What Happened in the Book You are Reading?

Students had to write about what happened in the book they are reading. The assignment was to describe what they read last night in as much detail as possible. 

Hallie set a standard of excellence:

The book I read last night is The Chronicles Of Narnia. I'm currently reading the 3rd book in the series, The Horse And His Boy. Shasta's adoptive father wants to sell Shasta into slavery. Shasta went outside the night before he was being sold and was petting the horse. He wished the horse could talk. And the horse talked. The horse said it was from Narnia and that he was going to run back to Narnia one day. The horse invited Shasta to come with him on his quest to Narnia. Shasta asked the horse's name, but he couldn't pronounce the horse's name. So he and the horse agreed on the name Bree. Shasta hopped on Bree and they were off to Narnia.

On the first day of riding they heard a lion roar. Bree ran faster, but the lion roar sounded again. Shasta saw another horse following close behind them. The lion roar sounded again. Bree went right while the other horse and rider went left. Bree and Shasta found a place to rest for the night when the other horse and rider showed up. The horse said it's name was Whin. They are both on their way to Narnia, like Bree and Shasta. The group has to walk through the desert for many days. While the group was is a town, Shasta gets pulled away by royal guards who think he's the missing prince. While Shasta is in the castle he hears a bunch of important war related stuff and how another town is planning to take down Narnia. When Shasta goes into his bedroom for the night the real prince hops in Shasta's room through the window.

The prince and Shasta switch places and Shasta sneaks out the window to get back to Bree. He finds his way to the point they were headed to next. he finds them. He tells them about the war and how they have to warn the kings and queens of Narnia. They take off very quickly. They have to beat the town trying to take down Narnia. On the way Whin and his rider get attacked by a lion. Shasta shouts a the lion and it goes away. Whin and Bree are too hurt to keep walking so they stay with Whin's rider in with a man on the way to the castle of Narnia. The man tells Shasta that he has to run in order to get there before the town does. He tells the kings and queens of Narnia about to town.

Examples of Using Information From the Text

Listed below are four examples from the Reading Workshop Question of the Week Board.  Read each and then complete the form below.

Example 1

I think that every kid in the sixth grade should read the Divergent series by Veronica Roth because it has a lot of action and some comedy and romance. There are three books in this series, but there is an additional one. Out of all of them my favorite is the third one called Allegiant. I like the third one the best because it has the most action.

For example, kind of at the end of Allegiant Caleb( Tris' brother) has to go through death serum to destroy it so no one can ever use it. Well Tris is Divergent so she thinks that she should go instead because she thinks she can fight the death serum off like all the other ones but Tobias made Tris promise she wouldn't go. Then when Tris is walking Caleb to the room she has guards at the end of the hall pointing their guns. So Tris decides to go and she runs off to go to destroy the death serum.

Another pretty exciting part is when they break the faction and some people are going wild and other have no idea what to do so they go along with them. After that everyone is in the street and smashing things and yelling just doing everything you can possibly imagine. After everyone moves off the street Tris and Tobias look at what they did.

There is quite a bit of romance in this book between Tris and Tobias in this series. A lot of the book is based on there relationship. When something happens to Tris in this book Tobias comes and rushes to her side. Once Tobias meets her he sees her injured and broke. Tobias loves Tris and never want to let her go but then he had to and he was heart broken. After he saw Tris and left and went home and Tried to kill himself because he loved her so much.

I think you should read the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. They are really detailed and they have a lot of action and excitement and romance it's kind of like a few books in one. When you read it you will be amazed by this new world I really liked them and I hope you do too.

Example 2

Have you ever just looked back and wondered what was a must read book that you would recommend for every sixth grader? Honestly, I have thought about it a couple times but, I always think about so many books series. The process went from Divergent, to Percy Jackson, to The Hunger Game series. Finally, I thought about how much action and detail was in each book. So that's when I narrowed it down to just that Hunger Games.

In the Hunger Games there are some unusual things that you would normally never see in other books. For example there names are a little different than other books. In other books you would always see the same names, like Jessica, James, or maybe even Emma, but in the Hunger Games the names are Katniss, Petta (the main characters), Gale, Haymitch, and even Effie. There are more names, but there's too many name.

The Hunger Games has so many twists in it. For example, you would think that the book would go one way but really it would go the complete opposite. In the book when Katniss and Peeta finally go into the arena (the arena is called The Hunger Games) to fight, you would think that since Katniss is in the same district as Peeta then they would be working together to try to win (even though there can only be one winner at the end of the game). But does Peeta really want to work together?

Another exciting reason why everyone should read the Hunger Games is because in the second book (The Catching Fire), something very surprising happens. For example, every 25 years, they have this drawing to choose who is going to be in the Hunger Games that year, but they usually have the whole district in a glass jar. Well after 25 years, something different happens where there's only a few people in the glass jar. 

There are so many reasons why every sixth grader should read the Hunger Games, but I only wrote a few. There's also a lot more examples that could go along with the book but, I don't want to give the book away. There are three books in the Hunger Games series. They are The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and last but not least there's the Mocking Jay. They are all really extraordinary books that I think every sixth grader should read.

Example 3

What books are must reads? There are a lot of books that I think 6th graders should read, but I'm only going to name a one. Some of you might have seen my blog posts. I have quite a few posts about must read books. If you think that one of the books on here is interesting, you can go to my blog, because some of the books on here I typed about on my blog.

Some books that I think are must reads are books by Wendelin Van Draanen. Her books are really good. Some books by her are Runaway, The Running Dream, and Flipped. I've read all three of those books and they were amazing. But the must read book would probably be Runaway. Runaway is perfect for a 6th grader because it has some action, survival, and just a cool story rolled up into one book.

Runaway is about a twelve year old girl named Holly. Holly doesn't get along with her foster parents, so she runs away. The action and survival starts after she runs away from her home. When Holly travels to different places, she meets really weird people. It's like seeing strangers at the side of the road: you don't know their story, you don't know their background, you just try to keep your distance. She sometimes has to run away from them or sometimes gets in fights with them. Holly is homeless, so she has to find a plan on how to survive. Survival is important because Holly needs food and shelter but she can't always trust the people around her. She digs out of garbage cans and hopes that she can find something good to eat and she lives in shelters and cardboard boxes.

Here's an example of action in the book: Holly needs another place to live. She travels all the way down the street, looking for a home. Holly finally finds a short bridge. When she goes to check it out, she realizes there are people already living under it. There's some crazy girl and then there's this guy named Martin that has tattoos and is always sticking his tongue out. Holly doesn't trust the crazy girl because she's always trying to look in Holly's stuff, but Holly especially doesn't like Martin. She thinks he looks suspicious. Holly always sees Martin lurking around the soup kitchen but tries not to be seen by him.

The next day, when Holly was walking to her home, she didn't realize that Martin was following her. When she turned around, Martin attacked. He tried to kill Holly! Martin was choking Holly! She was kicking back at him as hard as she could. Holly thought she was gonna die that day because of the way he was treating her. After many screams and cries, Holly's friend came to the rescue, picked up a spear and stabbed Martin. Martin ran away. The reason why I liked that part of the book is because I like to picture myself in that kind of situation. What if a big, grown man attacked me? How would I fight back? I would kick him. I would scream and run away.

You should really read Runaway. It has a lot of cool stuff in it.

Example 4

Today in Language Arts class, we talked about what book should every student read. My suggestion is the Hunger Game series. It's a book that has a look of action and adventure and many more awesome things. The Hunger Game series was made by Suzanne Collins, she was the writer of all three books, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mocking Jay. All three books lead up to an exciting adventure, on which you will want to hear more of.

One of the exciting parts of the Catching Fire book is when Katniss (the main character) is going through the showing of the tributes, when her dress lights up, almost as real fire, but it was actually fake so it would not hurt her. Peeta (the second main character) his clothes catch the flame too, if you don't understand why it caught flame, here's why. Katniss and Peeta are from district 12. Each district has a symbol of what they do. Katniss and Peeta wore flames because their district is coal/mining. They wore the flames to represent the burning of coal.

Another awesome part in the book The Hunger Games, is when Katniss is running in the games looking for Peeta because the speaker of the games just said pair up again with your tribute from your district. While Katniss is running she stops at a little river to search around when she hears a noise. She looks around and thinks it is another person when she realizes the noise is coming from the ground. She then sees Peeta in the ground under some rocks with a rock like paint on his face. This is a really exciting part because you don't see it coming. You don't expect him to be under some rocks while reading the book.

One more exciting part is in the Mocking Jay book. Katniss has to decide if she wants to be the mocking jay and take responsibility now living in district 13. Katniss decides to be the mocking jay, the rebel of the capital. She must now take on duties, and now, prepare for war. She must prepare because the capitol is destroying the districts, and they will be coming to district 13 before long. This is an exciting part because It's just sounds so cool to be mocking jay. There's a dress with feathers that are blue and has long wings. It also sounds like a big role to take on, and Katniss must take on that rule. The districts are turning on the capital now, and everything is being destroyed. Mocking Jay is filled with lots of adventure and lots of action.

In conclusion, I think the Hunger Games series is a must read book/series. There is three books in the Hunger Game series, and I recommend to try reading them all. These books are a must read series for sixth graders if you like survival and a little violence, and a little bit of romance. If you're looking for a good book to read in the sixth grade, I would suggest the Hunger Games series. There is action and adventure in almost every chapter.

Using Details to Support Your Position

This year we have focused on supporting your writing with details from the text. Recently on the Question of the Week Board, students wrote about a Must Read Book for All Sixth Graders. If you were the teacher, which post would you use as an example? Which post does the best job using information/details from the book to back up their claim as the must read book? 

Keep in mind the writer must have a reason of what makes the book great and the details should support that specific reason. This is not about which book you like best. This is not about which post you like best. This is a selection of one writer/post that best uses details from the book to support their point.

A Good Argument

Students recently completed an Argumentative Essay Project. The following essay was written by Emma A. She did an excellent job of organization and supporting her opinion.

I think parents should limit social media use. I think they should because too much time on social media can put teen’s mental health in jeopardy. Social media can be addictive. Studies show that 63% of people log on to Facebook daily, and about 40% log on multiple times a day.

Social media also leads to a higher risk for cyberbullying. Sixty-seven percent of cyberbullying comes from instant messaging. Peer pressure is another thing that cyberbullying leads to. That affects our mental health because too much pressure can cause teens and people of any age to make bad decisions such as smoking, doing drugs, and drinking alcohol.

Using social media can also lead to low self-esteem. This can cause depression and anxiety.  The University of Michigan collected data about Facebook users and how it changed their moods. It showed that people who use Facebook daily have shown lower satisfaction for their life and Facebook as they use it more and more. It can also lead to fear of missing out, or FOMO. It is a form of social anxiety.

Social media is sometimes a good idea, but it can be very bad in some ways. The good things about using social media, such as Facebook, Instagram and many more improves your heart rate because it relaxes you,  and increases productivity. Just a 10 minute break can make employees happier and they will get more work done. They are many more ways that social media can be good, but not bad.

In conclusion, I think that social media use should be limited not only for teens, but for everyone. Too much time on social media can cause mental disorders, social anxiety, and peer pressure, and many more. Social media can be good as well, but for the most part it is bad for teens, especially. So I think social media use should be limited not only for teens but for everyone.

Writing a Response Using Details from the Text for Support

Today we are going to take the event from yesterday and use it for support on a writing prompt. This is working backwards from normal, but the process and use of an event for supporting details is the same. This event can be used for a number of topics like setting, character, problem, plot, conflict, comparison to self, comparison to another character, comparison to another setting, mystery, etc. For this example I am going to write about setting.

I just finished reading Compound by S.A. Bodeen. The setting plays a major role in this book. The story takes place in an underground compound/bunker. For almost the entire book, the main character, Eli and his family live in the "Compound."

The books opens with this scene:

My world ended with a bang the minute we entered the compound and that silver door closed behind us. The sound was brutal. Final.   .   .   .   My fists beat on the door. I bawled. The screaming left me hoarse.

Right from the start as a reader I had to stop and try to imagine myself in this place. I couldn't imagine being forced to survive trapped underground with no hope of escape. Also, when Eli finds out his twin brother and grandmother don't make it to the shelter and die, the setting causes even more thought. Eli's father, mother, and sisters Lexie and Terese managed to get safely inside within the forty minutes needed to survive, but his twin brother Eddie and his grandmother didn't make it..

In a way, the setting is the whole world because the world just ended with a nuclear explosion. However, Eli's family was safe only because of the compound. Eli's father (a billionaire) had prepared them for this day and made provisions to help them survive underground for the next 15 years. This tells me right from the start of the book that the entire story takes place underground in this compound prison.

Being trapped here causes major problems emotionally for Eli. He was forced to live with the fact that he caused Eddie's death. Eli had talked him into sneaking into their grandmother's car. She didn't make it back to the compound in time to get to safety in the shelter. Now Eli had to spend each day knowing his brother, his twin died because of him. There is no escaping this fact and being stuck in this setting reminds Eli of this every minute of every day.

Compound is a great book with a lot of events that bring you into the book and make you wonder what you would do in this situation. The setting controls the lives of the characters and the entire story.

Pick an Element of Your SSR Book

The next assignment for Reading Workshop students is to pick one element of the book they are reading and write about its impact on the story. The key to this project is to support ideas and opinions with details from the text. Equally important is the need to stay on topic and DO NOT RETELL THE BOOK!

Students can choose one of the traits listed below or choose another aspect of their book. 

Setting

Character

Problems

Action

Adventure

Conflict

Mystery

Essays should begin with an introduction that gives the title, author, and topic of the writing. Below is an example using The Maze Runner featuring setting.

The book The Maze Runner by James Dashner takes place in an amazing setting.  This group of kids are locked into this mysterious place with no way to escape. Each day they try to run a maze outside their camp to find a way to get out.

Letter Writing

I like getting letters, so the current project in Reading Workshop, write a Dear Mr. McGuire Letter on the topic of Reasons Why I Like the Book I am Reading for SSR is one of my favorites.   Plus I get to hear about the books students are reading and their thoughts and opinions on them.

Knowing the proper format of a friendly letter is important.  Also, students must set the tone in the opening, put facts and details in the body, and wrap it up in the closing. A good letter, like any writing must have must support with specific details.

Introduction/Beginning

This is a good example of a W's introduction.

This is Justin's beginning:

The book I am reading is called The White Fox Chronicles. The author's name is Gary Paulsen. Gary Paulsen writes a lot of action/ survival books. The main character's name is Cody Pierce. Cody is a 14 year old boy.

This is an opinion/persuasive introduction. 

This is Kari's beginning:

I am reading the book called The Revenge Of The Shadow King. I found this book to be extremely good. Especially if you are into fairy tales, mysteries, and thrillers because that's what it's all about. If you like those kinds of books you may be really attached to this book. I really liked it mainly because I like to read fairy tales and thrillers.

Body/Middle

Shelby does a great job comparing the main character from Heartbeat by Creech in this paragraph:

Another thing that Annie and I have in common is we both have baby brothers. We both love our baby brothers. I think that Annie loves her brother a lot because she was so scared that the baby would get hurt. Annie and I also were scared at first to hold our baby brothers. She was scared that she would drop him, I thought that I would not hold him right and hurt him.

Katie helps us understand the character Bookworm from Max the Mighty.

My favorite character is Bookworm. Bookworm is also called Worm sometimes. She is my favorite character because she loves books. Worm is about eleven or twelve years old. Worm doesn't like her step dad. She doesn't like him because he hates T.V and he hates books. I think that Worm plays a really good part in the story and I like her because she and her mom have to deal with a lot of problems, and somehow she always makes it through.

Conclusion/Closing

Molly does a fabulous job wrapping up her letter.

I would definitely recommend this book to others, because I think a lot of girls could really relate to the main character, especially most of my friends. Also I would still recommend this book to boys, because even though it's a girl's book, it's not about being girly, and all about girls. Some boys may be able to relate to the three boys in the story! The book Spells & Sleeping Bags is one out of my two favorite books. Also, I think the author is very talented with writing her books. She's my absolute favorite author. I think Sara Mlynowski is very talented because I can really get inside the characters mind, and really get into the book as if I were the main character.

Parts of Sarah's letter were shared in a previous class with excellent examples of an opening and closing on this post.

Letter writing is a skill that is used throughout life.  Although this project focuses on writing about a book, these basic skills will apply to any letter written for any purpose.

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/clarazamith/3552122301/sizes/s/in/photostream/

How You Can Control the Test Grader

OK, so Martha has your test and answer booklet. She doesn't know you, and doesn't care to. In fact, she doesn't know about Reading Workshop, the name of the school, the town, or the state where you live. You are just a number in a stack. A tall stack of answer booklets that have to be graded before she can take a break.

Whether or not you pass this test means less than nothing to Martha. The things on her mind include sneaking out to get a diet coke, getting rid of this head ache, figuring out how to avoid listening to her sister complain about having to babysit, and about having to do laundry after work, or she will have absolutely nothing to wear tomorrow. She is also thinking about surfing and last summer's vacation.

Now it all comes down to you, the student, and your answer booklet. Will your hard work be in vain? Will eight months of learning be wasted? Or will you be a success story making yourself, your parents, your teachers, and your school feel proud using the Strategies you have been taught?

Did you write neatly?  Can she read your responses? Did you write legibly? Trying to strain her eyes and her brain to read cat scratches is going to irritate Martha. She probably won't even take the time to sort through it. She will just give it a big, fat, zero.

Did you organize your answers to make finding key points easy?  If you restated the question and numbered your responses, Martha can easily find key words and information. Using a rubric to score short answer and extended response answers, Martha is looking for specific words and answers.

Did you go back into the essay and find specific details?  Going back and finding specific details in the passage is paramount. Any time a questions asks for specific details, they are looking for examples word-for-word from the text.

Did you use the passage to help you with your spelling?  Another factor that makes grading easier is correct spelling. Most of the words that you need to spell are either in the question, or in the passage. It just takes a second to look back and find the correct spelling.

Did you use the basic test taking skills that you have learned in class?

Images from http://www.flickr.com/photos/kandyjaxx

Larger Than Life Poem

After I read Larger-Than-Life LARA written by Dandi Daley Mackall, aloud to the class, Katie had an excellent idea in her post Lara at Laurelville.  She wondered what kind of poems Lara might assign to our students.

As I thought about her post, and looked back over some of Lara's poems, I thought this was too great of an opportunity to ignore.

Here are a couple of examples of Lara's poems:

Sara Rivers with the silvery voice,

Reach for the stars! It's still your choice.

You can do it, though it's scary.

Fear is so unnecessary.

Joey Gilbert, I'm not mad.

I just think you're very sad.

Maybe you still miss your dad?

Miss the love you never had?

Joey it will be okay,

If you try out for the play.

I could help you learn your part.

The backstage crew could use your art.

Don't pretend that you don't care.

You can do what you can dare.

Mrs. Smith, it's all okay.

Please don't worry for this play.

Things can always work out best,

Sometimes life is just a test.

I can understand--you bet!

Besides, I'll like to work on set.

So students, the assignment is to write a "Larger Than Life" poem.  Please be sure a lesson, or bit of kindly advise is given, and include interesting details.

Need some help with rhyming, check out Rhyme Zone.

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What's the Deal With Details?

Students in Reading Workshop are confused.  All year they have listened to me scream about more details.  They hear comments like, use information from the text/book, include support from the selection, tell me more, back up your point, and you need more details. In every writing assignment, whether it was a letter, a journal, or a blog post, I have constantly prodded them to help the reader visualize by including more details.

Now, as we begin to focus more on reading, and breaking down nonfiction essays, I am telling them to forget the details.  All we talked about yesterday was looking for the main points, looking for the gist, and the W's.  The message has changed and the students are giving me that dazed and confused look.

So what's the deal with details?  Do they matter or not?  Well, the answer is yes and no.  As a writer, details are your best friend.  They are how you help the reader understand.  They help you draw a picture so the reader sees and comprehends your points.  Specific details make writing great.

As a reader, fighting for understanding of difficult text, skip the details.  Don't worry about spectacular facts, or engaging opinions.  Ignore grabber introductions written to get you interested in a piece of writing.  As a reader, focus on the W's.  Find out who is the main person (or topic) of the essays.  Look for where and when the event happened.  Determine why this event took place and how it worked.

Then look for the gist.  Find the central idea.  Determine the most vital part of the piece of writing.  Once you understand this, you have successfully read the essay.

Do details matter?  Only if you need them to help you understand the W's and the gist.

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This is Sharing Your Thoughts

As we start a new year in Reading Workshop, one of the main goals is making writing meaningful using descriptive writing with many supporting details.  It really does not matter whether the writing is a response to a question, a blog post, a journal, a letter, or any other type of writing.  Quality writing brings the reader into the mind and the heart of the writer.  Details help the reader see, and feel, and understand.

When I read Katey's blog post, it grabbed me and I knew immediately, this was a great example of what I expect in  students' writing.  This was in response to a prompt from Larger-Than-Life Lara.

My first impression of Lara was "Whoa, what in the world is she describing?" I actually didn’t know what to say about Lara, it was just like an "OMG!" moment, I was speechless. I don’t know if that was what the author wanted people to think, but that was my thought (sorry if that makes anybody mad). When Lara was first described by Laney I thought she wouldn’t be like she is. I didn’t think that Lara would be always smiling and cheerful. I was also suprised after Laney descibed her, that she was a new student.  At first I thought she was an adult, but when she said that she was a new student I was shocked.

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinhutton/
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How To Grade Student Blogs

One of the challenges of having students write all of their assignments on a blog is coming up with a fair and objective way of grading.  Writing assignments in Reading Workshop are graded with a rubric that looks at several factors to come up with an overall grade.

After considering several rubrics, I created the Stair Steps to Success.  As students' writing improves and posts get better and better, they can climb the stairs to writing success.  

These questions can help certain determine their grade.

Did you spell everything correctly? I would hope so. After all, who would want to write something that is available to the whole world, and misspell words? Can the reader understand the topic because you stick to it? Following these minimal standards will earn you at least a D.

Did you use correct grammar?  Did you take time to check your PUGS?  Can the reader follow your post in an organized manner? This is still a most basic expectations for writers that want to publish their work. The skills learned in the primary grades are not too much to expect for work posted on the Internet.  A C means satisfactory and not meeting this basic criteria would surely not deserve anything higher.

Do you have interesting content presented in a well-written way? To build loyal readers, you must grab the reader.  Supporting details draw in the readers and give them understanding. If posts are written cleanly with correct PUGS, the words illustrate the meaning, and the reader can visualize your ideas, you will earn a B.

Does your writing cause the reader to pause, and think, or cause the reader to agree or disagree? Sometimes hours after reading an essay, the reader is still thinking about it. When a blog post has that something special, then the writer deserves an A.  To earn this, the majority of posts must be of exceptional quality.

What step are you on? Have you climbed the stairs to writing success?

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Rules for Blog Comments

Everyone that blogs wants readers.  And, we wish that every single person that visited our blog would comment.  In fact, almost any comment is better than none.  So, the most important rule for blog comments is to comment.  If you agree, say so.  If you disagree, or have a different opinion, say so.  But whatever you do, take a minute and let us know you were here.

As students in Reading Workshop begin to build their blogs, post by post, the need for some structure in commenting is evident.  Hopefully these guidelines will help students engage in meaningful dialogue, comment by comment.

Here are the Reading Workshop rules for Blog Comments.

1.  Be nice. No name-calling and personal abuse, please.

2.  Keep on topic.  Don't write a comment that has little or nothing to do with the subject of the article.

3.  Opposing opinions are welcome, as long as they are respectful of the views of others.  If you disagree with the opinions of the author, express it politely.

4.  Don’t issue personal attacks or insults.  Attacks against  the author, other bloggers, commenters or people will be deleted.

5.  Avoid repeating yourself.  If many people have already said something, please don’t say it again.  Once you make a point, support it, but don't keep saying the same thing over, and over, and over.

5.  Avoid repeating yourself.  If many people have already said something, please don’t say it again  (See how annoying this is).

6.  Don’t make comments like “Great post.” If you read it, say why it was great.  Add some­thing to the con­ver­sa­tion.   Add your own view, or thoughts to the topic.

7.  Don’t use incorrect grammar or mispellings. Doing this makes the blog look like a low quality blog. It makes the blogger feel like you don't care enough to take the time to do it right.

For more information about commenting, see the post Comments That Count. 

Always remember the most important rule for blog comments is to comment.

More on Martha, the Test Grader

OK, so Martha has your test and answer booklet. She doesn't know you, and doesn't care to. In fact, she doesn't even know about Reading Workshop, the name of the school, the town, or the state where you live. You are just a number in a stack. A tall stack of answer booklets that have to be graded before she can take a break.

Whether or not you pass this test means less than nothing to Martha. The things on her mind include sneaking out to get a diet coke, getting rid of this head ache, figuring out how to avoid listening to her sister complain about having to babysit, and about having to do laundry after work, or she will have absolutely nothing to wear tomorrow. She is also thinking about surfing and last summer's vacation.

Now it all comes down to you, the student, and your answer booklet. Will your hard work be in vain? Will eight months of learning be wasted? Or will you be a success story making yourself, your parents, your teachers, and your school feel proud?

The first thing, can she read it? Did you write legibly? Trying to strain her eyes and her brain to read cat scratches is going to irritate Martha. She probably won't even take the time to sort through it. She will just give it a big, fat, zero. Did you write neatly?

Next, if you restated the question and numbered your responses, Martha can easily find key words and information. Using a rubric to score short answer and extended response answers, Martha is looking for specific words and answers. Did you organize your answers to make finding key points easy?

Going back and finding specific details in the passage is paramount. Any time a questions asks for specific details, they are looking for examples word-for-word from the text. Did you go back into the essay and find specific details?

Another factor that makes grading easier is correct spelling. Most of the words that you need to spell are either in the question, or in the passage. It just takes a second to look back and find the correct spelling. Did you use the passage to help you with your spelling?

Did you use the basic test taking skills that you have learned in class?

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/kandyjaxx/82881549/in/set-1618327/

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/kandyjaxx/2487248468/in/set-1618327/

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For the beginning of this story, read Martha, the Test Grader.
For the end of this story, read Martha, the Test Grader, Part 3.

Searching Successfully

As we return to persuasive essay projects this week, some students are still attempting to find more information to support their position. All good opinion papers have specific details, fact, and statistics to support their point of view. Finding and organizing the data is often the most challenging part of this writing project. This takes hard work, and some Internet savvy.

At some point during the school year, almost every student has jumped on Google to find information. Because each student has their own PC, they quickly become use to using them as a tool, whether they need to find information, as a dictionary, or thesaurus. However, when searching for specific information, it takes slightly different skills.

One area of focus is the use of key words. Students must try a variety of search terms, and skim through the results to find the most relevant information. Also, when searching for facts about a topic, using words that relate to for or against an issue is imperative.

Examples of words that show support of an issue include:

for, pro, benefit, agree, positive effect, good points, reasons for

Examples of words that demonstrate disagreement with an issue include:

against, con, no, disagree, bad, problems with, negative effects

Just including one of these words usually narrows search results, helping find usable facts and statistics to support an opinion.

In addition, students watched this video on Google basics.

A persuasive essay will only be as good as the research that supports it. To convince the reader that you are right, you have to have the facts to make your point.
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Online Journal Assessment

Evaluation is a necessary part of any assignment. Online journals are no exception and with this in mind, I adapted a journal rubric to score students' Online Book Journals. This Online Journal Rubric is still in draft stage, but will soon be used to measure students' work as they write about the fictional books they are reading.

These are the expectations to earn a 4/A on the Online Journal:

• Entries are detailed with a sense of completeness
• Specific details from book support the topic and thoughts, ideas, and opinions
• Minimum of at least one paragraph (6 - 9 sentences) each day
• Detailed understanding of book demonstrated in journal
• Explanation and analysis of the "So What?", theme, or lesson ( Thanks to Sara)
  
• Format is correct and consistent
• Reading from SSR and home is complete and logged in book journal daily
• Spelling, punctuation, and capitalization is correct

Visit the Reading Workshop Wikipage to view the entire Online Journal Rubric. Please comment with ideas and suggestions so this can be best written to fairly assess the quality of the journals.
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