Use One of the Suggested Leads

Name: Date: Class:

First Paragraph

 Use one of the suggested leads o Start with interesting details o Use sensory details to grab the reader’s attention o Begin with dialogue  Introduce your topic  Introduce your experience  Grab the reader’s attention  Closing/clincher/concluding sentence

Middle Paragraphs

 Your events need to be in sequential order (the order in which they occurred)  Appeal to your reader’s senses o Let the reader “see” and “hear” the experience o Capture the excitement  Using action words, paint a picture with words  The use of dialogue will o Show a speaker’s personality o Keep the action moving o Add information  Closing/clincher/concluding sentence

Ending Paragraph

 Reflect on the experience  Share the lesson learned  How was this a life changing experience?  Closing/clincher/concluding sentence

1 Name: Date: Class:

1. List your sensory details in the following categories (See pg. 114 in Write Source). Categories Sensory Detail Included in Writing Piece See Hear Smell Taste Feel

2. List 3 examples of vivid descriptions used in your writing. (See pg. 115 in Write Source).

3. What method did you use to grab the reader’s attention in your beginning paragraph? (See pg. 114 -115 in Write Source).

4. Highlight the transitions below you used in your middle paragraphs to move the events along: (See bottom half pg. 116 in Write Source). Show Location above behind by into outside Conclude or Summarize across below down near over as a result against beneath in back of off throughout finally along beside in front of onto to the right in conclusion among between inside on top of under to sum up therefore lastly in summary all in all add information again another for instance finally also and moreover as well additionally besides next along with in addition for example

Show Time Compare Two Things about first meanwhile soon then likewise as after second today later next similarly like at third tomorrow afterward as soon as before till next week immediately when during until yesterday finally contrast things but otherwise although on the other hand however yet still even though

2 5. How will the reader know that your events are in the order in which they happened? (See pg. 116 in Write Source).

6. How does your narrative end soon after the most important or intense moment? (See pg. 117 in Write Source).

7. How does your narrative lead up to the lesson you learned? (See pg. 117 in Write Source).

8. What did you do to insure the reader would not be left with unanswered questions? (See pg. 117 in Write Source).

9. What words/phrases did you use to express yourself sincerely and with real feelings? (See pg. 117 and 120 in Write Source).

10. How many speakers are included in the dialogue you used? (See pg. 119 in Write Source).

11. How does your dialogue show each speaker’s personality? (See pg. 119 in Write Source).

12. What words/phrases in the dialogue shows each speaker’s personality? How do you make each speaker sound natural and expresses true thoughts and feelings. (See pg. 119-120 in Write Source).

13. How does your dialogue sound realistic? How does your dialogue sound as though you were “talking” with your closest friend in these phrases? (See pg. 119 in Write Source).

14. What specific words did you use to demonstrate how certain words help to express each feeling? (See pg. 120 in Write Source). Examples: determination, nervousness, enthusiasm

15. Participles, powerful adjectives that help writers strengthen their writing, replace wordy phrases and modify nouns. List 3 participles you used in your paper. (See pg. 121 in Write Source).

3 16. Count the number of words in each sentence. Make sure you have used a variety of sentence lengths. (See pg. 122-123 in Write Source). Sentence Number Number of Words in This Sentence 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.

17. Identify (highlight on your rough draft) the short sentences you used to stress an important idea. (See pg. 123 in Write Source).

4 18. List the first word in each sentence. Make sure that no two sentences begin with the same word.

Sentence Number Beginning Word 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.

5 21. Complete the chart below. Then highlight the words that could be enhanced by referring to a thesaurus or a word list. Sentence Adjectives Used in the Nouns Used in the Verbs Used in the Number Sentence Sentence Sentence 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.

1. 2 List 10 words you changed as a result of referring to a thesaurus. Original Word Thesaurus Word 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

6 2. Highlight 5 prepositions used in this writing piece. Examples: about above across after around at before behind below beside by down during for from in inside near of off on out outside over through to under up with without

7 1. How many times did you refer to a dictionary (in class and/or online)?

2. How many times did you refer to a thesaurus (in class and/or online)?

3. List the words that were misspelled and their corrections.

4. How many times did you refer to Write Source or Writing and Grammar to check your grammar?

5. Did you use a grammar and/or spelling checker on the computer?

6. How many sentences do you have in your essay? How many end marks do you have?

7. Give 1 example of how you used a comma after an introductory word group and or transition.

8. What did you do to insure that your dialogue is punctuated correctly?

9. Did you start every sentence with a capital letter?

10. Give 1 example of using a capital letter with a proper noun.

11. Give 1 example of how you made sure your subject and verb agreed in number.

12. How did you make sure that you used the correct word (write, right, rite)

Prepared with the assistance of Write Source 8