PAT Update

PAT Update

PATs Are Coming!• Your writing PAT is on May 13th (before the end of the year)• Field Test (practice test) May 8th

• You have 6 short weeks to be ready• Over the next few weeks we will work on:– Essays– Business Letters– Narratives

• It is important that work to IMPROVE as a writer by APPLYING what we learn in class

Description

Part A: Writing • contributes 50% of the total Grade 9 English

Language Arts Achievement Test mark and consists of two assignments:

Writing50%

Reading50%

LA PAT Mark

Assignment I: Narrative / Essay Writing

• This assignment contains some material for you to consider.

• You must then respond in writing to the topic presented in the assignment.

• You should take about 70 minutes to complete Assignment I.

• Value: Approximately 65% of the total Part A: Writing test mark

Assignment II: Functional Writing

• This assignment describes a situation to which you must respond in the format of a business letter.

• You should take about 40 minutes to complete Assignment II.

• Value: Approximately 35% of the total Part A: Writing test mark

Essay or Narrative

65%

Business Letter35%

Writing Breakdown

ESSAY REVIEW!

Brainstorm!

• What are the different parts of an essay?• What makes a great essay?

The Thesis StatementA Road Map for Your Essay

ESSAYIntroductionThesis StatementBody Paragraph #1Body Paragraph #2Body Paragraph #3

DefinitionThesis Statement

• A thesis statement is a complete sentence that contains one main idea.

• This idea controls the content of the entire essay.

• A thesis statement that contains subpoints also helps a reader know how the essay will be organized.

When I was young, I always knew that I wanted to become a teacher someday. When I played, I would often gather my dolls together and pretend to teach them how to do math problems or how to read a book. As I grew older, my desire to become an ESL teacher became clearer as I did some volunteer teaching overseas and in the United States. As I look back on my reasons for becoming a teacher, there are three reasons that stand out. They are: my love for the English language, my innate interest in how people learn, and my desire to help other people .

DefinitionThesis Statement

The thesis statement contains the main idea that controls the content of the essay.

Subpoints in the thesis or nearby help the reader know how the essay will be organized

Psychologists have argued for decades about how a person’s character is formed. Numerous psychologists believe that one’s birth order (i.e. place in the family as the youngest, oldest, or middle child) has the greatest influence. I believe birth order can have a significant impact in the formation of a child’s character based on my own experience growing up in a family of four children. Birth order can strongly affect one’s relationship with parents, relationships with others, and how one views responsibility as an adult.

Thesis StatementAnother Example

The thesis statement contains the main idea that controls the content of the essay.

Subpoints in the thesis or nearby help the reader know how the essay will be organized

Key FeaturesThesis Statement

states the main idea of the essay in a complete sentence, not in a question.

states an opinion or attitude on a topic. It doesn’t just state the topic, itself.

is usually at the end of an introduction.

often lists subtopics.

You can make your thesis statement more specific by including subtopics or supporting ideas. By doing this, you give your reader a clear idea of what will follow in the body paragraphs of your essay.

Key FeaturesSubtopics

Key FeaturesSubtopics

The large influx of people to California has had major effects on the state.

No subtopics are named in this thesis statement.

The large influx of people to California has had major effects on the ability of the state to provide housing, electricity, and jobs for all residents.

This statement names three subtopics. Can you find all of the subtopics?

subtopic #1

subtopic #2

subtopic #3

SubtopicsAnother Example

Inner-city public schools grapple with some serious problems.

No subtopics are named in this thesis statement.

Some of the most serious problems in today’s inner-city public schools are the overcrowded classrooms, the low percentage of trained teachers, and the lack of resources such as textbooks for students.

This statement names three subtopics. Can you find all of the subtopics?

subtopic #1 subtopic #2

subtopic #3

In thesis statements, you should avoid usingstatements like, “This essay will discuss…” or“I’m going to write about…”. Try to write athesis statement that captures your reader’sattention without announcing your main topicand stating the obvious. Look at the examplesbelow.

Key FeaturesDon’t State the Obvious

Making an OutlineA Plan That Builds an Essay

Essay

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ExampleEssay Outline

I. IntroductionThesis: _____________________

II. Body Paragraph #1- Topic Sentence: _____________A. supporting ideaB. supporting ideaC. supporting idea

III. Body Paragraph #2- Topic Sentence: ____________A. supporting ideaB. supporting ideaC. supporting idea

IV. Body Paragraph #3- Topic Sentence: ____________A. supporting ideaB. supporting ideaC. supporting idea

V. ConclusionThesis Statement (restated in different words)

The Introductory ParagraphThe Paragraph that Hooks

Your Reader

Introduction

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An IntroductionDefinition and Purpose

An introduction is the first paragraph in your essay andcontains the thesis statement. The main purposes of anintroduction are to…

catch your reader’s attention so that he/she will become interested in reading your essay.

present the focus of your essay and give your reader some general information about your subject.

An introduction always includes somegeneral statements about your subject and athesis statement that announces the focus ofyour essay. The thesis statement is usuallythe last sentence in the introduction becauseit is the most specific. Notice how theintroduction below begins with generalinformation and becomes more specific.

An IntroductionGeneral Information and Focus

An IntroductionGeneral Information and Focus

Specific focus ofessay and thesisstatement.

General statements provide backgroundinformation on the focus of health carefor homeless people with HIV.

There are a number of frightening disease epidemics occurring inthe Canada today. Among the most serious of these diseases is HIV

which leads to AIDS, a fatal disease. HIV is especially problematic among homeless people. This particular population is difficult to treat due to a number of barriers such as, limited access to health care, mistrust of health care professionals, and a lack of awareness of the disease, itself.

An IntroductionA Closer Look

Let’s look at that introduction again and see how the sentencesbecome more and more specific leading to the thesis statement.

There are a number of frightening disease epidemics occurring in the Canada today.

Among the most serious of these diseases is HIV which leads to AIDS, a fatal disease.

HIV is especially problematic among homeless people.

This particular population is difficult to treat due to a number of barriers such as, limited access

to health care, mistrust of health care professionals, and a lack of awareness of the disease, itself.

GeneralStatements

MoreSpecific

Very Specific:Thesis

Statement

Body ParagraphsWriting Paragraphs of Importance

Body ParagraphsPurpose

The body paragraphs in your essay supportthe main idea in your thesis statement bybreaking it down into smaller ideas or subtopics. Ideas in your paragraphs should relate back tothe thesis statement.

Essay

Introduction &Thesis Statement

Body Paragraph 1_____________





Supporting SentencesTopic Sentence

An important factor in learning a foreign language has to do with theconcept of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation.

When we do something for the “fun of it” or because we enjoy it, that is called intrinsic motivation.

Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is when we do something for the purpose of receiving some kind of external reward such as money, time off from work, etc.

Many education experts believe that intrinsic motivation is more powerful when it comes to helping students retain what they’ve

learned. Supporting Sentences

Concluding Sentence

• A concluding sentence is the last sentence in a paragraph.

• A conclusion can remind the reader of the main points

of a paragraph and/or leave the reader with something to think about.

• Let’s look at a few examples!

Definition and Purpose

Body Paragraph

An important factor in learning a foreign language has to do with theconcept of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation. When we do somethingfor the “fun of it” or because we enjoy it, that is called intrinsicmotivation. Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is when we dosomething for the purpose of receiving some kind of external rewardsuch as money, time off from work, etc. Many education experts believethat intrinsic motivation is more powerful when it comes to helpingstudents retain what they’ve learned. The question and challenge forteachers today is, “How can we help our students become intrinsicallymotivated in what we are teaching?”

Concluding Sentence

This concluding sentence tries to leave a final thought with the reader by asking a question.

Concluding SentenceUseful Expressions

It is sometimes helpful to have a concluding expressionin your last sentence to signal the end of your paragraph.

Common expressions for concluding sentences:

As we can see,

These examples show that…

As a result,

In summary,

Finally, Consequently,

UnityDefinition

• Good paragraphs have unity.

• Each sentence in the paragraph is related to the topic sentence.

• Unified paragraphs also discuss only one main idea.

The ConclusionMaking Your Last Paragraph Count

The End

A ConclusionDefinition and Purpose

• The conclusion is the last paragraph in your essay.

• A conclusion completes the essay and reemphasizes your thesis statement or main ideas.

• Let’s look at the thesis statement and conclusion below.

A ConclusionSo What?

In addition to referring back to your main idea, yourconclusion needs to show your reader the significance ofyour thesis. When discussing the importance of yourthesis, try to address questions such as…

How and why is this topic important?

How might this topic affect me or other people?

What can be learned from this topic?

Conclusion ParagraphThe decision to move to Canada was a difficult one for my parents to

make. Though I was angry with their decision at the time, I understand now that thepoor economy and political instability of my country forced them to immigrate. Through this experience I learned that one simply cannot control all of life’scircumstances. One must learn to deal with tough situations as they come and workto be successful regardless of one’s location.

Example #2

The first two sentences

reemphasize the thesis statement.

The writer concludes by discussing the lessons learned from his experience.

Thesis StatementThere were several factors that caused my family to make the difficult decision

to immigrate to Canada.

PredictionExample

Finally, the importance of beginning a program to reforest parts of Haiti will be an important step in making thiscountry more economically self-sufficient. Without such aprogram in place, the people of this country will continue todestroy their natural resources for fuel in order to salvage theirpresent state of survival.

A program to reforest parts of Haiti is urgently needed.

Thesis Statement

A prediction is used to make the reader think about possible results of the thesis.

A ConclusionUseful Transitions

• It is sometimes helpful to have a transition at the beginning of your conclusion to signal the end of your essay.

COMMON TRANSITION WORDS• Remember to use a comma after your transitions.

In conclusion, In summary, Thus,

Therefore, To conclude, In short,

Evidence & Examples

• Your main arguments need support• You can support your arguments with

evidence and examples– Books you have read– Movies you have watched– Personal experience (or the experiences of someone you know)

– The news

Introduce and Explain Examples

• Jonas always had people telling him what to do. You need to make your own decisions.

Introduce and Explain Examples

In the book, The Giver, the main character, Jonas, was given few choices in his life. The community where he lived controlled nearly every aspect of peoples lives. Consequently, some people like Jonas became unhappy. Ultimately, Jonas sought freedom and choices by leaving the community. This example shows the importance of having the freedom to make your own choices.

Introduce example

Explain Example

Connect example to thesis or topic sentence

Enhance Vocab

• Use a thesaurus• Use transition words • Do not fear big words!

Draw Insightful Conclusions

Non-Insightful Conclusion:Gerry helped is teammates and was an inspiration.Insightful Conclusion:Many times during the film, Remember The Titans, the main character Gerry stood up for his beliefs. In one scene he makes a difficult choice between his girlfriend and his new black teammates. Gerry held firm to his beliefs and eventually his example had a positive impact on the attitudes of others.

Knock my socks off!

GroupsGroup 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4

Brittany Lizzie April Tatjanna

Shae-Lynn Ireland Josh Sage

Hailey M Kennedy Aliyah Kaleb

Jonah Danielle JR JosiahHaylee D. Tyler Katie Brendan

Look Over Your Work!

• Look for spelling mistakes

• Read to see if your sentences make sense!

• Make changes!

Documents

PAT Update