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    Writing#2 1-20-2021 PDF

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    Walter Zapata Medina

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    (On the writing section ofthe Reasoning Through Language Arts GED* test, you willbe asked to read texts and respond to them in writing, Your response ‘willbe scored according to specific criteria, including your bility to write in ‘logical and organi2ed way. Your writing will also be evaluate for correct spelling and grammar How do you fel about your ability to write? How do you feel when you know youthave to write? ‘You may not realize how familar you alteady ere with writing and the “writing process. Think about what you have writenrecentY, ftom e-mails or eters journal entiesand essays. ‘check the box fo activity you did as part of your writing. Did you think about what you were going to write before you started towriter Did you create an outline before you started to write? Did you create fist or rough draft of your writing? Did you reread your writing tobe sure twas logical and organized? Did you reread your writing for errors in grammar or spelling? Dia you prepare afinal version of our writing, correcting organizational problems and missakes you found? {In this unt, you wal lear: how to prepare your ideas before you begin to write, ‘how to write a frst draft of your wating, howto evise and edit your writing, how to prepare final drat of your writing and publish your writing. howto write response ta writing prompt that requires you to analyze other pieces of writing, lesson 27 The Writing Process losson 28 Writing Prompt 128 THE WRITING PROCESS ‘Writing does not just happen. Good writing is a process, with step that should be taken in order. The complete writing process consists of these five steps: Step: Prewting Step2: Writing the First Draft Step3: Revising and Eating ‘step: Wotng the Final rast ‘Step: Publishing (Sharing the Final Dra) Step 1: Prewriting rewriting means planning before you begin o write. This frst step in ‘the writing process involves defining your topic, enerating ideasabout{t, and organizing those ideas, Define Your Topic ‘To define your topic, rst define your purpose for writing ard the audience forwiiom you are writing. + Identify Your Purpose Ask, Why am I writing? Possible answers are to tell story, to describe, to explain, oro persuade. + Identify Your Audience Ask, Who will read what lam writing? Possible answers are a friend, a coworker, a teacher, or a potential employer. EXAMPLE Melisa Sanchez attends a Pre GED" class ata community college. The irs night, her instructor asked the students to write an essay. ‘The essay topic was “How Can I Achieve Success in Tis Class?" Melissa ‘thought about what she might write Fist, she defined her purpose and her audience. Purpose: Toorplain Audlence: My Instructor andl ‘Then she made the following list of possible topics. 1. Everyday math practice 2. Good study habits 3. Improve my reading Melissa selected “improve my reading” as her topic. UNIT 4 WRITING ‘THE wei > SKILL PRACTICE ING Process ‘Choose topic thai neither too general nor too limited. For example, “suppose youae asked to write two-page esay on hobbies. Thisisa general subject that could fla book. But some topics that you could cover in bier essay are “refinishing old furniture” or “geting started in photography.” Atopic that isto narrow or limited isalso hard to write about because you may run out of things to say. For example, the topico"wood-refinisaing ‘ols is probably to limited for a two-page essay on hobbies, Choose atopic thatyou already know something about or one that you find interesting, This will make your writing ask easier. Below each general subject list two topics that you could wete about, The: first one has been started for you. 1. Subject: Sports 3. Subject: Movies Purpose: Toexplain Purpose: To describe ‘Audience: Agroup ofchildren Audience: Your fiends opie: Howto Play Soccer Topics Tople Tope: 2. Subject jobs 4. subject: Animals Purpose: To describe Purpose: To persuade ‘Audience: Your friends Audience: Fellow students Tople—ropie . Topic Topie2: Generate Ideas Aer your purpose, audience, and top are clear in your mind, you ace ready to generate ideas about your topic. «Explore your thoughts about the topic. What interests you about the topic? What would intrest your readers? © Brainstorm Ideas. To brainstorm, let your mind work feely as one ‘thought leads to the next. Write down 2verything that comes to mind, ‘without making any decisions about which ideas are good or bad. (That will come late.) «© Ask yourself questions. Tr epplying the reporters basic questions: ‘Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Write down everything that, ‘comes to mind, and keep writing anytime one idea leads toanother, + Use what you know. Your own persomal observations, knowledge, and, ‘experiences are your best sources for eas. You learn everyday just by living, observing people, surfing the Web, and watching TV. What else ‘can you say about this topic? ck yar ansnersonpageset, 129 ney C4 aremmee ieee 130 > SKILL PRACTICE Organize Your Ideas ‘While you are generating ideas, write them down, You can refer to them | ‘when you begin to write. First, make alist of your ideas. Next, organize the ideas Inthe order that you want to write about them. Writing an outline and drawing fan idea map are two ways to organize your ideas, EXAMPLE Melissa thought about diferent ways she could improve her reading. She listed her ideas. Then she made this outline to organize ther. How Gan Improve My Reading Skis L Read every day I, Readlots of diferent things A. setasidea time toread A. checkout books from each day leary 8, read 10 minutesbeforelget up _B. subscribe toamagazne C. read 10 minutesbeforelgo to C._fnd interesting internet sleep at right | sites D. read the newspaper 1. Read with other people A. Join book lub Bread tomy chit . volunteer toread to. bind person Instead of an outline, Melissa could have created an idea map lke this one, [pes tomaes oor towtup | Sopa ace ane oor) armas Say ame so ES [ ccorton (rare = <= =a [aston on | [_waneer neste a tard poner] Brainstorm and list your ideas fo tis topic What are the advantages (or disadvantages) of a small (r large) family? Write an outline to organize your ideas. Then make an idea map. Which way of organizing ideas works best for ‘you? Write your response on your own paper. ec your ansverson page UNIT 4 WRITING ITING PROCESS. ‘Step 2: Writing the First Draft InStep 1 ofthe writing process, you created plan for what you are going to write. In Step 2 you wil follow your plan and waite the first drat. A first draft 's the firs version of your piece of writing. Sometimes you'll needto write two or three draft before your pleceis final. With each draft you review your writing forproblems with content, organization, grammar, usage, and mschanies. You will mprove your writing by fixing these types of problems in therevising and editing stage. ‘When writing he fis drat, the main goal sto get your ideas on paper in an organized way. Choose words and develop sentences that express your |deas. Don't worry about perfec word choice, spelling, and puncuation at this, stage. "The ist draft of the essay will have several paragraphs. Hach paragraph ‘will have atopic sentence and supporting details. The tople sentence states the ‘main idea that you will develop inthe paragraph. The supporting details are sentences that relate the main idea ‘Writing an Opening Sentence An opening sentence tells the main idea of your essay. Itells the reader ‘your purpose for writing the essay. Ifyou writea good opening sentence, you can refer back tit as you continue writing to make sure you have not drifted away from your point. ‘A good opening sentence should be a clearly written summary ofthe ‘main idea. It should be general enough to introduce the points yeu will cover inthe rest ofthe piece. Avoid making opening statements that are vague oF statements that simply announce the topic. EXAMPLE Melissa reviewed her outline. Then she wrote her mainidea lean achieve succase andimprove my reading withjust afew sirole harge= 3a wrote three possible opening sentences. 1. This essay lo about success inimprovingiyy reading 2. Improving my reading cuccessfully wll ot be that-hara 3. Icanachieve success and improve my reading by making some charges in my daly fe. Sentence I just announces what the essay s about in general terms, Sentence 2 states the main idea, but itis vague. Since Melissa's gcl was to show that she could make adiflerence inher reading skill fairy easly, she ‘decided tha the third sentence was the best opening statement ‘THE WRITING PROCESS 131 > SKILL PRACTICE 132 Each topic below i followed by three opening statements, Put an X infront of ‘the best statement to introduce each topic. 1, ‘Toples The Case Against Gun Control ‘A. Owning gunsis constitutional right of all Americans. 'B, Some people want gun control, but many others don't. __G._amgoing to write about gun control 2. Tople: Every Citizen Should Vote ‘A. Voting snota right itisa duty of every citizen B, _Votinghas been expanded to include almost all adults. © _ Some people don'tbelievein voting. 3, Tople: Avoiding Sun Exposure ‘A. Many people ike to spend hot summer days outside. B.Youdon'thave to stay inside to avoid getting too much, © Therearealt kinds ofsunsereens on the market Developing Supporting Details ‘Your outline or Idea map will guide you through the main points ofthe ‘essay, you get to each main point, begin anew paragraph. Each paragraph ina essay has atopic sentence and other sentences that support the topic sentence. You can write several iypes of detall sentences support atopic sentence. Detailsmay: | befaets or reasons that prove or disprove. point | beexamples that explain or prove amain idea + belistedin time order, according tothe order in which they occur | belisted in order of importance, from the most important tothe least ‘important or from the leat important tothe most important «show cause and effect, how one thing causes another thing happen | ccmpare or contrast to show how things are alike or different ‘Asyouwrite paragraphs, use several types of detalls to support your topic sentences. ‘On page 133 you wil ind the frst wo paragraphs of Melissa's frst draft. ‘Compere these paragraphs to her outline and idea map. Notice that she wrote ‘a topicsentencefor each main point and wrote supporting detals to explain those satements. However, she did make some mistakes that we wil reviewin ‘the revising and editing section. UNIT WRITING > SKILL PRACTICE ‘THE WRITING PROCESS EXAMPLE Here are Melissa's Introductory paragraph and fist body paragraph. Ican acheive success and improve my reading by making ome changes in my daly life. Reading s essential to success. At frst | ‘houghtit might be hard to get tobe a better reader but after careful ‘thought, realized it doce have to be. My first goals tomake sure reac every day can read cereal boxes, urk mal. and coupons: Mlread for 10 minuces before| get ready in the morning ican put off having to work out that way. can also read inbed—what could be ricer? Il read for another 1O minutes before | go tosleep at right. canlearn alot from reading with other people. might Join a book cl at the community center: lcan aso read-to my daughter Children’s books are furl Finally find the time, and as my sklls improve, Irighteven volunteer to read. Place a check mark next to each detail that could be used in a paragraph with this topic sentence: New sports have been catching the interest of Americans everywhere Cable sports networks have broughtus spots we have never seen before Football still has its raving fans ‘Americans are in love with soccer these days. ‘Snowboarding and skateboarding are becoming very popular. ‘We shouldn't leave out an old favorite like baseball ay een ‘igure skating now gets the largest TV audiences during the iympes. > WRITE Write a paragraph about atopic related to sports. rewrite: A. Jot dow alist of posible topics related to sports, Choose one, 1B, Make alist of possible supporting deta © Tryto think of examples, facts, and reasons. ‘= Look ora logical way to include detalls to compare or contrast. “© See fyou can show any cause-and-effect relalonships. ‘Walter Write atopic sentence that states the main idea of your paragraph. ‘Make it specific enough o tell the point you want make. Then write at least {hee sentences using details rom your list that support your topic sentence. Review: How did you decide the order for your supporting details? Make sure they are in an order that helps reeders understand the paragraph. 133: ‘Organizing Details ‘When you write supporting deals, organize them in theclearest, most logieal order. This way, the reader can easly fallow your train of though, P SKILLPRACTICE AL Each set of sentences below has a topic sentence and supporting details Find the topic sentence and write Tby it. Then number the details nthe clearest, most logical order. The frst paragraph is started for you. Paragraph 1 First: make sureyou have the ingredients you need Good cooking habits are worth developing. ‘As you work, follow each step ofthe recipe careful. ‘Then read through al the directions inthe recipe before you begin Finally, keep your workspace clear by puting things away a you go, Paragraph 2 —— Ifyou don’t eat before an interview, you might feel weak and less talkative —_Don'rlet nervousness spoll your appetite _____Besureto get good night's sleep and eat full meal before a i Job interview. Otherwise, you might not be alert during the interview. . Gotobed early the night before. B. Circle the type(s) of supporting detalls used in Practice A. | Paragraph! examples time order cause/etfect Paragraph? facs/reasonscompare/contast _cause/effect » WRITE. On your own paper, write a paragraph about one of the topics below. © Morning people and night people are very diferent © Learning o organize your time wil change your life, » Friendship is one of the most important things in life. rewrite: List supporting details. Decide how to organize them. Write: Wirite the topic sentence and then supporting detail sentences. UNIT 4 WRITING > SKILL PRACTICE ‘THE WRITING Process ‘Writing the Conclasion ‘The last paragraph of your essay isthe coneluston. The topic sentence of the last paragraph should signal that the essay is drawing toa close. The other sentences should highlight what you want the reader t remember. CCertzin words and phrases signal a conclusion, The mast commonly used are in conclusion to conclude finally, last, asa result, consequently, and ‘therefore. Here are our methods for writing conclusions. ‘End with a summary and a final thought. EXAMPLE Aste shown Idorit think twilbe very afficut to improve my reading sks. can iateimprovementsjust-by making smal changes inmy personalhabits.Ican't walt to get started! } End witha predletion forthe future, EXAMPLE lean folow through with my plan know lwillhacomo a bottor reader. tn fact |presice that Il begin toate my skils improving very aon ‘End with a recommendation. EXAMPLE Finally, recommend you consider improving you reading skis too. “Thinkabout which ways would work best for you—maybe some of ming, maybe ‘some of your own. Tien start bullng your skis ight away. ‘End.with a question. EXAMPLE. Nowshat havea plan for improving my ready il, can wait to get started What types of new information willearr as my reading improves? ‘Choose ove ofthe topics from the Practice exercise on page 134. Then use one ‘af the four methods ahove to write a concluding paragraph forthe topic. 135 136 ‘Step 3: Revising and Editing, “The next step ofthe writing process sto review and evaluate your work, Thisis your chance to improve your frst draft When you revise, you review ‘the content of your writing, Does it contain good supporting detalst Are they well-organized? Can they be clearer? When you edt, youlook areflly atthe sentences and words. You review word choice, usage, sentence structure, and ‘mechanies—that i, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. alting Marks ‘You can use editing symbols to mark changes in your writing. These marks help you spot the changes you want to make when you rewrite or retype your final draft Some basic marks are shown below. Baiting Marks > B ‘change toa capital eter BD change toa lowercase leter Insert a comma or period insert a question mark Insert word(s) check peling insert paragraph indent ‘delete a word or punctuation mark anda halt ‘ada space between words Revising ‘When you revise, you check the content, organization, and clarity of your ‘writing. The Revising Checklist below tells you what to look for when you revise, Revising Checklt ws No | Does the contentachiveyourpupost | a_| a Isthe content right for your audience? o o Tsyour main idea sated clearly? ao} o ‘Dees cach paragraph have a topic sentence? o | o ‘Are topic sentences supported by deals? ao [-o Ae deal writen nog order? o[-e Tsthe right amount ofinformatoniniaded? oo (Checkfordetasthatare missing or not needed) Wile wrtingholdthereadersinteren?— | | ‘Are thoughs and ideas expressed clear? oo UNIT 4 WRITING foglea! order THE WRITING PROCESS. EXAMPLE Heres the fst body paragraph from the fst draft of Melissa's ‘essay on page 153 You can see how Melissa used the Revising Checklist. She also used editing marks to indicate the revisions to make. eta signs. « My frse goalie comake eune nad avery day. lean rd cereal boxes, jk mal and coupons read for 10 minutes, a iter nce am ane eon a ‘hat way. can algo readin bed—what could be ricer Mead for sather 1Oninstestefoe|gotoskepatiht Van larnalae 8 fromreading with other people. |mightjoinabook cub at the TinderaentSoctearonber tan spt deer herman er + people ar hat wil ely resaing pore conmunity center. car slo read tomy daughter Chidren’s bocks are fur Fray fied the time, ard asmy skills improve, | toablind person - might even volunteer to read - EXAMPLE Here s the revised version ofthe paragraphs. Reaé the new version and compare it with the previous oa, My first goalis to make sure read every day Icanread sins, cereal boxes, junkimailand coupons. can also read inbed—what could be nicer read for 10 minutes before got ready in the morning, lead for anocher 10 minutes before | go to sleep at night. 1 Ican tear alot from reading with other people. Imightjina book cub at ‘the commurty center. lunderstand better when talk about what Ive read ‘vith other people, and that wl ep my reading improve. can alsoread to my daughter. Cildren's books are furl Finally, find the time, ana as my sie improve, | might even volunteer to read to. bind person, 137 FP SKILLPRIACTICE A. Read the following paragraph, Using the Revising Checkist and editing | ‘marks on page 136, make at least three changes to improve the paragraph. ‘Kingston Heritage Chorus i a great group. The spring retreats one of the highlights of our year. We go away for along weekend roa camp inthe ‘mountains. We learn lot of music for our spring program. We always plan ‘our concer outs earlier In the fall. We also get tc know each other better nd have. lot of fun. Organiang the retreat sa big job. The committee ‘members make all the arrangements. They arrange transportation, make oom assignments, coordinate meal, and plan fre-time activities. The Retreat Coordinator needs a committe of at leastsix people. They also set ‘up our rehearsal room and bringall the supplies and snacks. ‘Now that you have marked the paragraph for revision, write the new version on your own paper. WRITE Using the Revising Checklist and editing masks on page 136, revise the concluding paragraph you wrote on page 135. Then write your revised paragraph on your own pape. alting ‘When you edit you smooth out and correct words, sentences, and ‘mechanics. The Editing Checklist below tll you what to look fr when you edit. aliting Checklist ves ‘Are any ideas repeated? a ‘Are some words used roo many times? a [Are precise words and fesh language used? a ‘Are all sentences complete sentences? a ‘Are any sentences too ong and hard to understand? | 1 ‘Are any sentences too short and choppy? a ‘Are nouns and pronouns used correctiyt o a a a a a ‘Are verbs used correctly? ‘Are adjectives and adverbs used conecty? ‘Areal words spelled correctiy? Is punctuation used correcty? ‘Are words capitalized correcty® clolo|o|o a o/a/o]a|o]a|z ee UNIT@ WRITING > SKILL PRACTICE ‘THE WRITING Process. EXAMPLE Melisa Sanchezisnow edting the introductory paragraph of her ‘essay (om page 133). Notice how she has used editing marks to show where she will make changes. can acheive success and improve my reading by making some changes in my dally if, Reading io essential to success. AC irst,| becone ‘thought tt might be hard to get to be'a better reader but after careful ‘ought, realized it doesn't have tobe |A. Write the new version of Melissa's introduction on your own paper. Make the changes she has marked, 8. dit the concluding paragraph you wrote on page 135, Use the editing ‘marks on page 136. Step 4: Writing the Final Draft ‘Your final draft willincorporate all the changes you have marked while revising nd editing, [After you have finished writing your final drat it's ime to read your essay ‘one last ime, When you read, make sue that you really have made all the ‘changes and corrections you marked. Also make sure that you did not make reversed eters, Step 5: Publishing (Sharing the Final Draft) ‘The final step inthe writing process is publishing or sharingthe final ‘aft Before sharing your final draf ead it aloud to yourself. Asyouread, think about what you enjoyed most about writingit and what you found to be the hardest part Make notes. ‘Then readyour essay toa partner or have your partner read 8. Ask, Is ‘the writing clear? Is the piece interesting to read? Is the message cleer? What ‘Parts need improvement? Make notes. Use the notes to help you improve your ‘writing. Date your inal draft and notes and keep them ina special folder or snotebook. Keep an ongoing record of everything you write. Review your work ‘weekly and add the bes pees to your wrting portfolio. 139 ‘GED’ Extended Response Rubric (On the writing section ofthe Reasoning ‘Through Language Arts GED" test, you willbe required to analyze one or more passages. In some ‘cases, you may be presented with two passages thattake either side ofa controversial topic, such as whether or not schoo! uniforms should be ‘mandatory in public schools or whether or not video games lea to violence. n other cases, you maybe presented witha short excerpt ofa primary ‘document and one orto opinion passages ‘elated tothe document You willbe asked to read ‘and analyze the passages and then determine ‘which position is beter supported. You willbe ‘expected to use relevant and specific evidence from both passages o support your response, You ‘willbe given 45 minutes to plan and write your response, Your extended response on the GED® test wil be evaluated inthe following three traits: © Creation of Arguments and Use of Evidence © Development of deas and Organizational sSructure © Clarity and Command of Standard English ‘Conventions Creation of Arguments and Use of Evidence ‘To gin top score in this ares, your response ‘must show that you can do the following 1) ereate an argument that addresses the prompt. ‘This means your response should show that you dk a clove reading and analyaauf Ure meng. 2) use relevant evidence from the text to support ‘the argument. This means your response should use evidence thats closely ied tothe passage to support your claims or asserons about the opie. 8) analyze the ssue and validity of the information presented inthe text. This means your response should focus on how well the authors ofthe source texts support their arguments 140 Development of ideas and Organizational Structure “To gain atop score this area, your response ‘must show that you can do the following: {construct logical explanation thats well, developed. While the suppor for your ideas should ‘come from the passages, you need to develop those ideas fully with additional evidence that builds on the central idea. 2) establish an organizational structure that ‘conveys the message and purpose ofthe response. ‘Your response should contain sensible progression of deas with clear connections and ‘wansitions between details and main point. 3) maintain forma style and appropriate tone ‘that demonstrates awareness ofthe audience and ‘purpose ofthe task. You should choose specif word to expres ideas clearly. (Clarity and Command of Standard English Conventions ‘To gain atop score in thisares, your response smut show that you can do the following: 1) demonstrate largely correct sentence structure with a variety of sentence ypes. This means that your response uses a variety ofsentences that clearly show how ideas are related. talso means that your response doesnot contain wordy or swkward sentences, ran-on sentences, or sentence fragments. 2) use transitional words, conjunctive adverbs, and ‘other words that support logic and clarity. This, ‘means thatyour response makes sense and clearly shows the relationship between ideas, 3) demonstrate competent application of conventions. This means your response uses correct subject-verb agreement, pronoun usage, and modifier placement Italso means that your sponse uses correct spelling, capitalization, and ‘punctuation. UNIT 4 WRITING ‘writin PROMPT aun eaters WRITING PROMPT ‘The following two passages are similar to those that may appear on the writing section ofthe Reasoning Through Language Arts GED® test. The ‘wo passages take sides on acontroversial topic. Read the passages and analyze the evidence of each one. Plastic Bags Should Re Banned ‘This is letter to the editor that appeared in a newspaper Ina coastal ‘commanity along the Pacific Ocean. I believe our community's widespread use of plastic bags is hurting ‘ur environment, especially our oceans and the animals that call the water rome. The more we harm the ocean, the more we harm ourselves ‘Therefore, | belleve our community, ike many other communities around the country, should ban the use of plastic bags. (Our community depends on the ocean. Fishermen need a healthy ‘supply of fish to sell to customers. Businesses that cater to tourists need clean water and beautiful beaches to survive. To sustain our community, Wwe need to attract new people, who are drawn here because of the beauty of the beaches and the water. However, our dreadful plasticcbag habit is threatening all of these things. When | look around, | see plastic bags leveryuhere—henging in tres, lying inthe grass and sand, and floating in the water. People rarely recyce the bags and are simply responsible with their disposal, Plastic bags are an eyesore, for sure, but they are also hhazercous to our health and our way of Ife. Pastic bags threaten our marine life. The bags that are left on the. -grounc and inthe water can easily become choking hazards to marine ‘mammals and seabirds. | have read that more than one milion marine animals die each year because of plastic bags. Pastic bags hurt sea life in other ways, too. They are made of highdensity polyethylene and titanium chloride—complete carbons and ‘vansitonal metals. In the water, the bags break down into tiny pleces. Researchers have studied water sampes taken from the Pacific Ocean, “They found six times more plastic than plankton inthe water—six ‘times more! Health experts already war us that our seafood may be ‘contaminated with mercury and other pollutant. I hk that plastic could do even more damage to our health 141 142 For the reasons I've listed above, | urge our community to ban plastic bags. Breaking this bad habit is not hard to do. There isa great alternative: reusable bags. They are cheap to buy, easy to cary, and much more sturdy ‘than plastic bags. They hold plenty of groceries and are made to hold ‘everything from a gaon of milk to clothing to hammers and nails. What's ‘more, they can be used for mary purposes and a variety of dally outings, too. You ean cary them to the beach, on the airplane, oF to work. | think banning plastic bags would help ensure our future es a cosstal ‘community. | urge you to spread the word and let the city counei! know that you suppor the effort to ban plastic bags. John Smith Bag the Ban on Plastic Bags This letter was published in response to the letter above. | am writing in response to John Smith, who says the city coune ‘should ban plastic bags in our community. | think he is overteacting to wat ‘amounts to @ minor problem, and his solution is no better than plastic bags. / Utimately though, if we ban plastic bags, it willbe just another example of {government teling us what we can and cannot do in our personal ives, | do not think Mr. Smith backs up his case against plastic bags with solid evidence. | did some research and found a 2011 study that ‘analyzed the impact different types of bags have on various aspects of| the environment, including marine lf. The study found that paper bags hhave a worse effect on the environment than plastic bags. What's more, the study concluded that a typical shopper would have to reuse the same cotton bag nearly 300 to 150 times before it would have less impact on the environment than the number of plastic bags needed to carry the same ‘amount of groceries. ‘The amount of rouse needed to make reusable bags a better environmental choice varies depending on whet aspect of the environment you are studying. For example, researchers found that you would have to reuse a cotton bag 350 times before it would cause less toxicity tothe water ‘than all of the plastic bags it would replace over the same period. What's more, a reusable cotton bag is only expected to last about 52 reuses. So you would have to replace that bag seven times! Not to mention that reusable cloth bags could harbor bacteria from leaking foods if they are not washed after each vet ‘Me. Smith also argues that people rarely ceoyele their plastic bags. In act, people reuse a large portion of piastic bags they get from stores to line {garbage containers, pick up dog waste, and so on. By reusing these plastic bags, they are not buying and using other plastic bags that may be even ‘more harmful tothe environment. UNIT 4 WAITING | care about our community, the ooean, and the seafood we eat just ‘as much a8 Mr. Smith. I believe we need to do everything we can to protect them, However, | think a ban on plastic bags is misguided. It simply wil not ‘make the significant difference that Mr. Smith expects. | urge you to tel the ‘ty counei to trash the ban on plastic bags! Sarah Goldberg Prompt ‘These two leters othe editor take ether side ofa debate overa ban on plastic bags fv a. coastal community. Mr. Smith believes plastic bags should be ‘banned, whie Ms. Goldberg disagrees. In yourresponse, analyze both letters to determine which pesition is Detter supported. Use relevant and specific evidence from both leters to ‘support yout response ‘Writing Responses. ‘You wll have 45 minutes to complete your written response on the GED* ‘eat. Iti important you practice ypinga response in thatamount of time. ‘Be sure to ead through the passage(s) and the prompt careful. Then think about the message you want to give in your response. Thsis when you want ‘orecall and use the steps ofthe writing process that youleamned in Lesson 27: ‘Prewrting, Writing the First Draft, Revising and Editing, and Writing the Final Draft. ‘Ofcourse n 45 minutes you will need to move through these steps pretty _quickly This is why tsa good idea to practice going chrough the steps witha ‘ier. With practice, the steps can become second nature. Before you begin writing, reread the passage(s). Then, think carefully about the srgumentation presented inthe passage(s). Argumentation refers ‘tothe assumptions clalms, support, reasoning, and credbiltyon which @ position is based, Pay close attention tohow the author(s) use these strategies ‘to.convey bis oF her postion on the topic. Then, begin the writing process. ‘WRITING PROMPT 143 Prewsiting First, define your porpase and your anience Purpose: ‘To determine which postion is beter supported and provide evidence {rom the passage. Audience: GED" tes scorer ‘Keep in mind that the better-supported position isnot necessarily the position you agree with. Indicate which position you will write about below. Next, you wantto plan your explanation for why the position you chose Is the better-supported one—this will be the bulk ofyour response. Plan to ‘defend your position with at least three pieces of evidence from the passage(s) Be sure to include related details, examples, fact, or reasons whyeach piece of ‘evidence helped you choose this position as the better-supportedone. You can. use an idea map lke the one below. UNIT 4) WAITING WRITING PROMPT ‘Write the First Draft ‘After you have estatlished your main points and detalls in an ides chart, ‘you can begia to wete you Bist deal Remember to include an introductory paragraph that identifies your ‘Postion, body paragraphs that support your poston and cite evidence from the ‘texts, and a concluding peragraph that wraps up the points that you made. “Keep the following points in mind as you write: © bulld your main points thoroughly ~ putyour main points in logical order and tie your details to your points «cite evidence from te texts to support your points © organize your response carefully and consider your message and purpose © use transitional words and phrases to connec sentences, paragraphs, andidees ‘choose words carefully to express your ideas clearly ‘vary our sentence structure to enhance the flow and clarity of your response reread and revise your response to correct any errors in grammar, usage, ‘or punctuation Revising and Editing ‘kor you write your rough drafy review what youhave written. Use the [Revising Checklist on page 136 to improve the contentof your work. Then use ‘the Biting Checklist on page 138 t polish your writing. ‘Writing the Final Draft ‘Once you have incorporated the changes into your final dra, print tout and ask teacher or classmate to review it and provide feedback, using the rubricon page 140 asa guide. 145 There are five steps inthe writing process. On the lines below, lst each step and give @ short explanation foreach ave 1. step 2. sepe: > Below are general subject. Uist two topics that you could write about foreach one. 6. Subject The environment Purpose: To persuade Audience: Your fiends family/coworkers ‘Topic: Topic 2 7. Subject Outer Space Purpose: To explain ‘Audlence:A group of children Tople Topie2:_ 146 esise UNIT 4 WRITING » Plan a five-paragraph essay onthe following topic. Write an opening sentence or paragraph tine the body af the ezsay, and write a conclusion. ‘8 An old sayings“ bedi the hand is worth two nthe buh.” Itmeans that tis beter to keep whatyou have than take asskand wy to getsomething else. Do you ‘agree o disagree with tha saying? Give fats, easons anc examples to support youranswer. Opening = UNIT 4 REVIEW » Read the following article. Use the editing checklist that follows the article to make at least three changes to improve it Refer to page 136 for editing mars. Most people are familiar with that wide, silver, waterproof tape known as duc tape, ‘You can buy it at any hardware store you can use itfor almost anything. For example, are you feeling too lazy to do a proper window repairjob? Ifyou use. plece of duet tape to seal your leaky window frame it wil probably outast your house anyway. Itturns out that duct ape s good for warts. In the stad, people wore patches of duct ‘tepe over ther warts for extended periods The study did not consider acne or other skin conditions. The treatment also involved soaking and seraping the warts, The duct ape ‘weatment was found tobe less painful and more effective than freeing. Ealing Cheek Areany des repeated ‘Are some words used 10 many mes? f ‘Are precise words and fresh anguage wed? ‘Areal sentences complete sentences? ‘Are any sentences too longand hard to undestnd? ‘Are any sentences to shor and choppy? ‘Ace nouns ad pronouns ured corecty? ‘Areverbsused corecty? ‘Areadjecives and adverbs used comecty? ‘zeal words spelled comecty? Tepunctantionvsed correc? ‘Ace words capitalied come? t oo z piolooolalo/o\oloo ololola|olo|o oo | MB UNIT WRITING HU UU TATRA LATTES ORT 4 INETEST WIT] MINI-TEST Thisis a 45-minute extended response prompt. In your response, analyze both positions presented in the article. Use the 45 minutes, the amount of time you wil have on the GED* test, to plan, caf, and eat your espose. you donot rsh, try to wok faster net tine, » Read this short article. Then complete the writing prompt. PROS AND CONS OF CALORIES ON RESTAURANT MENUS, New York City passed a law requiring all chain restaurants with more than ton stores—such as McDonald's and Burger King—to list calorie information on all menu items. More ities and some sates are considering folowing in New York City's footsteps. This may soem lke a simple issue, but infact, itis quite controversial (Our country has a very serious obesity problem, wth a record nearly 40 percent obesity rate. ‘Add to thatthe fact that more and more people are geting ther meals from restaurants, so they ‘often do not really know what they are consuming. It stands to reason thatthe more information ‘consumers can have about the products they purchase. the better off they are. Armed with facts ‘about the foods they buy in restaurants, for example, they can make better decisions for their health, ‘What's more, the requirement could ulimately encourage restaurants to try harder to make good tasting foods without relying solely on fat, salt, and sugar to make their foods taste bette. (On the other hand, forcing restaurants to publicize calorie counts isnot free. They will now be forced to analyze ther food produets to determine this caloric Information. And who pays for these higher costs? Utimataly it's the consumer, and that's just no far. sit the government's place to {gol between consumers and what they eat in restauran's? If these laws pass universally, what will ’be next? Government won't alow certain higher-calrie foods on a menu—mikshakes, double ‘cheeseburgers, gravy—because they are deemed not healthy” forthe general pubic? The tine ‘should probably be drawn sooner rather than later. WRITING PROMPT ‘This article discusses the pros and cons of requirrg restaurants to post the calorie counts of their menu items, In your response, analyze both postions presented in the article to determine which one is, ‘beter supported. Use relevant and specific evidence from the article to support your response. Carefully reread the article and then prepare and write your response on your own paper. Show your prewriting work with an outine or idea web. Next, write a daft, revise and edit the draft, and then prepare a final draft, Seta timer for 45 minutes when you are ready to begin. MineTesT ‘cece your rues on page 149 displeased them, such aso overnight ‘guest, no subletting, orno parkingin the

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