Writing



Writing Portfolio What's in a Name?--Introductory Writing



Journal Entries #1-10—Personal Writing

5-Paragraph Informative—Informative Writing

5-Paragraph Persuasive—Persuasive Writing

What Happens to Scrooge?—Narrative Writing

What an Idiom!--Narrative Writing



Whose Fairy Tale is This?--Narrative Writing A 6-Word Narrative—Narrative Writing Figures, We have Another Narrative Essay—Narrative Writing

Research Paper—Research Writing

“A Christmas Carol” Student Responses—Personal Writing



The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Student Responses—Personal Writing



Writing Exam #1-4—Informative and Persuasive Writing

Thesis Statements: Statement within an essay that tells the reader what the essay will be about.


 * 1 complete sentence
 * found in the introduction
 * last sentence in the introduction
 * Only using 3rd person personal pronouns
 * Be specific but broad enough that you can elaborate in your body paragraph.
 * Thesis Generator

Writing to a Prompt

Writing an Introduction

Writing the Body Paragraphs

Writing a Conclusion

Using Transitions

Words that **ADD** information


 * also and**
 * another beside**
 * first, second, third,... furthermore**
 * in addition moreover**

• The little girl put on her yellow shirt **and** brown overalls. •Chris is on the basketball team this semester at Indiana School for the Deaf. **In addition**, he is on the soccer team. •We will be here for one more week so we can finish up our work. **Another** reason we are staying longer is because we do not want to miss the Deaf Way conference. •**First of all**, pour a half-cup of milk in the bowl; **second**, add two eggs; and **third**, stir the mixture. •I admire I. King Jordan because he is the first deaf president of Gallaudet. **Besides that**, I admire him because he is a great long distance runner. **Furthermore**, he is a dedicated family man. All in all, there ís not much to dislike about the man, except he is too perfect! •Crystal likes camping in the mountains. **Also**, Crystal is an experienced hiker. •Texas School for the Deaf is perfectly located. **Moreover**, it has a strong academic program. **For example**, the school has a preschool program where both deaf and hearing children learn together.

Words that show **CONCLUSION** fi**nally... in conclusion**
 * to conclude.... to sum up**

• There were a lot of problems discussed at the meeting. **Finally**, after a few hours, we were able to prioritize the problems in the order we want to solve the problems. •Many parents and students have been complaining about the program. For example, scores on the end-of-grade tests have gone down from last year; teachers are not very motivated; and everyone is frustrated. **To sum up**, some improvements in the middle school program need to be made. •**To conclude**, I want to wish you all a very happy holiday season. •There was a malfunction in the smoke machines and lights, the curtains would not open and close properly, and one of the actors was sick with no stand-in. **In conclusion**, the play was a disaster.

Words that **REPEAT** information

• That area is very dangerous for you to bike in. **To repeat**, I warn you not to go there. •Lisa decided not to go to King Islands. **In fact** she told me, "No, way." •I feel that our last Student Council meeting did not go well. **In other words**, it was a fine mess. •Sally has lost an oar on her boat and she is in big trouble. Well, **to put it another way**, Sally has to find another way to row or she will sink!
 * in fact ...in other words**
 * once again.... to put it another way**
 * to repeat**

Words that show **COMPARISON** • At St. Rita School for the Deaf, a private school, there is a dress code that mandates how the students are to dress. The boys must wear a pair of pants and dress shirts. **Similarly**, the strict dress code requires plaid skirts and blouses for the girls. •**Like** her grandmother, Sally loves the Gallaudet Homecoming football game. •The news reported that Montana would be very cold this week. I said, "**Likewise**, Rochester will be, too." •Ronda bought a new Saturn car; so **in like manner** the rest of her friends did the same thing. •**By comparison**, Greensboro, N.C. is much smaller than Washington, D.C. is. •The cat acts **as if** he is the boss of the house. •The cat is **as proud as a king**. •Bob loves to go to parties. **In comparison**, Sue loves to stay at home with her family. •**Compared** to seven years ago when the printer worked well, it has been "ill" a great deal of the time in recent weeks.
 * as ... as .....in like manner**
 * as if.... like**
 * by comparison..... likewise**
 * in comparison.... similarly**

Words that show **CONTRASTS** or **DIFFERENCES** • I am not able to go to the beach with you. **Nevertheless**, thanks for asking me. •Karen's cat, Salem is so **unlike** Midnight. Midnight likes to nap a lot and Salem likes to play a lot. •The idea of attending the play at Gallaudet is nice. **However**, the Theoretical Issues in Sign Language Research conference is scheduled at the same time. •He prefers to attend the play **rather than** attending the conference. •**Though** I eat green beans because they are healthy, I hate them. •**Although** Steven was extremely tired, he washed the dishes. •The play was great, **nonetheless**, I am sick of seeing it for the fourth time. •Amber, Sharon, and Megan went to Busch Gardens for the day. **In spite of** the cold weather, they enjoyed themselves. •Sharon and Megan enjoyed the Loch Ness Monster ride, **but** Amber thought that Alpengist was faster and had more twists. •Sharon has not visited the Land of the Dragons, **yet** if she had had a kid, she would have gone by now. •Alexander Graham Bell believed in oral education for deaf children. **This is in contrast** to Edward Minor Gallaudet who believed in using American Sign Language to educate deaf children.
 * although... but**
 * however ..in contrast**
 * in spite of ...nevertheless**
 * nonetheless ...rather than**
 * though... unlike**
 * yet**

Words that show a **TIME** relationship

• Stephen went to pick up Irene **before** he stopped by McDonald's for lunch. •Karen was out with her friend **last** night. •We need to wash our clothes, **after that** we can go to the Taste of D.C. festival. •I can't wait to watch "NYPD," it is coming on soon. You can watch the rerun **later** this week. •**Finally**, I will get to see Rick Schroder. He has not been acting much since he was a teenager. •The beginning of the movie was sadder **than** the ending. •**After so much time** waiting in the long line, the boys finally got their hamburgers. •The Van Gogh art exhibit was shown **earlier** this month in Washington, D.C. •**Wait until tonight**, then you will be able to see the full moon over Gallaudet's Chapel Hall. •The show is not over **until** the actors take their final bows at the end. •**While** Missy was driving to work, she saw a deer by the roadside. She slowed down to watch the deer for a short time, then **continued** on her way to work. •**Even when** Sally was able to, she did not bother to finish her ASL project. •Clerc met with Gallaudet to prepare for the Congressional meeting scheduled for the **next** day. •The next night was very dark and stormy. Of course, it was Halloween night! •"Next, please," the lady called when it was my turn to go up to the booth to have my paycheck cashed. •Bobby's broken ankle will heal in time for the Maryland Deaf Festival. •That house felt very creepy inside; meanwhile, it was sunny outside. •Eventually, Sally got tired of John calling her on the TTY all the time since she was not interested in him. •She was still asleep when I got back home from work. •Now, please get this truck fixed right because I need it to get to school on time! •Schools for the deaf used Sign Language until the dreadful conference in Milan; from then on, most schools for the deaf employed the oral method. •Super Kmart is near Landmark Mall, but Ames is far away from the mall. So it would be easier to shop at Super Kmart. •It will take two hours to go from Point A to Point B. Can you figure out how many hours it is from Point A to Point C? •At first, I thought it was a dead animal. As I walked closer, I saw it was only a worn-out coat on the ground. •Looking beyond this month, I predict that funding will be much better for this program. •Everyone hid out in the hall during the hurricane, hoping they would be safe. •Rebecca has not eaten at Lone Star ever since she became sick from eating the food. •Following "Friends" and "Mad about You," "ER" will be shown. "ER" is supposed to have two Deaf actresses on the show tonight. [ Return to Top ] Words that LIMIT or PREPARE for an example: Words that LIMIT or PREPARE for an example for example for instance to illustrate such as • Not all birds eat berries. For example, vultures eat dead animals. •Jeff is an interesting person to know. To illustrate, he knows a lot about the history of the Deaf community in Ireland. •There are things that need to be done to improve the company. For instance, we can begin by organizing the files. •I have a few things to take care of such as paying bills, cleaning the house, and going to the post office. Words that show CAUSE (explain why): Words that show CAUSE (explain why) because because of caused by
 * after so much time ....after that ....at first**
 * before.. beginning... ending ...eventually**
 * earlier... even when ...ever since**
 * following ...from then on.... from... to**
 * in time... last... later**
 * meanwhile... near...far... next**
 * now... over... soon**
 * still ...the next day, night ...then**
 * while**

• Midnight was not able to move around well because his hind legs were in casts. He broke them when he fell off the bookshelf. •Did you see the tragic accident on I-85 south? It was caused by a drunk driver. •Because it is raining today, the homecoming game and the food booths will be cancelled. •I was late to work because of the heavy traffic. Words that show EFFECT/RESULT: Words that show EFFECT/RESULTS as a result consequently for this/that reason that is why therefore thus •It is raining today thus we are not going to the beach. •The weather is supposed to be drizzly and chilly today; as a result, the Deaf Festival will be cancelled. •I was too tired; therefore I decided not to go to the state fair last night. •In 1903, William E. Hoy, a deaf baseball player, caught a fly ball in the ninth inning in spite of heavy fog. Consequently, Los Angles won the pennant for that year. •Ricky worked all day, from 8am until 11pm. That is why he stayed home instead of going camping with us. •The school bus broke down last week and has not been repaired yet. So for that reason, our dance group is unable to go to Washington, D.C. to perform at Kennedy Center. [ Return to Top ] Words that ASSERT OBVIOUS TRUTH or GRANT OPPOSITION: Words that ASSERT OBVIOUS TRUTH or GRANT OPPOSITION certainly conceding that granted that in fact naturally no doubt of course undoubtedly without a doubt • There is no doubt that the dog buried the bone in the garden. •Jeff told us an undoubtedly true story that was very scary. •The judge, without a doubt, thinks capital punishment is wrong. •Of course, Sarah is going to the beach this weekend with her parents. She needs a break from Gallaudet. •Naturally Steven is not going to agree with that plan. In fact, he thinks that the idea of setting up a business selling scarves on K Street would surely fail. •Certainly, you may borrow my book on the history of the American Deaf Community. But, be sure to return it to me next week. •Granted that Bob promised to send some money to help with the bills, yet this doesn't mean that he will. •Conceding that Sally is a strong skater, Rachel still believes she will be able to beat her in the Olympics. Rachel wants to become the first deaf ice skater to receive a gold medal.

Informative and Persuasive Outline

[|Paper Rater]

Informative Assignment Sheet

Persuasive Assignment Sheet

Sentence Variety media type="youtube" key="nCImrmR63JE" height="315" width="420"