Page 55 - SpringBoard_ELA_Grade7_Flipbook

aCTIvITy 1.6
continued
Timed Writing: Choosing a Topic and drafting a personal Narrative
My Notes
Preparing for Writing to a Prompt
Tip 1: Address all aspects of the prompt. Make sure you understand what the
prompt is asking you to do.
• Circle the key verbs in the prompt. The verbs identify what you will do.
• Underline the nouns. The nouns identify what you will write about.
• List the verbs next to the nouns. This list prioritizes what you have to do when you write in response to this prompt. You can use this list as a checklist to ensure that you have addressed all aspects of the prompt.
Tip 2: Pace yourself. You will have _______ minutes to write your essay. How many minutes will you use for each phase?
_____ Prewrite: Plan my essay and generate ideas.
_____ Draft: Put my plan into action and get my narrative on paper.
_____ Revise/Edit: Make sure my narrative is as clear as possible for my readers.
Tip 3: Plan your essay. Look back at your portfolio cover and at your choices/ consequences/reflection web. Select one incident in which you made a choice.
Use a prewriting strategy to create a plan for your draft. Consider creating a web, a plot diagram, or an outline.
Writing Prompt: Write a multi-paragraph narrative about an incident on your “choices” graphic organizer. Include information about the choice you made and the consequences of your action. Be sure to:
• Include the elements of incident, response, and reflection.
• Use transitions to connect ideas for your reader.
• Include insights about the effects and consequences of the choice.
Language and Writer’s Craft: Coherence
When responding to a writing prompt, it is important to consider the coherence of
your writing. Transitions within and between paragraphs create coherence.
Transitions that you might use to move from idea to idea include then, next, later, after that, toward the end, in the end, additionally, nevertheless, in addition, however, finally, and moreover. There are many additional transitions you might use. Create a bank of transition words and phrases in your Reader/Writer Notebook as a reference.
When reading for internal coherence, make sure that each paragraph is organized and clearly written using transitions and parallel structure. When reading for external coherence, check that the entire text uses transitions to move smoothly from one major idea to another in a logical way.
aCadeMIC voCabULary
Coherence is the clear and
orderly presentation of ideas
in a paragraph or essay.
Internal coherence refers to
coherence within a paragraph.
External coherence refers
to coherence between the
paragraphs and relates to the
entire essay.
28 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 7
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