1. PSSA Writing

2. PSSA Test DAY 1: Multiple Choice Day 2: Essay Prompt Day 3: Essay Prompt

3. Writing Rubric Focus single controlling point Content presence of ideas developed through facts, examples, ideas, details, stats, etc. Organization order developed and sustained within and across paragraphs with transition Conventions use of grammar, sentence structure and spelling Style choice, use and arrangement of words and sentence structure that create tone and voice

4. STOP and think- FAPP Format What are you being asked to write? Speech? Letter? Essay? Audience To whom are you writing? What if you are not given an audience? Persona Who are you supposed to be? Purpose Persuade or inform?

5. Organization Order developed and sustained within and between paragraphs? There is an intro and conclusion Logical Pattern: Chronological Most-to-Least Important Least-to-Most Important Spatial Cause/Effect

6. Introduction Grab the readers attention. How does something you are reading grab your attention? Last sentences should be your thesis statement (main idea)

7. Thesis (Main idea) The road map for your paper. It shows where you are going and how you plan to get there. If you start to get lost, pull over and read your thesis again to get back on track.

8. Body Main points Supporting detail Transition, transition, transition!!!!!

9. Example Transitions Time when, while, since, before, after, until, once Place where, wherever Cause because, since, as, now that, inasmuch as Condition if, unless, on condition that Contrast/Concession although, even though, despite, in spite of Adversative while, where, whereas Other that, which, who, whoever, whom, what, why, how...

10. Conclusion:"Telling 'em what you told 'em" Restates your main idea. Your intro and thesis were the road map; however, your conclusion is the same road map with the trip complete. This means your thesis should be restated but not repeated, since a journey was completed since reading it.

11. Style Humor Dialogue figurative language sensory details vivid verbs colorful adjectives and adverbs specific nouns a variety of sentence structure.

12. Conventions Take a chance on a big word Watch the spelling of the most commonly used words.