Grammar and Composition Composition Practice Grade Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Copyright © 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights reserved Permission is granted to reproduce material contained herein on the condition that such material be reproduced only for classroom use; and be provided to students, teachers, and families without charge; and be used solely in conjunction with Writer’s Choice Any other reproduction, for use or sale, is prohibited without written permission of the publisher Printed in the United States of America Send all inquiries to: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 8787 Orion Place Columbus, Ohio 43240 ISBN 0-07-823287-2 123456789 ii 024 04 03 02 01 00 Contents Unit Personal Writing 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Unit The Writing Process 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 Unit Using the Writing Process Prewriting: Finding and Exploring a Topic Prewriting: Determining Purpose and Audience Prewriting: Ordering Ideas 10 Drafting: Getting It in Writing 11 Revising: Evaluating a Draft 12 Revising: Making Paragraphs Effective 13 Revising: Creating Sentence Variety 14 Editing/Proofreading: Making Final Adjustments 15 Publishing/Presenting: Sharing Your Writing 16 Writing Process in Action 17 Descriptive Writing 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Unit Writing About What’s Important to You Collecting Information Writing to Celebrate Writing About Yourself Responding to a Character Writing Process in Action Writing to Show, Not Tell 18 Combining Observation and Imagination 19 Choosing Details to Create a Mood 20 Organizing Details in a Description 21 Describing a Person 22 Relating a Poem to Your Experience 23 Writing Process in Action 24 Narrative Writing 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Telling a Good Story 25 Exploring Story Ideas 26 Using Time Order in a Story 27 Writing Dialogue to Develop Characters 28 iii Contents 4.5 4.6 4.7 Unit Expository Writing 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 5.10 5.11 Unit iv Giving Information and Explanations 33 Organizing Informative Writing 34 Writing About Similarities and Differences 35 Explaining How Something Works 36 Identifying Cause and Effect 37 Reports: Narrowing a Topic 38 Reports: Turning to Helpful Sources 39 Reports: Conducting an Interview 40 Reports: Organizing and Drafting 41 Reports: Revising and Presenting 42 Comparing Two People 43 Writing Process in Action 44 Persuasive Writing 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Answers Drafting a Story 29 Evaluating a Story Opening 30 Responding to a Story 31 Writing Process in Action 32 Using Persuasive Writing 45 Forming an Opinion 46 Gathering Evidence 47 Developing an Argument 48 Polishing an Argument 49 Writing Publicity 50 Writing a Letter of Complaint 51 Writing a Movie Review 52 Writing Process in Action 53 54 Composition Practice Name Class Date 1.1 Writing About What’s Important to You Key Information When you personal writing, you are free to focus on whatever is important to you Personal writing offers you a way to examine and understand your innermost thoughts and feelings ■ A Writing About Myself Write your thoughts and feelings about each of the following statements You may write formally or informally Let your feelings lead the way Accomplishments or personal qualities that I’m proud of _ People or situations that make me laugh Events that I hope will happen someday _ Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc Situations that make me feel nervous _ Things that make me sad sometimes _ ■ B Writing About What’s Important Choose one of the topics you listed in Part A Write a paragraph telling about the topic and explaining why you feel the way you Try to include words and images that reflect your unique personal outlook Use additional paper if necessary Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit 1 Composition Practice Name Class Date 1.2 Collecting Information Key Information Record daily happenings in a journal By writing in a journal, you can explore your reactions to events in your life A journal can serve as a snapshot of you and your world for every day that you write in it ■ A Examining Your Day Yesterday may have been a typical day, or it may have been special Think about yesterday Record what you did during each part of the day For each part, comment about your feelings What you did Your feelings In the morning _ _ At lunchtime _ _ After lunch _ _ ■ B Writing a Journal Entry Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc Write a journal entry about the day you described above Remember that a good journal entry is one that includes events as well as your reactions to them Use words that you use in everyday conversation, as if you were talking to yourself or a friend Make sure you write something you can share with your teacher Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit Composition Practice Name Class Date 1.3 Writing to Celebrate Key Information Personal notes, letters, cards, and invitations are important links between you and your friends When you take the time to write personal messages, you share a little bit of yourself with the important people in your life ■ A Getting Started Did you ever put off writing a note or letter that you knew you should write? Sometimes getting started is the hardest part Practice getting off to a good start by writing a first sentence for each of the following kinds of personal messages Try to make your mood clear through your choice of words an invitation to a surprise party a letter to a friend who moved away Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc a note to an adult family member, thanking him or her for a gift an invitation to a school concert in which you’ll perform ■ B Writing a Personal Message Finish one of the personal messages you began in Part A Think about who will be reading your message That will help you select the best words to use If you choose the invitation, you’ll need to include information about the time, date, and place of the event Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit Composition Practice Name Class Date 1.4 Writing About Yourself Key Information Sometimes you experience something so unusual or memorable that you want to describe it to a wide audience In this case your writing must be more formal than other kinds of personal writing Word choice and sentence structure should follow the accepted rules ■ A Planning Your Writing Imagine that you have just appeared on a TV game show where you won prizes galore You want to write about what happened to you as a contestant Fill in the cluster diagram below with details of the experience and your feelings about it Include details about what you saw, heard, and felt ■ B Writing About a Personal Experience Think of a time when you felt a strong emotion such as joy, fear, or surprise Write a short paragraph describing what happened and how you felt about it Begin with a sentence that clearly shows the emotion you experienced Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc I won big on a TV game show! Composition Practice Name Class Date WRITING 1.5 ABOUT LITERATURE Responding to a Character Key Information Characters in stories you read often seem as real as your family and friends As you learn about them, you form opinions about them and their actions ■ A Learning About a Character Read the following excerpt about a girl who is determined to tame a wild horse As you read, think about whether or not you would follow the same course of action that she takes I started to walk slowly toward the pony I expected him to shy off to the far end of the corral Instead he ran straight at me I was too surprised to move He charged right at me and bit my arm I had on a heavy jacket, so it wasn’t too bad, but it made me mad I didn’t have a rope so I grabbed his mane and jerked his head down After a minute he quieted down, but I got a look at his eyes, and I knew he was figuring what to next Barbara Corcoran, The Cherub and My Sainted Grandmother How would you have felt if you had been the girl? Would you have acted the same way, or would you have done something else? Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc ■ B Writing a Response to a Character Write a paragraph telling what you think about a character in a book or story Select an important incident from the plot, and explain why you believe the character did the right thing in that situation Be sure to tell who the character is and what story he or she appears in Use additional paper if necessary Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit Composition Practice Name Class Date Writing Process in Action Key Information Personal writing communicates your experiences and feelings You can give your writing more impact by including details that make the experience or feeling come alive for your reader Your writing should fit your intended audience ■ A Recording Details Imagine that you have experienced each of the following situations Think of three details that communicate what happened and how you felt about the experience Record the details in the space provided a trip downtown a day at the beach _ a meal at a fast-food restaurant _ a walk through the park Write two paragraphs about an important moment in your life The first paragraph should be written for only you or a good friend to read The second should be written for a wider audience, such as the readers of the school newspaper Use additional paper to jot down possible ideas for your paragraphs When you have selected the important moment you plan to share, draft several sentences for each paragraph to help get yourself started Be sure to keep each audience in mind as you write Revise and edit your work, and write your finished paragraphs below or on another sheet of paper Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc ■ B Writing for Your Audience Composition Practice Name Class Date 6.2 Forming an Opinion Key Information In persuasive writing you should choose a topic important to you The following questions will help you identify a valuable topic for persuasive writing: Is this a topic about which I feel strongly? Is this a topic that has more than one side? Is it one on which people disagree? Could I say enough to persuade others to accept my position? ■ A Looking at Both Sides Read the following statement: We could solve traffic problems by using tax money to support an excellent bus system charging low fares Now work with a partner to complete these three steps: Decide which of you will support the above statement and which will oppose it Circle your choice, For or Against, over the left column For / Against Against / For Exchange papers Next to each reason your partner listed in the left column, write an answer in the right column You may use reasons you listed on your sheet if they are appropriate Otherwise, you must come up with additional reasons When both of you have finished, take back your own papers ■ B Choosing Sides Review the reasons on both sides of the issue in Part A Check off the three strongest reasons for supporting either side Which side could you write about more effectively? Why? 46 Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc In the left column write at least three reasons to support your side of the issue Composition Practice Name Class Date 6.3 Gathering Evidence Key Information In persuasive writing you can back up your position with different kinds of evidence: facts, statistics, examples, opinions, and reasons The choice depends on your audience and purpose ■ A Recognizing Types of Evidence Decide which type of evidence is illustrated by each example Write fact, statistic, example, opinion, or reason To prove what a danger deer can be, let me tell you about my cousin in New Hampshire who barely missed hitting a deer with his car _ Computers work very quickly If you use this computer program, you may speed up your record keeping _ In 1992 the youth center began to offer courses in baby-sitting and bike safety _ A total of 63 percent of our customers preferred the new store hours Tall people watching parades should let short people stand in front. ■ B Selecting Types of Evidence Of the five types of evidence, name one or two that you would use to persuade your audience in each situation below Explain why you would choose that type Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc You want a part-time job at a neighborhood store, but your parents think that you’re too young and that your studies will suffer You must ask your parents for permission You are on a school committee responsible for bringing in speakers on various careers You want to invite the administrator of an area hospital but are afraid she will be too busy to come ■ C Developing Evidence Choose one situation described in Part B State your position, and write two statements you could use to support it Position: _ Evidence: _ Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit 47 Composition Practice Name Class Date 6.4 Developing an Argument Key Information The first paragraph in a piece of persuasive writing often presents its main idea in a topic sentence The topic sentence is usually either first or last in the paragraph A piece of persuasive writing has three parts: the introduction, stating the topic and the writer’s opinion; the body, presenting evidence; and the conclusion, summarizing and sometimes suggesting action ■ A Turning a Problem into Persuasion The paragraph below describes a problem Follow the directions to change it into a piece of persuasive writing My grandmother had a stroke a few months ago Now she has trouble walking, and sometimes her hands shake so badly that she drops things She’s in a nursing home, but she wants to be on her own more Since she can’t cook or shop, she doesn’t want to live alone in her house She thinks she’ll be in the way if she lives with us or my cousins She’s looking for a group home or apartment building where she can have her own rooms but join other people for meals With staff members nearby, she could get help if she needed it She’s called several group homes, but none of them have openings Many people face the problem described State an opinion that people in the com- munity might have about the situation What specific action could you ask your readers to take? ■ B Writing a Topic Sentence Think of how you would revise the paragraph in Part A to change it into persuasive writing Using one of the ideas you suggested in Part A, write a topic sentence for the revised paragraph The topic sentence will come first in the paragraph ■ C Writing a Persuasive Paragraph Now write your persuasive paragraph, using a separate sheet of paper Be sure to move from introduction to evidence (example) to conclusion 48 Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc Can you think of any ways to solve this problem? Suggest a solution Composition Practice Name Class Date 6.5 Polishing an Argument Key Information Before presenting your persuasive writing to the public, review it Ask yourself whether you have stated your position clearly, whether your introduction grabs attention, and whether you have presented the best evidence in the best order Make any improvements you can Also, try to replace vague or weak words with strong, precise ones ■ A Grabbing Attention Rewrite each opening sentence to make it more likely to get attention There should be more buses on the route that serves the school In the contest for school mascot, vote for the hawk The movies should give more roles to minorities Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc July is the most boring month Any restaurant that offers a buffet should put the buffet in the nonsmoking section ■ B Keeping Attention In the paragraph below replace at least three dull words or phrases with stronger, more vivid ones Rearrange the details for greater impact The only good thing you can say about February is that it isn’t very long The skies are usually gray, and by then the snow is dirty and gray There aren’t any big holidays to break up the boredom Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit 49 Composition Practice Name Class Date 6.6 Writing Publicity Key Information When you write publicity, you must include all the necessary information about an event, product, or campaign You should present this information in an attractive way to persuade people to attend the event, buy the product, or support your candidate or cause Publicity can take such forms as flyers, posters, and radio and newspaper ads ■ A Assembling the Information You and your friends have formed a rock band that will play in public for the first time at a block party in late summer You need to write an announcement for the community newsletter Use these questions to identify what you will include Who will be most interested in hearing your band play? _ Who else might be persuaded to come? What qualities of your group, music, or staging might appeal to each audience? How can you describe your group in a way that grabs interest? ■ B Writing the Announcement Write an announcement about your band’s appearance at the block party, using the facts and ideas in Part A Keep your audience in mind, including anything that will catch their interest and persuade them to come Try to choose words and images that fit the event 50 Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc What information will your audience need about time and place? _ Composition Practice Name Class Date Writing a Letter of Complaint 6.7 Key Information A letter of complaint uses business-letter form, including a heading, inside address, greeting, body, closing, and signature It should state a problem in calm, businesslike language that will persuade someone to help, and it should suggest a reasonable solution Asking for Action In your history class you and your classmates have enjoyed a computer game called Time Warp, but when you reach a certain level of play, the program always crashes Write a letter of complaint to the software company, Fun’n Games, located at 14 Main Street in your town Clearly state the problem and what you feel is an acceptable solution If you need help with business-letter form, refer to Writer’s Choice, page 287 _ _ _ Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc Dear : _ _ Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit 51 Composition Practice Name Class Date 6.8 Writing a Movie Review Key Information The writer of a movie review does more than state a personal opinion about the movie The reviewer describes and evaluates specific elements, such as characters, plot, acting, and visual effects An effective movie review helps readers decide whether or not to see the movie ■ A Looking at the Parts Select a movie you have seen recently, at the theater or on television Use the following questions to focus on its elements Movie Title: _ Characters: Identify the most important characters in the story Which characters seemed like real people? Why? _ _ _ Plot: Briefly discuss the major action in the movie For example, was the character pitted against an enemy? Was the plot a string of funny events? _ _ Acting: Did each actor move and talk and look as the character would? Did the actor seem too serious for a funny role or too silly for a serious role? _ Visual Effects: If the movie was set in a different time period or in a special part of the world, did the scenery reflect that time or place accurately? If the movie used special effects to suggest such things as space battles or erupting volcanoes, did it make you believe, for the moment, that you were seeing those things? _ _ ■ B Writing a Review Write a review of the movie you analyzed in Part A Organize your review according to the four elements you have analyzed Feel free to discuss any additional elements unique to that movie Use another sheet of paper 52 Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc _ Composition Practice Name Class Date Writing Process in Action Key Information The purpose of persuasive writing is to swing readers over to your way of thinking Even though you may feel strongly about your topic, you must base your argument on more than your own feelings Persuasive writing must include evidence In other words, you need to use reasons, facts, statistics, examples, and the opinions of others to support your position ■ A Prewriting: Selecting a Topic We often feel most strongly about issues that affect everyday life Since you spend several hours in school every day, you probably have opinions about school issues For example, you think that the school should schedule more programs and assemblies? Do you feel the dress code is fair? Would you like to see more magazines about your sport or hobby in the library? List four issues you feel are facing your school today Write a sentence that expresses your opinion about each issue Issue 1: _ Issue 2: _ Issue 3: _ Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc Issue 4: _ ■ B Drafting: Writing Persuasively Write a persuasive essay about one of the issues you listed in Part A Choose the one that you care the most about Before you begin to write, assemble all your evidence Then organize your evidence, and draft your persuasive essay below Use additional paper if necessary Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit 53 Composition Practice Answers Part A Guidelines: Students should list more than one response for each topic Responses should be specific and personal Part B Guidelines: The paragraph should identify the student’s feelings and the reasons for those feelings Colloquialisms should be expected and not discouraged ■ PAGE Part A Guidelines: The first column should include specific activities Feelings about those activities should be recorded in the second column Part B Guidelines: Students should record events and emotions for one day Since this is an informal journal, students should feel free to adopt a colloquial, conversational tone in their writing ■ PAGE Part A Guidelines: Students should compose opening sentences for various kinds of personal writing Word choice and tone should be appropriate for each type of writing Part B Guidelines: Students’ writing should be an obvious continuation of the writing begun in Part A both in style and tone Invitations should include necessary details Part B Guidelines: Although they should relate the same experience, the two paragraphs should be obviously different in word choice, sentence structure, and use of colloquialisms ■ PAGE Possible answers: The prewriting stage was easy for Julie because she had a lot of information about her cat and was eager to share it She also had a clear purpose and audience Skipping the editing stage may have made her writing less effective Her notice had an unclear phone number, and someone with helpful information might have called the wrong number Chou spent the most time on revising because he had to keep shortening what he had written to meet the requirements of the assignment Probably all the papers were different because different people think different things are important Even if different writers included the same ideas, they probably expressed them differently ■ PAGE Part A Guidelines: Students should include ideas and things that could be explored further to develop the topic Part B Guidelines: Ideas need not be logically related; the students’ association need not be evident to others ■ PAGE Part C Guidelines: Students must translate their random associations into a statement that makes the connection explicit Part A Guidelines: Students should emphasize the emotions they experienced and should also include sensory details ■ PAGE Part B Guidelines: Students should present the event in chronological order and should emphasize their emotional response ■ PAGE Part A Guidelines: Students’ responses should show that they read and understood the passage If the students disagree with the character’s reaction, the responses should present an alternative course of action Part B Guidelines: In expressing their opinions, students should be clear in identifying the attitude or action to which they are responding ■ PAGE Part A Guidelines: Details should reflect possible real-life experiences and feelings 54 Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade Part A Guidelines: Each writing idea should be consistent with the stated purpose Part B Guidelines: Students should limit the audience to an identifiable group ■ PAGE 10 Parts A and B Main ideas should be descriptive details Order may be spatial, according to how details are noticed Main ideas should be events Order will usually be chronological Main ideas must be steps or rules of the game Order will be chronological Main ideas must be reasons, preferably stated in order of decreasing or increasing importance Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc ■ PAGE Composition Practice ■ PAGE 11 Guidelines: The students’ paragraphs should follow the order used in the notes, but they may omit or elaborate upon some of the details ■ PAGE 12 Part A Guidelines: Students should recognize one of the writer’s good points before pointing out a weakness Students should avoid negative statements of opinion such as “I don’t like” and should suggest specific improvements Part B Guidelines: Students should answer questions according to their opinion and comprehension of the draft Students should be able to pick out strengths and weaknesses suggested by the questions, and students’ suggestions for improvement should reflect their answers to the questions ■ PAGE 13 Yes My grandmother’s embroidery is the most beautiful stitching you can find anywhere (the first sentence) No Delete the sentences beginning with “My mother can” and “My stitches aren’t.” No; no Possible revision: My grandmother’s embroidery is the most beautiful stitching you can find anywhere Grandma learned how to embroider when she was growing up in Vietnam As a young girl, she learned to make tiny stitches and sew beautiful designs She had a good reason to practice hard All the women in Grandma’s village sewed clothes for themselves and their families Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc ■ PAGE 14 Part A Possible answers: Yes This easy recipe for pancakes uses canned pumpkin No Sentences should not be combined Yes Some breeds of hunting dogs, such as the Salukis, are very old 10 people taxes support king’s Part B my brother ,his best friend ,and i went Downtown to seee a o mvie ■ PAGE 16 Guidelines: Students should make appropriate use of oral techniques, graphics, and handwriting or printing Some suggestions follow: It may be necessary to copy the essay neatly onto a fresh piece of paper The newspaper may have specific requirements for its contest, which the student would need to consider Drawings or pictures would need to be simple for nursery school children Directions would need to be transformed into the rhyming, rhythmical mode of rap music without losing their clarity More explanation may be required in the PTA presentation since parents may not know the basic science upon which the project is based Also, you may need to plan an oral presentation ■ PAGE 17 Part A Guidelines: Answers may be fanciful and uninhibited Part B Guidelines: Answer should provide specified information Audience should be appropriate for the topic and the idea of the story Part C Guidelines: Paragraphs should follow through on statement in Part B Part D Guidelines: Final copy should reflect students’ understanding of and ability to use proofreader’s symbols Part B The story of Cinderella appears in many cultures In the Native American version, the heroine was called Little Burnt Face Instead of a fairy godmother, the Chinese Cinderella relied on a talking fish The version best known in America is from a collection of fairy tales by the French writer Charles Perrault and was published in Europe in 1697 ■ PAGE 18 ■ PAGE 15 Part B Guidelines: The paragraph should begin with a topic sentence Three sentences should present the three details listed for the subject Part A 400 The correct as is Sahara every resources where Part A Guidelines: Students should list sensory details in the first column and the sense to which each one refers in the second column Some effort should be made to draw details from all the senses ■ PAGE 19 Part A Guidelines: The details listed under each sense should actually refer to that sense only There should be at least two details listed for each sense Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 55 Composition Practice Part B Guidelines: The description should apply familiar sensory details to the imaginary creature in a fresh, innovative way, keeping the audience in mind Part C Guidelines: All sentences should clearly relate to one main idea, whether stated or implied The paragraph must include sensory details appealing to at least one sense ■ PAGE 20 ■ PAGE 25 Part A Guidelines: Details need not be presented in full sentences Details should relate clearly to the intended mood Part A Guidelines: Students need not go into detail, but answers should indicate recall of three separate stories Part B Guidelines: Both paragraphs should describe the same place Because of the use of different types of details, however, the moods should be different Part B Guidelines: Students should integrate some of the events of the original story but modify them to fit the new setting ■ PAGE 21 Guidelines: The events in item should show an imaginative but clear progression toward the solution in item Part B Guidelines: Details should be numbered in an order that makes sense for the object being described Words and phrases are sufficient; the details need not be presented in full sentences ■ PAGE 22 Part A Guidelines: Details should refer to only what one could see Appropriate responses are references to size, age, height, clothing, expression, and other visual characteristics Part B Guidelines: Students should list only actions that help to define a person’s character or personality That character should be described in the topic sentence The topic sentence should summarize, or at least not contradict, the details that have been listed ■ PAGE 23 Part A Guidelines: Students should recognize the tension and anxiety suggested by the detail More perceptive students will note the relief and accompanying joy that are present when the person’s fears and anxiety are dispelled Part B Guidelines: Students should identify specific sensory details that are consistent with an identifiable emotion ■ PAGE 24 Part A Guidelines: Students should fill in the first level of branches with appropriate topics and should extend the diagram at least one level beyond those topics, providing precise nouns and modifiers Part B Guidelines: Students should be clear about the order of main ideas; it is not necessary to be specific in the order of details 56 Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade ■ PAGE 27 Part A Student narratives will vary Possible answer: Juan looked up at the night sky As the clouds rolled by, they hid the moon and then revealed it again He stood there, wondering about the darkness of the night, when he heard footsteps Quickly, he turned, and there was George “Is there any message?” Juan inquired desperately George quietly handed Juan a letter When he turned to leave, Juan suddenly grabbed his arm Part B Guidelines: Students should provide events that are logically related to each other and could occur in the order described ■ PAGE 28 Guidelines: Students should separate the two characters by bringing out differences in their personalities Both characters might show bravery when the water rises, although the old man, knowing more about the creek, might suggest more useful responses than the girl ■ PAGE 29 Parts A and B Guidelines: Students’ events and details should be consistent with the given elements but must go beyond them Because this version has been identified as a draft, less importance should be given to errors in grammar and mechanics ■ PAGE 30 Guidelines: Students should apply all the hints listed in the exercise directions—trimming unnecessary details, improving the vocabulary, and introducing dialogue—and should break the resulting passage into paragraphs according to changing speakers and ideas Possible answer: Just as I turned off the TV to send my little sister andbrother to bed, there was a scratching at the window “What was that?” June cried “It’s just branches hitting the window,” I told her “It’s windy outside tonight, that’s all Now head for your beds.” Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc Part A Guidelines: Transition words and phrases should create an accurate word picture of the classroom This is not an appropriate time for the students to use their imagination ■ PAGE 26 Composition Practice “I want Mommy,” June said, not moving from the couch “I’m scared.” “I wish Mommy was home, too,” Danny joined in “There are monsters out there.” At that, June began to wail, and tears poured from her eyes “Now see what you’ve done!” I yelled at Danny “You should know better than that! Stop scaring your little sister and get to your bed.” “But there are monsters out there,” Danny cried angrily “You’ll see!” Then he stamped into the bedroom, but instead of getting into his bed, he crawled under it ■ PAGE 31 Part A Guidelines: The letter from the character should be in his or her voice, using I and me, and should explain a single problem or event in the story Students should make it clear to whom the letter is addressed and why the character thinks the columnist can be of help Part B Guidelines: The columnist’s reply should provide advice appropriate to the type of column he or she writes ■ PAGE 32 Part A Guidelines: Students should list specific details about the people and things to be found at school Dialogue should be realistic and informal Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc Part B Guidelines: Story should exhibit imagination and attention to detail Unusual events and reactions are to be expected If the student has attempted humor, dialogue and plot may be exaggerated Part C Guidelines: Students’ revisions should add details where needed and make the movement of the action clearer Part D Guidelines: Edited work should be free of errors in grammar and spelling Part E Guidelines: Encourage students to share their work by reading it to the class or displaying it on a language arts bulletin board ■ PAGE 33 Part A Guidelines: Questions should be specific and thoughtful Student should mention a variety of sources besides the encyclopedia Part B Guidelines: Sources and findings should be verifiable The answer may be simple or complex, depending on the question ■ PAGE 34 Part A Guidelines: Order in Which Events Happened—What happened each day of the Battle of Gettysburg, The story of the Pilgrims’ first winter in America Student-chosen topic should be one that can be presented in a narrative form Order of Importance—Reasons why the United States should continue the space program, Why everyone should recycle cans and glass Student-chosen topic should be one that can be supported by reasons Order of Position or Location—A visitor’s guide to the attractions in Yellowstone National Park, A description of items stored in a stockroom Student-chosen topic should exist in space; for example, a specific place would be an appropriate suggestion Part B Guidelines: The order selected should be appropriate to the topic chosen The topic sentence should identify the topic clearly ■ PAGE 35 Part A Guidelines: Similarities and differences may be obvious or unusual Student should be able to explain the more unusual responses Part B Guidelines: Paragraph should begin with a topic sentence presenting the writer’s position on the similarity or difference between the two things Details should support the point of view expressed in the topic sentence ■ PAGE 36 Part A Guidelines: Steps should be inclusive Major parts of the process should not be neglected Part B Guidelines: Transition words should help readers follow the sequence of the steps easily ■ PAGE 37 Part A Guidelines: Effects suggested should clearly and inevitably follow the causes listed The relationship between cause and effect must be obvious Part B Guidelines: Paragraph should describe not only the unexpected rain as the cause but also its subsequent effects Students should list at least two effects of the rain on family plans ■ PAGE 38 Part A Guidelines: Topics suggested must be more specific than the broad topics listed However, they need not be narrow enough to be covered in a short report yet Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 57 Composition Practice ■ PAGE 39 Part A Guidelines: Students should show attention to detail in recording the information for each source identifying which character is more appealing to the student Supporting sentences should explain the choice ■ PAGE 44 Part A Guidelines: The narrowed topic should be specific enough to be covered in a short research report The adjective selected should communicate an attitude toward the topic Part B Guidelines: Notes need not be complex A note card may record only one small fact if that is all the student found interesting or noteworthy Note card should include all pertinent information, such as topic, title, publication date, and author’s name Part B Guidelines: The introduction should reflect the adjective selected in Part A It should make the student’s attitude toward the topic clear The tone and style of the introduction should tell the reader whether to expect a serious information-filled report or one that is more lighthearted and informal ■ PAGE 40 ■ PAGE 45 Part A Guidelines: Questions suggested should be related to the interviewee’s area of expertise Part A Guidelines: Accept words and phrases with appropriate meanings and connotations Possible answers: hardy, well-built, tough careful, alert, economical loving, friendly, cheerful dependent, hungry, weak unsafe, hurt, reckless Part B Guidelines: Students will need to use their imagination in creating answers to the questions asked in Part A Since the article is being aimed at fellow students, it need not be formal in vocabulary or tone ■ PAGE 41 Part A Guidelines: Thesis statements should demonstrate that the student has narrowed the topic They should also identify a particular point of view on the topic Part B Guidelines: Emphasis should be on making the introduction appealing to potential readers Students should explain their personal responses to the topic ■ PAGE 42 Part A Guidelines: Students should use appropriate proofreading symbols to mark these errors: University of Texas, not Tennessee; date of graduation 1968, not 1969; taught in Germany for two years, not three; speaks Spanish, not French; taught grades 3, 4, and 5, not grades and Part B Guidelines: All changes noted and marked in Part A should be incorporated into the final draft ■ PAGE 43 Part A Possible answers: Soda—doesn’t read books, understanding, happy-go-lucky, smiles a lot Darry—serious, oldest brother, works hard and long, not interested in stories or drawing, rarely grins Both— male, young, brothers, close to the writer Part B Guidelines: Paragraph should begin with a topic sentence 58 Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade Part B Guidelines: Student should explain the situation and urge readers to take appropriate action, using the words listed in Part A ■ PAGE 46 Part A Guidelines: Statements in the first column should be consistent with the chosen stand (for or against); each statement in the second column should directly answer the statement to its left Part B Guidelines: Students’ choice of a side to support should clearly relate to their evaluation of the statements in Part A ■ PAGE 47 Part A example reason fact statistic opinion Part B Guidelines: The important part of the answer is the student’s reasoning, so any of the five types is acceptable as long as the student provides a logical reason for selecting it Part C Guidelines: Students’ statements should be relevant to the chosen situation and consistent with the answer to Part B Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc Part B Guidelines: The narrowed topics should be manageable within a short report The choice of audience should be related to the choice of topic Composition Practice ■ PAGE 48 ■ PAGE 50 Part A Guidelines: Student should be specific in stating an opinion, in identifying a possible solution, and in recommending a possible action Answers to items and should be as realistic as possible Part A Possible answers: Students should recognize that their family and friends are the most likely audience for their rock band Classmates and neighbors are other likely audiences Students might mention friendships with individual band members, musical talent, and music reflecting the tastes of teens and adults The information should include the date, time, and place of the concert Part B Guidelines: The topic sentence should urge the reader either to recognize the problem or to support a particular solution Possible answer: Our community needs more facilities for older citizens Part C Guidelines: The paragraph should include an explanation of the problem and a recommended solution, involving either attitude or action and drawn from the answers in Part A Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc ■ PAGE 49 Part B Guidelines: The announcement should be consistent with the answers in Part A The writing style should not be dryly factual but rather entertaining and possibly humorous and exaggerated ■ PAGE 51 Part A Guidelines: Revised opening sentences can use a variety of techniques to give life to the sentence Students may use a reference to the reader’s personal experience or opinions, a play on words or current slang, or an attention-getting example, statistic, or description Possible answers: Do you remember February mornings last winter, when you shivered in ten-below-zero temperatures at the bus stop? Picture a ferocious hawk diving out of the sky, with sharp beak and strong talons You’d pay attention, wouldn’t you? Last year, of the thirty-seven first-run movies shown at the Main Street Theater, only six featured minority actors in major roles Hot, muggy days no friends around my street nothing to do—that’s July I’ve heard that the salad buffet at Leonardo’s is great, but I’ll never check it out for myself You see, I have to avoid smoke, and Leonardo’s salad bar is deep in the smoking section Guidelines: Each part of the letter should be completed with the correct information The heading should include the student’s name and address The inside address should include the business’s name and address The salutation should be appropriately worded In the body the student should specify whether he or she is requesting instructions on overcoming the problem, a replacement game, or both The language should be polite and formal The student should follow the business-letter form illustrated on page 287 of the Student Edition of Writer’s Choice Part B Possible answer: Everything outside is gray, from the snow dirty with car exhaust, to the bare trees, to the sunless sky This month has no big holidays to break up the boredom The only good thing you can say about February is that it is polite enough to go quickly, without dawdling Part A Guidelines: Students should mention issues that could be realistically addressed by the school Frivolous issues should be avoided ■ PAGE 52 Part A Guidelines: Students should provide specific details about the chosen movie Part B Guidelines: The review should use the topics and details developed in Part A It may include personal opinions if they are supported by evidence from the movie ■ PAGE 53 Part B Guidelines: Students should support the position expressed in the essay with logical arguments, reasons, and, if possible, facts Arguments should be arranged in an order that makes sense and leads the reader from idea to idea Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 59 ... piece of writing 10 Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc Explain how to play a game of your choice Composition Practice Name ... emotion you experienced Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc I won big on a TV game show! Composition Practice Name Class ... another sheet of paper Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 7, Unit Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc ■ B Writing for Your Audience Composition Practice Name Class