Page 69 - SpringBoard_Writing_Workshop_Grade6_Flipbook

Writing Workshop 6 (continued)
Sometimes, you might want to shorten a quotation by leaving out part of the middle or by leaving out unnecessary information. When you do this, use an ellipsis (...)
For example, when quoting:
“The team, after many challenging seasons with no playoff games at all, finally made it to the championship in 2009.
you might simply write:
“The team ... finally made it to the championship in 2009.”
Other times, you might have a quote that needs to be altered to fit the rest of your writing. For example, the verb tense may need to be changed, or language that is vague and confusing for your audience may need adjusting. You can make small changes to quotations as long as you indicate where the changes are with brackets. However, you should not change the meaning of the quote. (For example, do not change “it is a good idea” to “it is [not] a good idea.”)
To alter a quote so that it works with the rest of your writing, you might change this:
“It is very beneficial to run or briskly walk for twenty minutes a day.”
to this:
Dr. Ray recommended “run[ning] or briskly walk[ing] for twenty minutes a day.”
To alter language that is unclear and confusing for your audience, you might change this vague quote about Chancellor Merkel of Germany:
“Eventually, her opponents decided to make a compromise with her.”
to this:
“Eventually, her opponents decided to make a compromise with [Chancellor Merkel].”
or this:
“Eventually, her opponents decided to make a compromise with her [Chancellor Merkel].”
Practice: Take the following quote from the research presentation above and practice shortening the quote. Then change the writing to the present tense.
The study that showed students shifting to different sugary drinks also warned about other ways that students make up for school-based bans. While students who were not heavy soda users did drink less due to bans, heavy drinkers made up for the bans with increased consumption outside of school.
Answers will vary.
ACTIVITY 2
Constructing a Research Presentation Together
1. As a class, brainstorm some possible topics for a research project that involves the idea of change.
Students’ responses will vary. Possible topics include telephone technology, climate change, computer technology, agriculture, or cosmetics testing
4 SpringBoard® Writing Workshop with Grammar Activities Grade 6
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