Writing to Respond to Text and Tests

By Martha Joseph Watts

Writing to Respond to Text and on Tests is a revised edition of Writing to Respond: Cultivating a Habit. It highlights the academic vocabulary that students address on each step of the process, and it encourages students to take charge of their critical thinking skills. Students are coached into formulating questions to steer their writing responses. This unique feature makes the process practical for all student groups on the middle and high school levels.

This process tackles all the English Language Arts Shifts identified by the Common Core States standards.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503576001

Martha Joseph Watts

Dr. Martha Joseph Watts is an educational consultant and teacher trainer with more than a decade of proven results in providing professional training to teachers and school administrators. By engaging both one-on-one coaching and team-building methodologies, Watts develops resources for improving students’ performance in reading and writing across content areas. This second installment to her Writing to Respond series bears evidence of her mastery. A graduate of Dominica Teachers Training College, University of the Virgin Islands, and Walden University, Dr. Watts has taught on various levels of the academic spectrum—from elementary school to higher education. Thus, she acquired firsthand experience managing the challenges and identifying the opportunities that are presented daily to teachers and administrators. She has been recognized for her contributions to the teaching of the humanities and continues to share her passion at summer institutes and conferences with the Daytona and Virgin Islands Writing Projects, and ASCD. She is married and has one son.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Martha Joseph Watts, Ed.D.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2015909144

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5035-7599-8

                Softcover        978-1-5035-7601-8

                eBook             978-1-5035-7600-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 07/11/2015

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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Contact author at: [e-mail]

or visit website:www.buddinwriters.com

Contents

Reviews

Dedication

Acknowledgement

Note to Parents and Teachers

A Note to Students

Introduction

PART I

Use ISR for Responding to Text

Models

Student Samples

Exercise 1.1

Letter to the Editor

Exercise 1.2

Works Cited and Writing Help

Avoiding Wordiness

When to Use Personal Pronouns

PART II

Introduction to Part II

Use RID & PWD to Respond on Tests

Exercise 2.1

Exercise 2.2

Student Sample: Informative Essay

Exercise 3.1

Model: An Argumentative Response

Exercise 4.1

Exercise 4.2

Rubrics

Works Cited

Reviews

It is with great pleasure I write a review of Writing to Respond to Text and Tests authored by one of my English teachers, Dr. Watts.

In today’s age of state testing and accountability, Dr. Watts has created a simple user friendly practice guide for all readers intending on teaching and learning the art of writing. Dr. Watts has practical examples and step by step procedures that ensure students are evaluating, reacting, citing and synthesizing text- based documents. Her book will allow readers to put into practice the fundamental skills necessary to help adolescent students become competent writers. She adeptly included examples of well-written student samples as anchor papers for everyday instructional purposes. Her rubrics provide the writer with tangible parameters which simplify the writing process. In addition, the use of non-verbal graphic organizers lend wonderfully to the pre-planning/pre-writing process. I recommend this text as one for your professional library and classroom setting.

Dr. John Harris

Principal, Heritage High School, Palm Bay, Florida.

At a juncture when school districts are delving into new standards that will raise expectations for our students’ performance, this book is timely. Students are faced with more challenging assessments and instructions, and teachers are expected to deliver. Dr. Watts crafts this book at an opportune time as it is a powerful tool that can help students and teachers navigate the skills and techniques necessary to prepare our students to be college and career ready. This book should be in every classroom – as it carefully guides teachers and students in a step-by-step process to respond to text and decipher test. It is certain to make the tasks less intimidating and students more confident to approach the dreaded high stakes assessments.

Nurseen Davis

Language Arts Coordinator, St. Thomas-St. John District, United States Virgin Islands

Not everyone gets the opportunity to work closely with Dr. Martha Joseph Watts, so I feel privileged to be on her team. Here is a professional who practices what she teaches. And what she teaches is a systematic model for simplifying the task of Writing to Respond to Text and Tests. Any student or teacher who intends to be ahead of the performance curve must adhere to this invaluable guide.

Michelle A. Edwards

Editor, Echandim Editing, LLC

This book, Writing to Respond to Text and Tests, serves as a hand book to every student who seeks to become a confident writer and desires to master the art of responding to writing prompts on tests.

Author

Dedication

This directional guide to responding to text and on tests is dedicated to students, teachers, and schools everywhere.

It is specifically dedicated to schools that provide opportunities to enhance student learning through the combination of reading and writing.

These schools continually seek ways to narrow the achievement gap as the digital divide and technological demands continue to widen.

To you, I say continue to provide opportunities for success to all students.

Teachers, you are the true champions of change. Keep your passion stirred.

Acknowledgement

Thanks to The Almighty God for continued inspiration.

Sincerest thanks to the Charlotte Amalie High Chicken Hawks, the Ivanna Eudora Kean High Sting Rays, and the Heritage High Panthers. You will always be known as the schools that launched my work in the air, at sea, and on land. What more can I ask for? Merci.

Students, you