AIMS Writing Prep

Created by Ms. Dimler

10 days !!! Buckle Up Team!!! • • • • • • • • • • 1. RAFTS 2. Graphic Organizers 3. Ideas and Content 4. Organization 5. Voice 6. Word Choice 7. Sentence Fluency 8. Conventions 9. Real Deal Rehearsal 10. Real Deal Rehearsal

1. RAFTS

What do you want me to write exactly?

RAFTS Refresher

• R = role • A = audience • F = format • T = topic • S = sentence

RAFTS example 1 Prompt: March 8th is “Working Women’s Day.” Many people feel that being a stay-at-home-mom is full time job. Write an essay explaing why you agree or disagree with this.

R = explain A = Dads F = 5 paragraph essay T = Being a mom is a full-time job S = I’m going to write a 5 paragraph essay to Dads everywhere explaining that being a stay-at-home-mom is a full-time job.

RAFTS example 2 Prompt: Today marks the anniversary of the death of Anne Frank who died in 1945. This brave young woman is well known for the diary she kept, capturing her time in hiding from the Nazi soldiers. Write Anne a letter expressing your thoughts on what it means to be brave.

R = express A = Anne Frank F = Friendly letter T = what it means to be brave S = I’m going to write friendly letter to Anne Frank expressing what I think it means to be brave.

Your turn… Prompt 1: You rush home from school. Swing open your bedroom door and find a mysterious cardboard box on your bed. Write a story telling what you found and what happens next.

Your turn… Prompt 2: Your basketball team really wants new uniforms, but uniforms cost money. You want your team to fundraise to get the money to buy the new uniforms. Write a letter to your coach convincing him that you have a lots of ideas for raising the money.

Your turn… Prompt 3: Everyone has special skills. Choose one of your skills, then write a process explaining all the steps that are involved.

Example: making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

2. Graphic Organizers

“If you build it, they will come.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSKlSExuA-s

So, what’s the point?

“If you build it, they will come.”

If you build your writing with a graphic organizer, magic will happen with your writing.

Think about it…

A magical baseball game!

That’s incredible!!!

1. Power Outline

1. Big Idea 2. Tell me more 2. Tell me more 3. Tell me even more 1. Big idea 2. Tell me more 3. Tell me even more 3. Tell me even more

3. Stance/Argument

Stance

Argument 1 Argument 2 Argument 3

Types of Graphic Organizers

Organizer

Power Outline I-Planner Stance/Arguments

When you use it

Expository writing: essay, process essay Narrative and personal narrative Persuasive essay or letter

3. Ideas and Content

message

Meet Boring Bob

Boring Bob is just your everyday average 6 th grader.

Boring Bob eats cheerios for breakfast, enjoys puppies, draws smiley faces on his school work, plays hours and hours of video games, and goes to bed at exactly 8:00 p.m. every night.

…you don’t want to be Boring Bob…

…you want to be this guy…

Meet Unforgettable Ulric

He may not be the coolest kid, but he is definitely impossible to ignore and hard forget!

So, just accept it, this is you.

Get over yourself.

Seriously, this is you for the next 2 weeks or so…

Take a long look. I want Unforgettable Ulric to be burned onto your brains, so that when you get your AIMS test, you will see him, and remember that you must be him.

Why have I introduced you to these jolly fellows?

Let’s delve deeper shall we?

Both Bob and Ulric get the following prompt on their AIMS test.

Write a personal narrative about your best day ever. What made that day so memorable?

Let’s take a look at their brainstorm lists…

• • • • • • • • My eleventh birthday The last day of school The first day of school The day I got my puppy The day I learned to ride my bike The day I got my Nintendo DS The day I won the science fair When my class had a pizza party

• • • • • • The day I was abducted by aliens The day I got my pet crocodile The day I stuck a marble up my nose The day I convinced my little sister that she had lice The day I ate 14 hot dogs The day I met a leprechaun and he led me to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow

Whose paper would you rather read?

There’s no contest, Unforgettable Ulric wins hands down!

Now, it’s your turn… Make a t-chart on your paper. Label one side “Boring Bob” and the other side “Unforgettable Ulric.”

Boring Bob Unforgettable Ulric

I’m going to give you a writing prompt and you have to brainstorm a list of ideas that Boring Bob would come up with.

Then brainstorm another list of ideas that Unforgettable Ulric would come up with.

Remember: Unforgettable Ulric is a cool cat!

Carpooling, recycling, and planting trees are all activities that are good for the environment. Write an essay convincing readers to actively participate in one of these activities.

Take a look at what you need to do

4. Organization

structure

Take a look at what you need to do

Transition Words

Transition words are the bridge between 2 ideas.

Let’s take a look…shall we?

Transitions are the cord between Christmas lights.

List as many transition words as you can!

Of course suddenly additionally similarly on the contrary on one hand on the other hand in contrast clearly truly Obviously as you can imagine however furthermore later then next first second third finally consequently As a result in addition in conclusion as you can see equally important traditionally another too also

5. Voice

personality

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwpTj_Z9v-c&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CdJTfGiRCI

You have your own voice, your own personality.

Show it when you write!

Take a look at what you need to do

This means that when your audience reads your writing, they get to know a little bit about your personality.

Your personality includes your…

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to free-write about the following topic:

AIMS

Write about AIMS. Just make sure you put a lot of “ YOU ” into your writing.

Just write!

6. Word Choice

color

Take a look at what you need to do

Pop quiz!

Which part of speech gives you the “most bang for your buck”?

a. Nouns b. Adjectives c. Verbs d. Adverbs Answer = c. Verbs

Verbs = $$$

rush hammer halt squish blast release

surround

cram whistle construct grip spill glare paste slam shiver quiver perceive sob shriek produce dedicate implore squeak spin sprint bloom pour action words twirl desire shimmer consume scribble devour annoy inhale shower crave ogle recall

Post card project

Directions : 1. I’ll show you an image of a certain place.

2. Pretend you’ve visited this place.

3. Write a post card to your teacher describing things that you’ve seen, heard, tasted, smelled, felt and done in this crazy place.

4. You must write 3 GOOD sentences. Include power verbs.

Example

Great Wall of China Dear Ms. Dimler, I just witnessed the glory of the Great Wall of China. I ascended the numerous steps and traipsed along the ancient stones. Now, I can comprehend those history all lessons you taught me.

Your turn #1

Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

Your turn #2

Statue of Liberty, New York City

Your turn #3

Sphinx, Egypt

7. Sentence Fluency

flow

Take a look at what you need to do

Ready to meet the sentence fluency crew?

Too bad!

Buckle up anyway!

Drum roll please…

Who Where What Why When HOw

Tip : Whenever you want your sentence to flow better, ask yourself a couple of these questions and re-write your sentence.

Dr. Seuss Activity

I love Dr. Seuss, and his whole aim in life was to give kids 2 things: 1. The abilitly to read and write well and 2. The permission to be imaginative So, he’s going to help us out.

Excerpt from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish Dr. Seuss’s version: Ms. Dimler’s version: Who am I?

My name is Ned.

I do not like my little bed.

This is no good.

This is not right.

My feet stick out of bed all night.

And when I pull them in, Oh, dear!

My head sticks out of bed up here!

Who am I? Well, my grandpa decided to name me Ned after his favorite pet turtle. Anyway, I do not like my teensy, little bed, because my feet stick out and freeze like ice cubes. This is no good, and this is most definitely not right. Either my feet or my head will stick out and freeze all night!

Let’s analyze… same Answers “Why?” Answers “Why?” Combines two complete sentences with a conjunction and a comma.

Transition Word Who am I? Well, my grandpa decided to name me Ned after his favorite pet turtle. Anyway, I do not like my teensy, little bed, because my feet stick out and freeze like ice cubes. This is no good, and this is most definitely not right. Either my feet or my head will stick out and freeze all night!

Get ready.

You’ll need a pencil and a piece of paper.

Your turn… I’ll give you a few hints What things will you know?

The more what that you read?

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places Learn about you'll go.” what ?

What places?

How will you learn again?

Where ?

--Dr. Seuss

Your turn again…this time I’m not helping.

I could not, would not, on a boat.

I will not, will not, with a goat.

I will not eat them in the rain.

I will not eat them on a train.

Not in the dark! Not in a tree!

Not in a car! You let me be!

--Dr. Seuss

8. Conventions

CUPS

Take a look at what you need to do

C

Capitalization CUPS

P U

Understanding

S

Spelling Punctuation

9. Real Deal Rehearsal

Just do it!

Your Checklist

 RAFTS  Unforgettable Ulric  Graphic Organizer  Draft  Revise  Edit  Final

How will you remember this?



R

AFTS 

U

nforgettable Ulric 

G

raphic Organizer 

D

raft 

R

evise 

E

dit 

F

inal  Red  Unicorns  Glide  Down  Rotten  Elephant  Farts

Red Unicorns Glide Down Rotten Elephant Farts

Pew!!!

Prompt

Have you ever traveled to a place that you found very meaningful and rewarding? Write an essay that persuades others to visit this important place.

important place.

10. Real Deal Rehearsal

Give it all you got!

Prompt

Some of our most memorable moments are when we achieve an important goal. Tell about a time when you accomplished a goal you had been working toward.

Show me what you got!