Effective Writing
“Writing is thinking on paper.”
~William Zinsser
“Writing is thinking on paper.”
~William Zinsser
Focused & Organized Writing
• contains an effective and relevant introduction.
• utilizes effective organizational strategies to create a unified whole and to aid in comprehension.
• effectively clarifies relationships among ideas and concepts to create cohesion.
• contains an effective and relevant concluding statement or section.
Developed Writing
• utilizes well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient evidence 1 from the stimuli to thoroughly and insightfully develop the topic.
• thoroughly and accurately explains and elaborates on the evidence provided, demonstrating a clear, insightful understanding of the topic, task, and stimuli.
Language Use in Writing
• illustrates consistent and sophisticated command of precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and literary techniques appropriate to the task.
• illustrates sophisticated command of syntactic variety for meaning and reader interest.
• utilizes sophisticated and varied transitional words and phrases.
• effectively establishes and maintains a formal style and an objective tone.
Conventions in Writing
• demonstrate consistent and sophisticated command of grade-level conventions of standard written English.
• may contain a few minor errors that do not interfere with meaning.
Effective writing uses these four types of sentences:
Claim -A statement, factual or argumentative, that asserts something to be true.
Detail -Supportive evidence. Be very specific and concrete.
Quote -A direct quote from the text supporting your claim with a page or line number.
Commentary -In your own words, explain why the text evidence supports your claim.
Identify the guilty party. (Claim)
Give specific reasons why they are guilty. (Detail)
Give physical evidence from the crime scene. (Quote)
Convince the jury/judge why all this evidence supports your claim. (Commentary)
Make your concluding statement about the guilty party. (Conclusion)
Students struggle with commentary. Here is a more detailed explanation:
When you're talking about a quote, try to give your own take on what it means. Don't just say "This quote shows" or "In this quotation" – that's boring and unnecessary. Instead, explain how the quote supports your argument. But remember, quotes by themselves don't prove anything. You need to give your own detailed thoughts on why that quote matters. Here's a good rule of thumb: try to write twice as much about your own ideas as you do about the quote itself. So, for every sentence you write about the quote, try to add at least two sentences of your own commentary.
Paraphrased From: Delaware City Schools "Claim, Evidence, Commentary Handout"
Writing Diagnostic:
Music plays an important role in every culture and in every individual's life. Write an essay explaining the role music plays in your culture or in your own life.