place a number “1” in the lower right i corner. This is the first page of your writer’s notebook.

Step 5: About 10 pages from the end of the notebook, create a section titled Glossary of Informative/Explanatory Writing.

“ That Thin Girl Should Be Me” Excerpt

I saw the girl again yesterday.

In Publix, in the cereal aisle. Drifting toward the coffee. I tried to look away— and failed. I ran my shopping cart over an older woman’s heel.

The older woman yelped.

I snapped back to reality and apologized. The girl glanced back at me, then turned the corner and headed toward the produce section.

Her hair may have been brown. Or maybe it was black, or blond. She may have been tall. Or not. I didn’t notice.

What I did notice was her bones poking out through her clothes. The skin on her face stretched tightly over her cheekbones and the bridge of her nose. Her hollow, vacant eyes.

And I was jealous. Piercingly, achingly jealous.

That should be me, I thought. I can be thinner than she is.

© iStockphoto.com/Chris Hutchison “That Thin Girl Should be Me” from Palm Beach Post, 2/23/2003 Issue. © 2003 Palm Beach Post. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of this Content without express written permission is prohibited.

Pizza

The pizza was great.

As the waiter placed the pizza in the middle of the table, we were surrounded by the spicy smells of pepperoni and fresh crust. We could hardly wait for him to leave because it smelled so wonderful.

When I bit into my first piece, I burned my lips, but I couldn’t stop myself. The pepperoni was just crisp enough, the crust was just crusty enough, the cheese was just gooey enough. The tastes and smells filled not only my mouth, but my entire consciousness. None of us talked. None of us ate salad or drank soda or used a napkin. We couldn’t stop eating the perfect pizza.

Sharing Showing

• Read your “show, not tell” piece about the messy room to your partners.

• Ask your partners to repeat one or two sentences that are memorable—that are good examples of showing, not telling.

• Highlight these examples while your partners write you a note that explains why they think those places are good examples of showing, not telling.

• Place their notes on your paper.

• Repeat the process for each of the writers in your group.

All Over but the Shoutin’ Excerpt

My mother and father were born in the most beautiful place on earth, in the foothills of the Appalachians along the Alabama-Georgia line. It was a place where gray mists hid the tops of low, deep-green mountains, where redbone and bluetick hounds flashed through the pines as they chased possums into the sacks of old men in frayed overalls, where old women in bonnets dipped Bruton snuff and hummed “Faded Love and Winter Roses” as they shelled purple hulls, canned peaches and made biscuits too good for this world. It was a place where playing the church piano loud was near as important as playing it right, where fearless young men steered long, black Buicks loaded with yellow whiskey down roads the color of dried blood, where the first frost meant hog killin’ time and the mouthwatering smell of cracklin’s would drift for acres from giant, bubbling pots. It was a place where the screams of panthers, like a woman’s anguished cry, still haunted the most remote ridges and hollows in the dead of night, where children believed they could choke off the cries of night birds by circling one wrist with a thumb and forefinger and squeezing tight, and where the cotton blew off the wagons and hung like scraps of cloud in the branches of trees.

— Rick Bragg

Talking about Places

• The first writer should read his or her Rick Bragg imitation.

• When the writer finishes, the listeners should tell the writer which details stand out for them: –W– hat can the listeners envision? –W– hich details are identified by specific labels?

• The writer should then read the showing writing done for Lesson 6, and tell the group which piece of writing they like the best and why.

• When the group has talked about the first writer’s place description, repeat the process for the second writer, and then the third.

Main Points

• Read the title of the subtopic.

• Make predictions about what you expect to read about in this section of the article.

• Read the section aloud.

• Identify the main ideas.

• Compare the predictions you made with the main points: Are they similar?

• Decide on the subtopic of the section. Does the subtitle lead the reader to predict that this will be the subtopic?

• Repeat this process for all three sections.

Subtopics

Topic: Anorexia Nervosa

Subtopics:

Fears

Lost Chances

A Treatment Center

Permanent Damage

Reasons for Living

Features of a Good Informative Essay

Work with your group to identify the features of a good informative essay by following these steps:

• Review the essays that your group has been assigned: – “Essay 23” – “That Thin Girl Should Be Me” – “Anorexia Nervosa”

• Use your experience of reading these essays to: – Brainstorm four or five other features of a good informative essay – Write these additional features on a sticky-note or note card

Analyzing Good Informative Writing

• Begin by telling each other about the essay topics and why you chose these essays. • Choose one essay to review. • Read the essay aloud. As the essay is being read, listen for the various features listed on the chart, “Features of a Good Informative Essay.” • When the reading is finished, label a page in your notebook with the title of your essay and decide: –W– hich—if any—features are missing –W– hich feature is the strongest: • Does it have an excellent conclusion? • Are the subtopics important? Interesting? • Is it easy to follow? • What makes this essay so good? • Be prepared to summarize your thinking with the class. Tell them –W– hat they essay is about –W– hy it was chosen –– Its best feature (be prepared to read a section aloud to show everyone exactly what makes it so good)

P ossible Topics

Tell your partners about the three topics that you are considering:

• What do you find interesting about these topics?

• What do you know about them?

• What would you like to learn about them?

Topic Talks

Take turns to talk about:

• The person you talked with – Why did you pick that person? – What was that person’s reaction to your topics?

• The conversation – What was most interesting? – What new ideas or information did you gather?

• Your current thinking – What topic did that person like the best? – Do you agree? Why? – What topic do you now think you’ll write about?

Topic Choice

Write me a note in which you:

• Name the topic you most want to write about

• Explain why you are interested

• Brainstorm at least five questions that you would like to have answered before you write the essay itself. What do you want to know about this topic?

E valuating and Citing Resources

T ype of Resource Evaluation Criteria Citation People Should have background or Check with your teacher for Note their name and the current involvement with the preferred format. date of your interview. the topic. Observation/Experience Should clearly connect with Check with your teacher for Note the location and the the topic. the preferred format. date of the observation/ experience. Printed References Should be published by a Check with your teacher for Note the title of the entry, reputable organization and the preferred format. the title of the reference, have an appropriate date of and the date of publication. publication. Periodicals Should be published by Check with your teacher for Print: Note the title of the an organization with the preferred format. article/entry, the name of knowledge of the topic. the writer, the title of the Check these for bias: often, publication, the date of the writers of articles in the publication, and the specialized publications or page number on which the websites write from their article/entry appears. own, unique perspectives, and their opinions are theirs Online: Note the title of the and theirs alone. article/entry, the name of the writer, the name of the site, the web address, and the date of posting. Books Should be written by Check with your teacher for Note the title of the book, someone who knows about the preferred format. the author, the publisher, the topic. May be published the publisher’s location, and by a group involved with the date of publication. your topic; if so, check for bias.

Examining Research

• Read your section of “Cruel Intentions” aloud.

• Turn the heading of the subtopic into a question. For example, “Bullying on the Rise” might be changed into “Why Is Bullying on the Rise?” or “Is Bullying on the Rise?”

• Work together to answer your question.

• Review your section to find places where the writer probably had to have done research. Highlight these.

• Review the section carefully to identify the sources of the writer’s research. Highlight these, too.

• Be prepared to provide the class with a summary of what you have read and to identify sections where the writer did research. Be prepared, too, to describe how she let the reader know the source of her research.

Talking about My Subtopic

• Take turns.

• First, remind your partners about your topic: –W– hat is it? –W– hy did you choose it?

• Then, introduce your subtopic: –W– hat is it? –W– hy do you think it should be included in an essay about this topic?

• Read your quick write aloud. Remind them that this is a quick write. You took only three minutes, and you did not include everything that you could have included. It is not well organized. That being said, though, ask them: –W– hat should be clearer? Where did they get confused? –W– hat seems to be missing? What should you add? –W– hat are they curious about? What additional information would they like to learn about this subtopic?

• Take notes on their comments and suggestions to use as you continue your research.

Writing a Draft

• Focus your work on your subtopics. Work subtopic by subtopic, writing your essay as completely as you can.

• If it is helpful, begin each subtopic with either a question or a title, and then follow it with the information that you have brainstormed, remembered, or learned through research.

• Whenever you change subtopics, change paragraphs.

• Each subtopic will probably be more than a single paragraph, because you have a lot of information to share.

• Be as logical and clear as you can.

• Remember to put quotation marks around any words or phrases that were either said or written by someone else, and be sure to include the source of your information.

• Do the best you can, and get as much written about the subtopics as possible.

• Later, you will have time to:

–W– rite the introduction and conclusion for the essay –R– evise and edit

First Reading

Work in groups of three:

• Choose a writer to read his or her draft aloud: –– Read the notes for the introduction –– Then read the draft of the subtopics

• As the writer reads, he or she should write notes about anything he or she might want to change.

• As they listen, partners should note the sections that are the most interesting and effective.

• When the writer finishes, listeners should share what they noticed: What was most interesting? Surprising? Effective?

• The writer should highlight these “best parts” on his or her draft.

Repeat the process for each of the three writers.

Anecdotal Introductions

I saw the girl again yesterday.

In Publix, in the cereal aisle. Drifting toward the coffee. I tried to look away—and failed. I ran my shopping cart over an older woman’s heel.

The older woman yelped.

I snapped back to reality and apologized. The girl glanced back at me, then turned the corner and headed toward the produce section.

Her hair may have been brown. Or maybe it was black, or blond. She may have been tall. Or not. I didn’t notice.

What I did notice was her bones poking out through her clothes. The skin on her face stretched tightly over her cheekbones and the bridge of her nose. Her hollow, vacant eyes.

And I was jealous. Piercingly, achingly jealous.

That should be me, I thought. I can be thinner than she is.

Nothing, at the moment, mattered more. It took a few minutes of aimless wandering—past the baking supplies and the kitchen utensils and into the soup—before I managed to gather up my priorities and force them into the proper order.

It’s a familiar struggle. I was first diagnosed with anorexia nervosa 16 years ago. I’ve spent over half my life being defined by it, trying to make sense of it.

—“That Thin Girl Should Be Me”

From “That Thin Girl Should be Me” from Palm Beach Post, 2/23/2003 Issue. © 2003 Palm Beach Post. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of this Content without express written permission is prohibited.

Anecdotal Introductions

Emma R., 14, was always a happy-go-lucky girl with lots of friends. And why not? She’s funny, super smart and outgoing, so when Emma transferred to a new school in ninth grade, she couldn’t understand why the girls who were her first friends suddenly started icing her out.

“There was a group of six girls, and initially they started excluding me from get-togethers or saying mean things under their breath when I walked by them,” she says. “But soon, they’d IM me with messages like, ‘You’re an idiot and shouldn’t have any friends!’ Or, I’d be in the bathroom and they’d come in and start saying really mean things about me like, ‘Eww. Her freckles are like dirt spots!’ I’d start crying and just stay in the stall until my teacher sent someone to get me.”

Emma’s just one of millions of girls around the country who have been bullied. And while most people think of bullies as hulking figures waiting in an alley to beat up unsuspecting schoolmates for no reason at all, today’s versions are those who maliciously tease, gossip, name-call, or threaten.

—“Cruel Intentions”

An ordinary-looking man named Clark Kent dashes out of sight. He rips off his glasses and outerwear to reveal the costume of his secret identity: Superman. With one spring of his legs, the superhero soars into the sky. And with unbelievable swiftness, he rockets to a distant place to save people who are screaming for help.

For more than 60 years, Superman has wowed fans through comic books, TV shows, and movies. What makes the superhero so captivating? “He is exempt from the laws of nature,” says James Kakalios, a fan and a physics professor at the University of Minnesota.

—“Superman’s Secrets Exposed”

From “Cruel Intentions” by Shelly Ryan from Girls’ Life Magazine. Used by permission. From “Superman’s Secrets Exposed: How Does Superman Get All His Powers? One Physicist Tells All” by Mona Chiang. Published in SCHOLASTIC SCIENCE WORLD, October 9, 2006. Copyright © 2006 by Scholastic Inc. Used by permission.

The Saturday Farmers’ Market

The Saturday Farmers’ Market is one of the best things about living in Long Spring. In addition to providing fresh, certifiably organic food, it also provides a chance for local artists to show and sell their work. Local church, political, and service groups set up booths to raise funds and publicize their efforts, and the junior high school kids earn money by babysitting for the children in the children’s area. It is the children, though, who really benefit: Not only do they get to hang out with the junior high kids, they also get to paint, play in the bouncy houses, do crafts, play games, and, best of all, ride the ponies and visit the petting zoo. Almost everyone goes to the Saturday Farmers’ Market because there is something for everybody.

Anorexia Nervosa: Introduction

For people with anorexia, it really is true that one can never be too thin. Despite being dangerously underweight, anorexics see a fat person when they look in the mirror. What they don’t see is the tremendous physical and emotional damage that self-starvation inflicts, so they continue to diet, fast, purge, and over-exercise. While people with anorexia often deny having a problem, the truth is that anorexia is a serious and potentially deadly eating disorder. Fortunately, recovery is possible. With proper treatment and support, sufferers can regain their health and happiness.

Subtitles: What Is Anorexia Nervosa? The Difference between Dieting and Anorexia Signs and Symptoms of Anorexia Anorexia Causes and Risk Factors Effects of Anorexia

Background Information: What Do Readers Need?

What background information will my reader need to know as he or she begins to read my essay?

Writing Terms

• Showing writing • Focused writing

• Elaboration • Significance/meaning

• Details • In-text citations

• Repetition • Writer-based prose

• Observations • Reader-based prose

• Parallel structure • Titles

• Anecdotes • Active verbs

• Quotations • Logic

• Subtopics • First person

• Background information • Third person

• Paragraphs

Subtopic 1

Reasons that people go to Sammy’s Most people go to Sammy’s because they know that they will get good food at a good price; however, many say that they also go there because they feel like they belong. Since the restaurant has been in business for many years, many of the customers have known the cooks and servers for a long time, and some customers have even come to rely on Sammy’s for much of their social life.

When I asked Ida Bryant, a longtime customer of Sammy’s, why she went there, she said, “I don’t know anywhere else to go. I have always come here. When John (her husband) was alive, we used to come here to celebrate things like the kids getting good report cards, finishing the deck in the back yard, his promotions, my patients’ recoveries, and things like that. Now that he’s gone, where else could I go to find such good food and such nice people? I feel like I’ve known them all my life.”

This kind of answer was given almost every time I asked anyone about Sammy’s. People like the food. People like the place. People like the people. For these reasons, Sammy’s is a success.

Subtopic 2

Food at Sammy’s Breakfast is Sammy’s biggest meal, and the omelettes and pancakes are the most popular because they are good and very inexpensive. Sammy’s uses eggs that they buy from local farms, and their cheese, milk, and cream are from local dairies. Their omelettes are made out of local vegetables like zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, and potatoes, so their menu changes with the season. They also serve ham and bacon omelettes, and their seafood omelette is the favorite of many of the women who go there on weekends.

During lunch, a cheeseburger will only cost $4.95, and that includes freshly cooked fries. The soup is made each morning . . .

Creating Transitions

• Read your draft of Subtopic 1 to your partner.

• Work with your partner to identify a key word, idea, or phrase from this subtopic.

• Identify the name of Subtopic 2.

• Collaborate with your partner to write a sentence that will help the reader make the transition from the first to the second subtopic.

• Write your transition at the beginning of Subtopic 2.

• Repeat the process with your partner’s draft of Subtopic 1 and Subtopic 2.

Sharing Transitions

• Work in groups of three.

• The first writer should read each highlighted transitional sentence. These sentences should appear at the beginning of each new subtopic.

• After each sentence, the two listeners should: –– Name the two subtopics –– Identify how the two subtopics are connected to one another

• When the first writer has finished, repeat the process for both of the other writers in the group.

Summation

That’s why I wanted to chase that girl in the Publix down, and shake her, and tell her that if her whole life centers on being thin, she’s missing all the really important things, the reasons for living. I didn’t, of course. I’m a stranger—why would she listen to me? But maybe she’s your daughter, or your sister, or your friend. And maybe she’ll listen to you. “That Thin Girl Should Be Me”

“There is no quick fix, but you definitely can’t defend yourself against this alone,” says Snyder. After staying silent about it for months, it finally took a team of teachers and her parents to alleviate the abuse Emma had endured for more than a year. And now, she realizes the importance in asking for help ASAP. “Bullies know that if they’re getting to you and you’re too scared to tell anyone, they can just keep doing it,” she says. “Don’t be scared to tell someone. And don’t feel bad if you can’t do it by yourself. You can’t stop this on your own.” “Cruel Intentions”

Summary

Sammy’s restaurant is an important part of our town. People have many reasons for going there, especially the food. The people are nice, and many groups in town meet there regularly. Sammy’s contributes lots of money to our town through sales tax, and it sponsors kids’ sports teams all year long. We are fortunate to have Sammy’s, a locally‑owned business at the center of our community. “Sammy’s of Solaria”

Combining Sentences

Example Sentences Mr. Cortez owns a bakery. Mr. Cortez is from Chicago.

Mr. Cortez, who is from Chicago, owns a bakery.

Rudy handed me a large box. Rudy works for Mr. Cortez. Rudy works as a baker’s assistant. The large box had a pink bow. The large box had a label on it with the words “Cortez Cakes.”

Rudy, the baker’s assistant for Mr. Cortez, handed me a large box with a pink bow and a “Cortez Cakes” label on it.

I opened the box. I found inside it a beautiful cake. The cake was decorated with pink icing. My favorite color is pink.

Essay 23 …The professor demanded that we spend our summer not napping on the beach, but rather glorifying the history of his Nantucket home. …The professor was a salty old fellow. …The salty old fellow had opinions about everything.

That Thin Girl Should Be Me Jodi tries to start a conversation. Jodi is a nutritionist. Jodi has the unenviable job of enforcing the candy consumption.

Focusing Writing

Training dogs is easy. The thing that people don’t know about dogs is that they are really, really smart. They can be trained to do a lot of things by teaching them very simple commands. They can be trained to retrieve things like slippers and newspapers and if they are owned by somebody who has a handicap like needing a wheelchair or are blind or deaf or something, they can be trained to do things like push the buttons on stop signs or know when lights turn green or get their handicapped master’s attention when the phone rings. They are really, really smart and can do a lot of things, so they are known as man’s best friend.

Word count: 117

“Sammy’s of Solaria” Passage

. . . people who want open-faced beef sandwiches with plenty of gravy can order them even though they’re not on the menu.

The most popular dinner at Sammy’s is the fried chicken dinner. On Saturdays, the prime rib brings in lots of customers. The most expensive daily dinner is the Seafood Grill. It costs only $15.95, and has shrimp, scallops, and either salmon or halibut. All dinners include soup or salad, potato, bread, and a locally-grown vegetable. The cooks at Sammy’s specialize: Bert and Wilma share the cooking during the mornings. Bert is particularly proud of his “ways with the egg.” He says “I just seem to know exactly how long to cook anything with an egg in it: I can do over easy, sunny-side up, poached, scrambled, or even baked, and I never look at a clock. I just know. I know what people want, and I love this job. It’s all about pleasing the customers. Wilma specializes in the waffles, pancakes, and fresh bread. She says “If there’s flour in it, I can cook it.” She also bakes the cakes and pies. Bert stays to help Jimmy at lunch, but Wilma goes home. She says “Getting up at 4 to bake means that I’m ready to rest my dogs by noon.” Jimmy makes the sandwiches and he makes the soup every morning. “The soup’s on by 9 in the morning, every morning. That gives it plenty of time to stew and simmer. I make up a new soup recipe every day when I come in to see what’s there. You know . . . Jason is the best produce man in the area. When he delivers vegetables, you know they’re good.” Jimmy stays with Ingrid for the night meals, but they don’t have much business past about 7 p.m. They serve some of Jimmy’s soup, and use up the rest of the vegetables, but after about 7, most folks stop coming to Sammy’s, though a few people come in later to have some pie. Because Sammy’s has breakfast, lunch, and dinner, everyone eats there. The Lions’ Club has their lunches there once each month, and the Chamber of Commerce meets every Thursday for breakfast. The local ministers hold prayer breakfasts every Tuesday, and the Golden Girls are there every other Wednesday for lunch. A number of bowling teams have their regular times. The most regular of the regulars has no name. It’s the group of farmers that gather every morning at 5 for coffee and breakfast. The group has 7–12 people (all men, except for Pam), depending on the season.

Sammy’s is a successful restaurant because it’s right in the middle of . . .

Quick Editing

• Exchange papers.

• One partner should read the other writer’s paper aloud, exactly as it is written. The writer should listen and watch, making sure to notice the following:

– If your reader runs out of breath, the sentence needs either punctuation or rewriting. Have the reader reread the sentence. If it simply seems like it is too long, it needs punctuation. If it is completely confusing, it needs rewriting.

– Commas and periods allow the reader to pause, take a breath, and then continue. If the reader does not do this in the right places, it is because the punctuation is missing. Work together to add punctuation or rewrite the sentence.

– If your reader stops too often, and the article sounds choppy, it may be that the sentences are broken incorrectly. Work together to determine whether the shorter sentences should be attached to make longer ones. If so, change the period to a comma where you join the sentences.

– If the reader’s expression changes, or the reader hesitates, a word may be spelled incorrectly. Work together to determine the correct spelling.

• Repeat the process with the other article.

Writing an Informative/Explanatory Essay

Prompt In school, students are often tempted to be less than completely honest. They have heard that “honesty is the best policy,” but the phrase becomes complicated when students are faced with balancing grades, friendships, responsibilities, future plans, and freedom.

By now, you have developed an understanding of honesty, and the article, “Honorable Mention“ will provide you with additional information and insights.

Using your notes from the article as well as your own observations, thinking, and/or experience, write a well-organized essay to explain what “honesty is the best policy” means to you.

Writing an Informative/Explanatory Essay

Honorable Mention

Everyone misbehaves. They eat too many cookies. They lose things. They are late to class. They forget their homework. No one does everything perfectly, and when their imperfections become obvious, they must make a choice about what to do next.

Some people immediately try to make up for whatever is wrong. They cut calories to balance the day’s intake, or just live without whatever they lose. Students who are late for class apologize and listen carefully to find out what they missed, and those who didn’t do their homework try to submit it later.

When those kinds of actions don’t work, though, or demand too much effort, many see another course of action: Simply tell a lie. Deny what happened. Pretend that everything is okay. Tell people what they want to hear. Present the story that is acceptable.

For many, this seems like an easy way to deal with a difficult situation.

In every culture, however, lying is regarded as a much bigger problem than other imperfections. Most societies believe that lying – dishonesty – leads to a culture of distrust, a culture where no one can be secure in knowing what is true and what is not true. Dishonesty leads to chaos and fear, and individuals who lie are to be avoided.

Yet lying is often viewed as a short-term solution to an uncomfortable situation. In school, for example, students often find themselves ill-prepared for their classes. They find that they forgot their homework, or they didn’t understand it, or even, that they did something else rather than spend the time necessary to complete assigned work. Not wanting to be judged badly – to get bad grades, to be seen as irresponsible or unintelligent – many students simply lie. They say that they “forgot it on the kitchen table,” or that their “dog ate it.”

Writing an Informative/Explanatory Essay

Sometimes, their lies work.

Yet classes march on and papers are due, tests are given, and grades are assigned. Some students solve this endless march by fake-studying, by getting papers and analyses from the internet, or answers from friends. Some fake tests by cribbing notes on their desks, wrists, or phones. Still others obtain copies of exams from friends or files so that they can do very, very well. By using these strategies, grades remain acceptable even if honor is tarnished.

Some students justify these actions by saying that everyone cheats, and that it’s only the chumps who don’t. In a competitive atmosphere, they say, cheaters have an advantage. In a system where grades determine futures – good classes, college, careers, even social status–cheating to get a good grade is a regrettable but practical thing to do.

Other students give other reasons for cheating: school is irrelevant, they say, or teachers are unfair, or learning is useless and boring. Yet performance in school is the yardstick by which everyone is judged. Those who get good grades are rewarded; those who don’t are left out. Jobs, opportunities, colleges, and careers come to those with good grades. For these students, it’s only reasonable to game the system.

Needless to say, some disagree with this attitude. Lying and cheating aren’t fair, they say, and they lead to rewarding the wrong people for achievement. The person who worked hard only to be eclipsed by one who was dishonest feels resentful and angry.

Some people judge dishonesty as simply immoral, and the dishonest person as unworthy of participation in society. Those who are dishonest, who lie and cheat, can’t be trusted to take care of friends, family, possessions, or responsibilities, and this makes everyone suspicious and guarded. Trust is the basis of living together as a society, and the society that cannot coexist will not exist long.

Writing an Informative/Explanatory Essay

Many people regard dishonesty as impractical. They point to the fact that liars are often caught, and see that the short-term gain of passing a test or getting a better grade can easily be eclipsed by being unprepared for the next class or the next school or the next career. The student who faked his or her learning in pre-algebra, for example, will probably not do well in algebra and will probably have even more difficulty when, later in life, he or she needs to calculate materials for a construction job or solve some other life or career-related math problem.

Similarly, the student who routinely fakes writing papers will lack the thinking skills that writing in English, history, science, and other classes demands. Lacking these thinking skills, these students will struggle in later classes and also in jobs that pay more than minimum wage. In fact, there is evidence that cheating in school contributes to the high rate of students dropping out of college and failing in careers after high school.

Dishonesty is often a short-term solution that causes long-term problems. Each person decides how honest to be in each situation by considering moral values, honor, practicality, and, sometimes short-term benefits. Most people see themselves as fundamentally honest, but many find that honesty is difficult to retain in the world that we live in.

Scoring Guide

Informative/Explanatory Essay Date:

Student’s Name: Student ID:

Read each of the statements below, and circle the number on the scale that most accurately reflects your assessment of the essay.

4 = strong 3 = moderately strong 2 = somewhat weak 1 = weak

1. The essay focuses entirely on the meaning of the adage “honesty is the 4 3 2 1 best policy.”

2. The opening introduces the topic, previewing what is to follow and 4 3 2 1 engaging the reader’s interest.

3. The essay is organized into multiple, logical subtopics. 4 3 2 1

4. The topic is developed with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, and 4 3 2 1 other information and examples.

5. The essay includes direct, well-chosen references to the article, “Honorable 4 3 2 1 Mention.”

6. The essay includes appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the 4 3 2 1 relationships amongst ideas and concepts.

7. The essay includes precise, appropriate language to explain its concepts. 4 3 2 1

8. The essay is written in a formal style. 4 3 2 1

9. The essay includes a closing that follows from and supports the information 4 3 2 1 presented.

10. The surface features (spelling, punctuation, and grammar) are correct. 4 3 2 1

Additional comments:

Reading Standards for Informational Text, Grade 7 Range of Reading Key Ideas and Details Craft and Structure and Level of Text Complexity RI.7.1. Cite several RI.7.2. Determine RI.7.3. Analyze RI.7.5. Analyze the RI.7.10. By the end pieces of textual two or more central the interactions structure an author of the year, read evidence to ideas in a text between uses to organize a and comprehend support analysis of and analyze their individuals, events, text, including how literary non-fiction what the text says development over and ideas in a the major sections in the grades 6–8 explicitly as well as the course of the text (e.g., how contribute to the text complexity inferences drawn text; provide an ideas influence whole and to the band proficiently, from the text. objective summary individuals or development of the with scaffolding as of the text. events, or how ideas. needed at the high individuals end of the range. influence ideas or events). Lesson 1 2 ■ 3 ■ ■ 4 5 6 ■ ■ 7 ■ ■ ■ ■ 8 ■ 9 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 10 11 12 13 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 14 ■ 15 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 16 ■ ■ ■ 17 ■ ■ 18 ■ 19 ■ ■ ■ 20 ■ ■ ■ ■ 21 ■ ■ 22 ■ ■ ■ ■ 23 ■ ■ ■ ■ 24 ■ ■ ■ ■ 25 ■ ■

Writing Standards, Grade 7 Text Types and Purposes W.7.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

W.7.2.a. W.7.2.b. Develop W.7.2.c. Use W.7.2.d. W.7.2.e. W.7.2.f. Provide Introduce a the topic with appropriate Use precise Establish and a concluding topic clearly… relevant facts, transitions to language and maintain a statement or using strategies definitions, create cohesion domain- specific formal style. section that such as concrete details, and clarify the vocabulary to follows from definition… quotations, relationships inform about and supports when useful or other among complex or explain the the information to aiding information and ideas and topic. or explanation Lesson comprehension. examples. concepts. presented. 1 ■ ■ 2 ■ ■ 3 ■ 4 ■ 5 ■ 6 ■ ■ 7 ■ ■ 8 ■ ■ ■ 9 10 ■ ■ ■ 11 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 12 13 14 ■ ■ 15 ■ ■ 16 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 17 ■ ■ 18 ■ ■ ■ 19 ■ ■ ■ 20 ■ ■ ■ 21 ■ ■ ■ ■ 22 ■ ■ ■ 23 ■ ■ ■ ■ 24 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 25 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Writing Standards, Grade 7 Research to Build Production and Distribution of Writing and Present Range of Writing Knowledge W.7.4. Produce W.7.5. With some W.7.6. Use W.7.9. Draw W.7.10. Write clear and guidance and technology, evidence from routinely over coherent writing support from including the literary or extended time in which the peers and adults, Internet, to informational frames (time development, develop and produce and texts to support for research, organization, strengthen writing publish writing analysis, reflection, and and style are as needed by and link to and reflection, and revision) and appropriate to planning, revising, cite sources as research. shorter time task, purpose, and editing, rewriting, well as to interact frames (a single audience. or trying a and collaborate sitting or a day or new approach, with others, two) for a range focusing on how including linking of discipline- well purpose and to and citing specific tasks, Les- audience have sources. purposes, and son been addressed. audiences. 1 ■ ■ ■ ■ 2 ■ ■ ■ ■ 3 ■ ■ ■ ■ 4 ■ ■ ■ 5 ■ ■ ■ 6 ■ ■ ■ 7 ■ ■ ■ 8 ■ ■ ■ 9 ■ 10 ■ ■ ■ 11 ■ ■ ■ 12 ■ ■ ■ 13 ■ ■ ■ ■ 14 ■ ■ ■ ■ 15 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 16 ■ ■ ■ 17 ■ ■ ■ ■ 18 ■ ■ ■ 19 ■ ■ ■ 20 ■ ■ ■ 21 ■ ■ ■ 22 ■ ■ ■ 23 ■ ■ ■ 24 ■ ■ ■ 25 ■ ■ ■

Speaking and Listening Standards, Grade 7 Comprehension and Speaking and Listening Standards, Grade 7 Collaboration SL.7.1. Engage effectively SL.7.4. Present claims and SL.7.6. Adapt speech to a in a range of collaborative findings, emphasizing salient variety of contexts and tasks, discussions with diverse points in a focused, coherent demonstrating command of partners on grade level topics, matter with pertinent formal English when indicated texts, and issues, building on descriptions, facts, details, and or appropriate. others’ ideas and expressing examples; use appropriate eye Les- their own clearly. contact, adequate volume, and son clear pronunciation 1 ■ ■ 2 ■ ■ ■ 3 ■ ■ ■ 4 ■ ■ ■ 5 ■ ■ ■ 6 ■ ■ ■ 7 ■ 8 ■ 9 ■ ■ ■ 10 ■ 11 ■ 12 ■ ■ ■ 13 ■ ■ ■ 14 ■ ■ ■ 15 ■ ■ ■ 16 ■ 17 18 ■ ■ ■ 19 ■ ■ ■ 20 ■ ■ ■ 21 ■ ■ ■ 22 ■ ■ ■ 23 ■ ■ ■ 24 ■ ■ ■ 25 ■ ■ ■

Language Standards, Grade 7

Knowledge of Vocabulary C onventions of Standard English Language Acquisition and Use

L.7.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of L.7.3. Use knowledge L.7.6. Acquire and standard English grammar and usage when writing or of language and its use accurately speaking. conventions when grade-appropriate writing, speaking, general academic reading, or listening. and domain-specific L.7.1.b. Choose among L.7.1.c. Place phrases L.7.3.a. Choose language words and phrases; simple, compound, and clauses within a that expresses ideas gather vocabulary complex, and compound- sentence, recognizing and precisely and concisely, knowledge when complex sentences correcting misplaced and recognizing and considering a word to signal differing dangling modifiers. eliminating wordiness relationships among ideas. and redundancy. or phrase important to comprehension or Lesson expression. 1 ■ 2 ■ 3 ■ 4 ■ 5 ■ 6 ■ ■ 7 ■ 8 9 10 11 ■ ■ 12 ■ 13 14 ■ 15 ■ 16 ■ ■ 17 ■ 18 ■ 19 ■ ■ ■ 20 ■ ■ 21 ■ ■ ■ 22 ■ ■ ■ 23 ■ ■ ■ ■ 24 ■ ■ ■ ■ 25 ■ ■ ■ ■