Kindergarten thru Grade 4 - Wachusett Regional School District

WRSD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLWRITING STANDARDSECTION ONE:ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WRITING STANDARDThe Wachusett Regional School District Standard requires each student to demonstrate a command of basicwriting skills. In the elementary school, writing encompasses all content areas and is an important part of theMCAS test.The Wachusett Writing Standard requirement is one part of the WRSD writing program guided by thefollowing philosophy: “Students learn to write and write to learn through strategies that encourage, inspire,and challenge. All activities encourage a lifelong interest in writing and an appreciation of its power.”WRSD ELEMENTARY WRITING STANDARD CRITERIA1. In grades K-4, all students must learn the research process in order to produce either a class project oran individual research paper.2. In grades K-4, the following types of writing will be introduced or reinforced for each student:Response to literature (written or oral)NarrativePoetryLetterJournalsShort Story3. Writing samples will be kept in a cumulative folder.Wachusett Regional School District 1 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALGRADE FOURTYPES OF WRITINGA. Response to Literature:Write a brief interpretation /explanation of a literary or informational text usingevidence from the text as support.B. Narrative/Short Story:Write imaginative stories including beginning, middle, and end. Include settingand descriptive details.C. Poetry:Write short poems that contain simple sensory details.D. Letters:Write business and friendly letters as well as thank you notes.E. Journals:Write journals periodically.F. Essays:Write a five-paragraph descriptive/narrative essay.Introduce the five paragraph persuasive essay.Introduce a five paragraph expository essay.Reinforce figurative language, including, but not limited to, simile, alliteration,personification, metaphor, and onomatopoeia.G. Open-Response:Write a brief interpretation /explanation of a literary or informational text usingevidence from the text as support.RESEARCHA. Identify and apply steps in conducting and reporting research:Define the need for information and formulate open-ended research questions.Initiate a plan for searching for information.Evaluate the relevance of the information.Interpret, use, and communicate the information.Evaluate the research project as a whole.C. Produce a written report/product.GRAMMAR SCOPE AND SEQUENCEPlease see the WRSD Scope and Sequence Chart beginning on page 32.Wachusett Regional School District 5 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALTHE FIVE STEPS OF THE WRITING PROCESS1. PlanningThe planning step involves a series of activities prior to writing the first draft. Planning includesdetermining the purpose of the writing, generating ideas, and identifying the audience. Drawingpictures and brainstorming, by using graphic organizers, are methods that writers can use during theplanning step.2. Writing the First DraftThe first draft involves writing ideas and information sequentially: a well-organized beginning statesthe purpose of the writing; the middle develops the details and holds the audience’s interest; and theend connects everything together. The writer must spell and punctuate as accurately as possible, referto the prewriting plan as necessary, and double space to allow for changes that will be made during therevising step.3. RevisingThe revising step involves making changes and improvements to the first draft. The writer may readthe revised text aloud or share the writing with others.4. Editing and ProofreadingEditing and proofreading are the next steps in the writing process. Writers fine-tune their work andmake final changes to the writing, for example, correct errors in spelling, capitalization, punctuation,and grammar.5. Final DraftThe final draft is the edited version that focuses on neatness, form, and style.Wachusett Regional School District 6 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALPLANNING: ORGANIZING TIPS AND GRAPHIC ORGANIZERSOnce you have selected your topic and have devised a plan that has a clear focus, you are ready to beginorganizing your details. Graphic Organizers are great tools to help you gather and organize details for skillfulwriting. If you would like to integrate technology into your organization process, the software programsKidspiration and Inspiration are excellent tools. These programs are a great way to make graphic organizerson the computer. Visit http://www.inspiration.com for ordering information as well as to download a 30-daytrial version.Cluster Mapping/WebbingThis Graphic Organizer allows you to add and connect ideas about the topic that you want to explore. Thiscluster map was created with the Inspiration program.LocationMan'sRoleDaily LifeWoman'sRoleAncientEgyptMajorcontributionsOutlineAn outline arranges information from general to specific. A Topic Outline uses only words or phrases. Use asentence outline if you want to add more details and information.Monarch ButterfliesI. The Life CycleA. Caterpillar1. In this stage, the caterpillar….B. Chrysalis1. In this stage, the chrysalis is constructed…C. Butterfly1. After metamorphosis has completed…Wachusett Regional School District 7 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALII. WRITING THE RESEARCH PAPERTeachers may wish to use the Independent Investigation Method (IIM) in lieu of the method below.The following pages provide specific instructions for preparing a research paper, as well as the manuscriptform you should follow for all formal essay work. A research paper is like any essay in that it has a preciseopinion or focus about a particular topic, which must be adequately supported; however, the supportingevidence in a research paper comes mainly from sources outside your experience. This information may comefrom books, magazine articles, interviews, pamphlets, television programs, computer software, or on-lineservices. Remember that databases sometimes contain errors, so you must verify your information against itssource. The means by which you acknowledge such sources is called documentation. All references cited inyour text are listed alphabetically in a section called Works Cited at the end of the paper. In-text citations(rather than footnotes or endnotes) are used to acknowledge the words or ideas of outside sources where theyare used in the paper. This is called parenthetical documentation. It is very important to document accuratelyall information from outside sources.The guide in this manual is based on the fourth edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers(Modern Language Association), the fourth edition of The Practical Writer (Holt), and Elements of Writing(Holt). Copies of these books are available in the school library if you need to refer to them.CHOOSING A TOPIC1. Whether the selection is up to you or the teacher, consider the following:How much time do you have?How long should the paper be?What resources are available to you?2. Brainstorm your topic to determine what you already know about it.3. List questions that occur to you about your topic as you begin the processof gathering information.SELECTING SOURCESSearching Print and Electronic Resources (see page 11 for researching electronically)1. Check an encyclopedia for an overview, cross references, and bibliography.2. Find sources: books, periodicals, and other materials, both print and non-print.3. Skim each new source.Is it on your reading level?Is it relevant to your topic?Is it a reliable source?Wachusett Regional School District 10 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALIV. NOTE TAKING FOR RESEARCH PAPERS1. NotefactsNotefacts are short and true facts written in the student’s words. They are precise, complete enough to makesense and related to goal setting questions.Students create a bibliography card for each source the first time it is used and assign a code to that source sothat the information will not have to be repeated.Each time the student uses the source, s/he writes the assigned code on one corner of the card. The studentshould paraphrase the information, deleting unnecessary words and avoiding plagiarism. One way to achievethis is to close the book after reading, then write the notefact in simple, precise language. Students may placeseveral notefacts from the same source on a single card.2. OrganizingStudents gather and review all notefacts and then sort them according to category. What question does eachone answer? Does each support, illustrate or inform the thesis statement? Is there a major heading under whichmany facts can be placed?Students place related notefacts in piles and arrange them within the piles in logical order. Then arrange theindividual stacks in the logical order of presentation for the final paper. Label each stack with an “umbrella”title that encompasses all the information in that stack.WRITING THE ROUGH DRAFTFollow your outline closely and use it as a guide in judging whether to maintain, eliminate, rearrange, or addinformation.*REVISING AND EDITING1. Read your rough draft carefully.2. Receive Peer Pressure3. Eliminate or add ideas.4. Change the order of ideas, if necessary.5. Revise your sentence structure.6. Check your spelling and punctuation.*Be prepared to edit and revise your draft several times.Wachusett Regional School District 12 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALV. WRITING THE FINAL VERSIONFollow your teacher’s requirements regarding handwriting, typing, or word processing. Ordinarily, a researchpaper must be typed. Your teacher may or may not require that you type other formal essay work. A title pageis unnecessary; a heading on the first page of the paper replaces the title page. Your teacher may want you toinclude either a formal outline or a sentence outline. This should precede the main text of the paper, and thepages of the outline should be numbered by Roman numeral. If you must write your paper by hand, be sure toinclude one-inch margins on all sides. Always make two copies of your paper in case one is misplaced.On the first page, begin your heading in the upper left corner, approximately one inch from the top and oneinch from the left margin. The heading, double-spaced, comprises four lines: 1. your name; 2. your instructor'sname; 3. course title; 4. date. A research paper or essay should have a title. Type your title in the center of thepage, three spaces after the heading, then skip four more lines before you begin to type the text of the paper.All subsequent pages, including the Works Cited page, should include your last name and the page number inthe upper right corner, approximately one half inch from the top of the page and one inch from the right edgeof the paper. The entire paper is double-spaced, including all headings and the entries on the Works Citedpage. See sample paper, starting on page 18.Your NameTeacher’s NameSubjectDateTitle of PaperBegin typing here…Wachusett Regional School District 13 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALVI. FINAL DRAFT RULESThe rules listed below are general rules for all content area papers that are being passedin as complete and ready to be graded:• Use the computer when possible or use white lined paper when doing work by hand.• Use the front side only of white paper.• Use black print, standard size print of 12 or 14, and standard font when workingon the computer. Do not use cursive on the computer, as it is very difficult to read.• Use cursive when handwriting final papers.• Use blue or black ink only when handwriting your papers.• Use one-inch margins on both sides of handwritten work.The computer automatically does this for you.• Use double space for your entire paper when using the computer.• Use the tab key to indent five spaces on the computer to begin a paragraph.All new paragraphs need to be indented.• Use two spaces after a period and one space after a comma when word processing.• Use your class heading on all work.• Use and follow any specific directions requested by the individual teacher.• Use your personal best effort for all writing assignments and projects.Wachusett Regional School District 14 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALSAMPLE WORKS CITED ENTRIES-INTERNETDocumenting Sources from the World Wide WebThese guidelines on MLA documentation style are the only ones available on the Internet that are authorizedby the Modern Language Association of America.The recommendations in the fourth edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers ondocumenting online databases (sec. 4.9) have been revised to reflect evolving computer technology. The newrecommendations on online sources are explained in detail in the second edition of the MLA Style Manual andGuide to Scholarly Publishing (1998). The fifth edition of the MLA Handbook, scheduled for publication inspring 1999, will incorporate these revisions. The new guidelines that cover the World Wide Web aresummarized below.Sources on the World Wide Web that students and scholars use in their research include scholarly projects,reference databases, the texts of books, articles in periodicals, and professional and personal sites. Entries in aworks-cited list for such sources contain as many items from the list below as are relevant and available.Following this list are sample entries for some common kinds of Web sources.1. Name of the author, editor, compiler, or translator of the source (if available and relevant), reversed foralphabetizing and followed by an abbreviation, such as ed., if appropriate2. Title of a poem, short story, article, or similar short work within a scholarly project, database, orperiodical (in quotation marks); or title of a posting to a discussion list or forum (taken from thesubject line and put in quotation marks), followed by the description "Online posting"3. Title of a book (underlined)4. Name of the editor, compiler, or translator of the text (if relevant and if not cited earlier), preceded bythe appropriate abbreviation, such as Ed.5. Publication information for any print version of the source6. Title of the scholarly project, database, periodical, or professional or personal site (underlined); or, fora professional or personal site with no title, a description such as "Home page"7. Name of the editor of the scholarly project or database (if available)8. Version number of the source (if not part of the title) or, for a journal, the volume number, issuenumber, or other identifying number9. Date of electronic publication, of the latest update, or of posting10. For a posting to a discussion list or forum, the name of the list or forum11. The number range or total number of pages, paragraphs, or other sections, if they are numbered12. Name of any institution or organization sponsoring or associated with the Web site13. Date when the researcher accessed the source14. Electronic address, or URL, of the source (in angle brackets)Book:Bulfinch, Thomas. Bulfinch’s Mythology: The Age of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes.1855. Ed. Bob Fisher. 1998. Showgate. 23 July 1998.Wachusett Regional School District 15 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALMagazine:Newspaper Article:Personal Site:Bierck, Richard. “Artificial turf takes a hit.” U.S. News and World Report 3 June 1996. 24July 98 .Chandler, David. “Alan Shepard, Nation’s Space Pioneer, Dead at 74.” Boston Globe 23July 1998, A01. 23 July 1998. 24 July 1998.Lancashire, Ian. Home page. 1 May 1997SAMPLE WORKS CITED ENTRIES—CD-ROM AND OTHER PORTABLE DATABASESDisc Authors:“Hemingway, Ernest (Miller) 1899-1961 American.” 1993. Discovering Authors:Biographies & Criticism on 300 most studies writers. CD-ROM. Gale Research Inc.1993.Electronic Encyclopedias:Wright, C. Conrad. “Native American Church.” The New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia.1992 ed. CD-ROM. Danbury, CT: Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc., 1992.Wachusett Regional School District 16 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALVII. SAMPLE RESEARCH PAPER (Size of paper, typing, and margins reduced.)The Black Capped ChickadeeBy Nicole StudentThe Chickadee is a winter bird. It’s a winter bird because of what it eats. The food iteats is still around in the winter.The chickadee is 13 to 14 cm from top to bottom. It is grey above with a white shadedto light brownish buff along its flanks. It also has sparkling eyes. The chickadee has whitecheeks and a black throat. Males, females, and young chickadees look alike.The Chickadee lives in Newfoundland to British Columbia. It also lives in the northeastern part of the United States, including the New England States. It can be found intree covered areas – woodlots and orchards. Their nests are made with grass, fur plantsdown feathers and other things.The chickadee’s enemies are bird hunting hawks, weasels, chipmunks, and squirrels.Crows and starlings eat their eggs or young chickadeesThe chickadee’s call is chickadee-dee-dee-dee. They fly in 8-12 birds in a flock. Theyalso sleep together and search for food together until spring. They are acrobatic.In southern Canada and North America, the chickadee eats insect eggs, larvae, pupae,weevils, lice sawflies, as well as spiders. They also eat acorns, bread, cornmeal, doughnuts,nuts, and some other good food from bird feeders.I think the chickadee is a very interesting bird. They are very acrobatic. I think thatis pretty amazing. Chickadees fly together, sleep together and search for food together.So, look outside and you might just see one!Bibliographyhttp://www.lcws-scf.ec.ga.ca/hww-fap/chackade/chickadee.htmlhttp://www.naturepark.com/chickadee/htmhttp://www.beadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/birds/chickadee/htmhttp://www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/FISH.GAME/notebook/bird/chickadee.htmSally Roth. The Backyard Birdfeeder’s Bible. Emmaus, Rodale, 2002Reader’s Digest. Book of North American Birds USA. Reader’s Digest Association, Inc., 1994Jjoseph Forshaw, Steve Howell, Terence Lindsey, Rich Stallcup, Greg Butcher.Nature Company Guides: BIRDING. San Francisco: Time Life Books, 1994.Wachusett Regional School District 17 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALVIII. THE FRIENDLY LETTER AND THE BUSINESS LETTERLETTER STYLES - The heading, the date, the closing, and the writer’s name begin at the center of the page.Paragraphs are indented five spaces. All other letter parts begin at the left margin. Some teachers andemployers prefer the modified block style without indented paragraphs. Some prefer the block style, in whichall letter parts begin at the left margin.MARGINS - Unless your teacher directs otherwise, leave margins of 1 to 1 1/2 inches on both sides, 1 1/2 to2 inches at the top, and 1 to 2 inches at the bottom. Your letter should be centered both horizontally andvertically.The Friendly LetterHeading100 Main StreetAddress Holden, MA 01520Date April 16, 2002SalutationSkip 1 LineBodyDear Rachel,Our class went on a field trip to the Franklin ParkZoo. We rode a bus to get there. The bus ride waspretty bumpy, but we had fun.I saw lots of animals. My favorite was the babyelephant. He followed his mom around. Sometimesyou can watch them giving the elephants a bath. Doyou think you would like to go to the zoo?Skip 1 LineClosingSignatureSincerely,MaryWachusett Regional School District 18 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALLETTER STYLE - The example below illustrates the block business letter style: the heading,the date, the closing, and the writer’s name begin at the left margin.SPECIAL NOTATIONS - The example below illustrates the placement of two common notations(enclosure and copy). Your teacher will explain how to use these and other special notations, if theyare needed.The Business LetterHeadingSkip 1 LineAddressSkip 1 LineSalutationBody25 Maple Ave.Rutland, MA 01543April 10, 2002Director OwensNASA300 E St. SWWashington, DCDear Director Owens:We are studying the solar system in our third grade science class. Our teacherhas been telling us about the nine planets as well as Earth’s moon. Unfortunately,it is difficult to imagine what these places look like.We would greatly appreciate it if you could send our class any information ormaterials on the solar system. This will help us learn more!Thank you in advance for your help.Closing LineSincerely,Mrs. Smith’s Third Grade ClassWachusett Regional School District 19 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALCHECKLIST FOR SKILLFUL WRITINGUse the following checklist to determine the qualities of skillful writing in something you haveread or written:Generating Ideas_____ Did I include important and interesting information?_____ Did I keep the audience’s attention throughout my writing?Sequential Organization_____ Did I present a clear beginning, middle, and ending?_____ Did I use specific details to support the main idea?Writer’s Voice_____ Did I show my excitement about the topic?_____ Is my writing easy to read or listen to?Creative Word Choice_____ Did I choose specific nouns, descriptive verbs, and adjectives?_____ Did I choose creative words for the reader to picture what I am writing about?Polished Sentences_____ Did my sentences flow smoothly?_____ Did I vary my sentence beginnings?Final CopyDid I remember to include?_____ Capitalization and punctuation?_____ correct spelling?_____ proper grammar and sentence structure?Wachusett Regional School District 20 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALIX. LANGUAGE HANDBOOKPUNCTUATIONPERIODUse a period at the end of a sentence, which makes a statement or expresses a command.• We met Jeff at the library after school.• Meet Jeff at the library after school.Use a period after every part of an abbreviation and after initials.• The U. S. A. won many gold medals in the Olympics.• Gary Paulsen wrote Hatchet.QUESTION MARKUse a question mark at the end of every request for information.• Have you seen any good movies this summer?EXCLAMATION POINTUse an exclamation point to give a sentence or expression unusual or forceful emphasis.COMMA• Shut the door! It's freezing in here.• Ouch! I slammed the door on my finger.Use a comma to separate words, phrases, and short clauses in a series.• I need to buy soap, toothpaste, and tissues at the store.• Lisa went to Portugal, to Spain, and to England.• John cleared the table, Mike washed the dishes, and Cindy put the dishes away.Use a comma to separate independent clauses joined by the conjunctions and, but, or, not, for, yet, so• I love to eat at restaurants, but it is less expensive to eat at home.• Bill didn’t finish his homework, so he couldn’t go to the movies with us.Exception: The comma may be omitted between two very short clauses.• She laughed and he cried.Wachusett Regional School District 21 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALNo comma needed:• Bill didn’t finish his homework and couldn’t go to the movies with us.Use a comma after the salutation and the closing of a friendly letter.• Dear Emily,• Sincerely yours,Use a comma with dates and addresses. The last item is followed by a comma, unless it isthe end of a sentence.• On Tuesday, September 1, 2000, we will begin a new school year.• Wachusett Regional High School is located at 1401 Main Street, Holden, Massachusetts.Use a comma to separate a direct quotation from the speaker.• Tom said, "I want to go to lunch."• "I can’t go to lunch right now," answered Jill, "but I can go in an hour."Use a comma before and after a word or words that addresses directly the reader or somespecific person in the text.• I asked you, Barbara, to pass me a pencil.• Sean, please be quiet.Use a comma before and after words, phrases, or clauses that interrupt the main thoughtof the sentence.• You can, for example, ask a neighbor for help.Use a comma after a mild interjection that begins a sentence.• No, I can’t go out tonight.• Stop, that road is closed.Use a comma to separate the digits in a number in order to distinguish hundreds, thousands,millions, etc.• 7,500,000Use a comma to enclose a title, name, or initials, which follow a person’s name.• Susan Smith, M.D.• Henry Jones, Ph.D.Wachusett Regional School District 22 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALAPOSTROPHEUse an apostrophe to show that one or more letters have been omitted in a contraction.• can't for cannot • shouldn't for should not• we'll for we will • I'll for I will• we're for we are • it's for it is• you're for you are • who's for who isUse an apostrophe and s to form the possessive case of a noun (singular or plural) not ending in s.Use an apostrophe to form the possessive case of a plural noun ending in s.word singular pluralcat cat's cats'man man's men'sstudent student's students'Use an apostrophe alone or an apostrophe and s to form the possessive of singular nouns ending in s.• James' book OR • James's book• the rhinoceros' horn OR • the rhinoceros's hornUse an apostrophe and s to indicate the plurals of letters used as words. Most writers use an apostropheand s or italics to form the plurals of numerals, symbols, abbreviations, and words named as words.• I got all A's on my report card. OR .I got all A's on my report card.• You shouldn't use &'s in place of and's in formal writing. OR You shouldn't use &s in place ofands in formal writing.ITALICS / UNDERLININGIn longhand and typewritten manuscripts, underlining is used to indicate italic type, the slanted typeused in printed materials. (This is a sample of italic type.)Underline titles of books, magazines, and newspapers.• Skinnybones • Highlights Magazine • The New York TimesThe titles or names of certain very well known works and documents are not underlined.• the Bible • the Koran • the Magna Carta • the Declaration of IndependenceUnderline titles of plays, operas, musical compositions, long poems, motion pictures, televisionprograms, and works of art.• All My Sons • Madame Butterfly • The Little Mermaid • The Rugrats • Mona LisaWachusett Regional School District 23 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALUnderline names of ships, trains, aircraft, and spacecraft.• Queen Elizabeth II • Orient Express • Air Force One • ChallengerUnderline scientific terms, which are also foreign words.• homo sapiens• sciurus carolinensisCAPITALIZATIONCapitalize the first word of every sentence.• We spent the summer at the beach.• During the winter we often go skiing.Capitalize proper nouns and adjectives. Do not capitalize common nouns.common nouns proper nouns proper adjectives• country • France • French toast• philosopher • Socrates • Socratic method• poet • Shakespeare • Shakespearean sonnetCapitalize common nouns that are part of proper nouns.common nouns• a park on Elm Street in Worcester• a city in the state of New York• the harbor in Bostonproper nouns• Elm Park• New York City• Boston HarborDo not capitalize a word modified by proper adjectives unless it is part of a geographical name.• the English Channel• the Florida Keys• English setter• Florida orangesCapitalize the first word, the last word, and every important word in the titles of books,stories, articles, poems, works of art, musical compositions, movies, and television programs.As a rule, all words of five letters or more should be capitalized.• The Old Man and the Sea• “The Flight of the Bumblebee"• Bill and Ted's Excellent AdventureCapitalize the names of days of the week, of months, and of holidays. Do not capitalize thenames of the seasons.• Monday • January • Christmas • Passover • summer • winterWachusett Regional School District 24 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALCapitalize the word I.• I wish we could go to the beach.• Tom and I took a bus to the mall.Capitalize the words Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, and words that show rank, office, or profession whenfollowed by a person's name or used in place of the name.• Captain Hook• Lieutenant Jones• Mr. Smith• Senator Kennedy• Dr. Roberts• Mrs. SmithNO CAPITAL: • Paul Roberts is a doctor.• Ted Kennedy is a senator.Capitalize the title of a high official when it is used in place of the official's name.• The President of the United States addressed the nation.• The Secretary of State is meeting with the Secretary of Defense.NO CAPITAL: • The president of the club called a meeting.• My secretary will meet next week with your secretary.Capitalize degrees and titles after a name.• Leo Lane, M.D.• Mary Smith, Attorney at LawCapitalize the title of a relative when it is followed by the relative's name or used in place of the name.• Cousin John • Grandmother • Uncle Brian • Dad• my cousin • his grandmother • her uncle • my dadCapitalize names of sections of the country but not of directions of the compass.• We vacationed in the East.• Florida is in the South.• We drove east for several days.• Florida is south of Massachusetts.Capitalize the names of languages, races, nationalities, and religions. Capitalize words formed fromthem.• Caucasian • African-American • Christianity • Islam • Japanese • JewishCapitalize important words in the names of organizations, buildings, firms, schools, and churches.(Capitalize the only when it is part of the name.)• the Board of Education • the Empire State Building • General Motors• The New Yorker • Wachusett Regional School District • the Boy ScoutsWachusett Regional School District 25 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALPARTS OF A SENTENCESentenceA sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought and contains a subject and apredicate. Both the subject and the predicate are necessary to make a complete sentence.Several other elements or parts that may be included in a sentence are: complement, phrase,modifier, and clause.• Subject The subject of the sentence is that part about which something is being said. The subject isthe doer of the action. (Exception: passive voice)• The green book is worth ten dollars.• The little boy fell to the floor.• Predicate The predicate is that part which says something about the subject. The predicate expressesthe action of the sentence or a state of being.PARTS OF SPEECH• I read that book last week.• John was going to the store.NounVerbAdjectiveInterjectionPrepositionAdverbConjunctionPronounA word that names a person, place, thing or idea• Our class went to the zoo.A word that shows action, or joins the subject to a word or phrase that tells about the subject• Our class learned many things about animals.• Our teacher is proud of our work.A word used to describe a noun or pronoun and that tells what kind, how many or which one• Six students observed the frisky otters playing in the water.A word that expresses a strong feeling• Wow! Look at those playful otters!A word that shows a relationship between a noun and another word in a sentence• With everyone’s cooperation, our class was invited to come again.A word that tells when, where, how or how much• Our class happily boarded the bus to go home.A word that connects words or group of words• Our teacher and principal were proud of our behavior.A word that takes the place of a noun or nouns• We enjoyed our day at the zoo.Wachusett Regional School District 27 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALX. WRSD CORRECTION SYMBOLSagragreement (pronoun-antecedent, subject-verb)capcapitalfragfragmentgrgrammar errorilleg or leg illegible handwritinglclower caseppunctuationposerror in possessive casero or ros run-on sentencespspellingtverb tense/ virgule/slashwcword choicewwwrong word^caret (insert a word, phrase, sentence), close up/delete space paragraphing error? Is this correct?Wachusett Regional School District 28 Fall 2002

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALWachusett Regional School District 29 Fall 2002XI. WRSD NO EXCUSE SPELLING LISTGRADE TWOaboutafteragainairalongalsoalwaysanotheranyaroundaskedawaybackbecausebeenbelowbetweenbigbothcalledcamechildrencomecoulddaydifferentdoesdon’tdowneachendeveneveryfewfindfirstfoodformfoundfromgetgivegogoinggoodgreathavehelphomehousehowimportantitsjustkeepknowlargelastleftlikelinelittlelonglookmademakemanmanymaymemenmightmoremostmuchmustnamenevernewnextnownumberoffoftenoldonlyotheroutoutoverownpartpeopleplaceputreadrightsamesawsayschoolsetshouldshowsmallsomesomethingsoundstillsuchtaketellthantheirthemthentherethesethinkthisthosethoughtthreethroughtimetogethertoounderuntilususewantwaterwaywellwentwerewhenwherewhichwhilewhowhywordsworkworldwouldwriteyour

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALWachusett Regional School District 30 Fall 2002GRADE THREEaboveacrossagainstalmostanimalsanswerbeganbeingbestbetterbodyboycarchangecitycountrycutdidn’tdonedoorduringearthenougheverexamplefacefamilyfarfatherfeetfishfivefourgotgrouphalfhandhardheadhearheardhighhimselfhoweverI’mit’skindknewlandlaterlearnletlifelightlivemoneymorningmothermovenearneednightoncepagepaperpictureplantsplaypointredroomseasecondseensentenceseveralsidesincesoonstorystudysunsurethingtodaytoldtooktoptowardtruetryturnturneduponusuallywhitewholewithoutyearyoung

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALWachusett Regional School District 31 Fall 2002GRADE FOURableaddagoalonealreadyalthoughamAmericanamonganimalanythingareaballbeautifulbecamebecomebeforebeginbehindblackblueboatbookbottomboxbringbroughtbuildbuiltcan’tcannotcarecarefullycarrycentercertaincheckclassclosecoldcommoncompletecoursedarkdeepdistancedogdrawdryearlyeasyeateitherelseEnglisheveryoneeverythingfactfallfastfeelfeltfieldfinallyfinefirefloorfollowfootfriendfrontfullgamegavegirlglassgoldgonegreengroundgrowhappenedheartheavyheldholdhorsehothourhundredI’lliceideainsideinsteaditselfjobkeptlanguagelaylearnedleastleaveleaveslessletterlistlivedlivinglongerlowmainmapmattermeanmindmissmoonnothingnoticeohopenorderoutsidepastpatternperhapspesonpiecepoorpossiblepowerprobablyproblemquestionquiterainranreadyrealreallyrememberrestriverroadrockroundrunsadsatshallshipshortshownsimplesixsizeskysnowsomeonespacespecialstandstartstatestaystoodstopstrongsuddenlysummersurfacesystemtabletalktalltenthat’sthemselvesthirdthoughtinytowntreeunderstandUnited Statesvoicewalkwalkedwarmwatchweatherwhetherwidewildwindwinterwithinyesyet

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALXII. SCOPE AND SEQUENCE CHART FOR GRADES K-10IMRIntroduceMasteryReinforceParts of Speech & Related Forms K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Nouns, Personal Pronouns, Verbs, Adjectives,ConjunctionsI M R R R RAdverbs I M RSingular/Plural Noun Forms I M RComparative/Superlative Forms of Adjectives I M RHelping Verbs I M RSimple Verb Tense I M RPrepositions & Interjections I M RPerfect Verb Tense & Conjugation of Verbs I M RPossessive & Reflexive Pronouns I M RNominative, Objective Pronouns, Case I M RRelative, Demonstrative, Indefinite, InterrogativePronounsI M RPredicate Adjectives I M RAntecedent Agreement I M RPredicate Nominatives & Predicate Adjectives I M RGerund, Participles, Infinitives I M RPunctuation K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Use of Period I M RCommas for Series, Dates, Places I M RAll Punctuation End Marks I M RApostrophe I M R R R RCommas (Appositive & Direct Address) &Quotation MarksI M R RColon, Semi-Colon, & Hyphen I M RWachusett Regional School District Fall 200232

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALSCOPE AND SEQUENCE CHART FOR GRADES K-10, continuedIMRIntroduceMasteryReinforceGrammar Skills & Structure K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Manuscript I M RRecognize & Identify Vowels & Consonant andDemonstrate Phonemic AwarenessI M RRecognize Sentence Fragment I I M RUse of Capitals for Sentences & Proper Nouns I M RWrite a Sentence, Space Words Appropriately I M RProduce 3-5 sentences that express completethoughts and tell a story.I M RCombining Sentences I M RCursive Writing I M R RSubject Verb Agreement I M R R RAvoid Overuse of “so, and, then” I M RPrepositional Phrase & Appropriate Use ofPunctuationCompound Sentence & Appropriate Use ofPunctuationI M RI M RParagraph Format I I M RParallel Sentence Structure I M RComplex Sentence Structure I M RClauses & Appropriate Use of Punctuation I M RVerbals I M RActive & Passive Voice I MWachusett Regional School District Fall 200233

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALSECTION TWO:PREPARATION FOR THE MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System)I. EXPLANATION AND REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MCASMCAS was implemented in response to the Education Reform Law of 1993, which required that MCAS bedesigned to measure student performance on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworkslearning standards. Presently, students take tests in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science &Technology, and History and Social Studies. All content areas use multiple choice questions and openresponsequestions. Additionally, the Mathematics test has short-answer questions, and the English LanguageArts test requires students to write a composition based on a writing prompt. Scorers use a rubric to evaluateboth open-response questions and compositions.II. WRITING PROMPT TERMSanalyzecategorizecitecoherentcomparecontrastconveydescribeeffectevaluateevidenceexcerptexplainexpressgeneralizationTo break something into its parts, describe the part and show howthe parts are related to each other and to the whole.To put items into categories; to classify them.To refer to or mention as an example or proof.To make a piece of writing coherent, one organizes the ideas anduses transitions to connect them.To show the similarities between two or more subjects.To explain the differences between two or more subjectsTo show or illustrate.To tell about something in detail.The result or consequence of something. For example, the images andevents in a horror story might have the effect of creating suspense.To judge the merits of something.Facts given in support of an opinion or argument. These includequotations, paraphrases, summaries and descriptions.A section from a longer work.To tell why or how something is the way it is.To make a statement that reveals thoughts or feelings.A broad statement, one that implies but does not itself mentionspecific instances or particulars.Wachusett Regional School District Fall 200234

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALillustrateinferenceinterpretjudgmentkey idealiterary elementliterary techniquemain ideaobjectiveopinionorganizeparaphrasepassagerelationshiprelevantreviewselectionspecificstructuresubjectivesupportTo give an example.A conclusion that can be drawn from a set of facts.To explain the meaning or significance of something.An opinion as to the value or worth of something.A part of a piece of writing that is central to its meaning.A part of literary work, such as plot, setting, mood or theme.A special device used in a literary work such a metaphors,alliterations, surprise endings.The most important, key, or central idea in a piece of writing.Based on fact not opinion.A judgment, belief, prediction or other statement that cannot be proved, absolutely,by observation but that can, if the opinion is sound, be supported by facts.To arrange ideas so that they follow logically from one anotherand so that relationships among the ideas are clear to the reader.A restatement in other words.A short selection from a piece of writing, ranging in size from acouple of sentences to a few paragraphs.A connection or association between two people, things or ideas.Related to the matter or issue being discussed.To examine something carefully and make a judgment about itbased on the examination.A part of a literary work or other piece of writing; a complete workthat is part of a collection or anthology.Particular, not vague or general. When an essay prompts you to be specific,you are being asked to give precise, detailed facts or evidence in your answer.The form and organization of a piece of writing. For example, an essay mighthave a five-paragraph structure, consisting of an introduction, three bodyparagraphs and a conclusion. A short story might be structured in a series offlashbacks to a earlier time in a character’s life.Based upon the opinions or experiences of an individual rather thanupon observable facts that can be verified by others.To provide evidence to back up a statement of fact or an opinion.In a paragraph, the sentences in the body support the topic sentence.In an essay, the paragraphs of the body support the thesis statement.Wachusett Regional School District Fall 200235

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALIII. VOCABULARY AND COMMON TERMS FOR MCAS GRADES THREE & FOURCOMPOSITION/LANGUAGE AND LITERATUREComposition Standards 19-22Writing PromptComposition 19-22InformationalDescriptiveLanguage and Literature Standards 4-17To show, To illustrate, To indicate 12Onomatopoeia, Alliteration 15Irony, Personification, Metaphor 15Simile, Theme, Tone, Flashback 15Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Adjective 5Adverb, Interjection, Conjunction 5Preposition 5Almanac, Thesaurus, Atlas, Dictionary 7Dictionary Use 7Theme, Genre, Tone, Imagery 11Poetry, Stanza 9Autobiography, Biography 10Nonfiction, Fiction 10True-to-Life Adventures 10Science Fiction, Fantasy, Suspense 10Explain, Describe, Evidence 12Motivation 9Writer’s Purpose:To instruct, persuade entertain, inform 10Exclamation mark, Semicolon, Comma 5Legend, Myth 10Characteristics 9Letter Formats 10“Main purpose…” 13“Most likely…” 9“Which of the following quotes…” 13“Reference to…” 11“Use information in the story to…” 13Wachusett Regional School District Fall 200236

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALMCAS REVIEW TERMSAdjectiveAdverbAlmanacAtlasConjunctionDictionaryInterjectionNOUNPrepositionThesaurusVERBA word that describes a noun or a pronounA word that describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb.Tells how, when, or where, and often ends in ly.Book-like calendar that gives information about themoon, stars, tides, weather, and other facts.A book of mapsConnects individual words or groups of words: and, but, or, for, so, yetAn alphabetical list of words and their meanings, with respellings,syllables, accents, pronunciation, and parts of speechA word that expresses strong emotion: WOW!, Hey!A person, place, or thing• Proper Noun Name of a person, place, or thing• Pronoun Replaces a nounSubjectObjectPossessiveI, you, he, she, it, we, theyme, you, her, him, it, us themmy, mine, your, yours, his, hers,its, ours, their, theirsA word that relates a noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence:about, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind,below, beneath, beside, between, by, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside,instead of, into, like, near, of, off, on, out of, outside, over, past, since, through,to, toward, under, underneath, until, up, upon, with, within, without.A book of words and their synonymsAn action word• Helping Verb Use with another verb.am, is, are, was, were, have, has, had, do, does, did, may,might, must, can, would, could, will, shall, being, been• Linking Verb Taste, sounds, smell, feel, look.Links the subject noun to the predicate noun or adjective.am, is, are, being, seem, appear, becomeWachusett Regional School District Fall 200237

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALLITERARY TERMS FOR MCASAlliterationFlashbackGenreIronyLegendMetaphorMythOnomatopoeiaPersonificationPoetrySimileStanzaThemeToneTragedyThe repeating of the beginning consonant sounds in words, e.g.,The dancers dropped their delicious doughnuts!The writer starts a story in the present then goes back to the pastto explain what has occurred in a previous time.A variety of literature: mystery, science fiction, fantasy, fiction,nonfiction, biography, autobiography, myths, legends, andtrue life adventuresUsing a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its normal meaning:Having the flu is so much fun, don’t you think?A story created in the past about a real person, but heroic deeds andaccomplishments have been exaggerated.A figure of speech that compares two different things without usinglike or as: The streetlight was my security guard.A story created to explain a mystery of nature. Greek and Romanmyths include their 12 gods and goddesses.The use of words whose sounds make you think of their meanings,such as buzz, thump, and snap.A figure of speech in which an idea, object, or animal is given humanqualities: The rock refused to move.A piece of writing that expresses inner feeling. A poem may be arrangedin lines with rhythm, rhyme, or accent.A figure of speech that makes a comparison using like or as:A gentle summer wind feels like a soft cotton sheet.A verse of a poem, a group of lines of a poem, usually four or more linesThe central idea of message in a piece of writing. The point the authorwants to make about life.The author’s feeling about a piece of writing. Tone can be serious, funny,angry, or sad, and so on.A hero or heroine is destroyed by a personal weakness or flaw (jealousy).Wachusett Regional School District Fall 200238

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALIV. GRADE FOUR LONG COMPOSITION WRITING PROMPT FROM 2001WRITING ASSIGNMENTThink about people you know or have met. Choose ONE person who has made a big difference in your life.Write about that person AND describe his or her positive effect on your life.RELEASED MCAS QUESTIONS AND SAMPLE STUDENT ANSWERSThe MCAS Long Composition prompt, open response items, and sample student work was retrieved from theMCAS Parents & Community Resource Page, http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/parents.html. This is a helpfulresource for both the classroom teacher as well as parents. There are more open response items, as well asmultiple-choice items for the subject area tests on that site.V. ANCHOR ESSAYS GRADE FOUR - 2001Scored on Topic Development 6 PointsMy grandfather always told me wise information that I thought I wouldnever need later in life. But I found out I was wrong. If you want to knowwhat happened then I advise you to STOP and read this essay.My Grandfather’s name is ______. He was my dads father. He died onFebruary 9 th , 2000. My Grandfather really made a tremendous difference inmy life. He always told me “Life isn’t perfect” and “Someday you’ll losesomeone you really love.” Of course, I never knew what that meant.My Grandfather always helped me with my troubles. He always told me tobe myself. Well, I sort of had trouble doing that. Whenever I talked tosomeone at school I would get nervous. I don’t know why I got nervous.Probably because I was afraid they wouldn’t like me. My mom and dad triedto help me but it was no use. I couldn’t get over my shyness. Then myGrandfather started helping me. Whenever I went to visit him he kept tellingme to be myself and not to worry about what the other people are thinkingabout me. He said “If they don’t like you then that’s really too bad.” Then wewould have cookies and milk. (My Grandfather would have tea) Next, wewould play a couple of games of cards. I usually beat Slap Jack. To play GoFish you start out with seven cards. (some people start out with eight or sixcards) Then you ask a person if they have a certain card. If they have it,then that person gives you the specific card you asked for. After you get thecard from the other person, then it is her/his turn next. If the person doesn’thave that card, then you should pick one from the deck of cards if you haveanother card that is the same from the card you just took from the deck, thenWachusett Regional School District Fall 200239

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALyou have a pair. You put the pair down to win, you have to have the mostpairs. To play Slap Jack, you use all of the cards. You get one half of the cardsand the other person gets the other half. Then, you both, at the same exacttime, put a card down. You can’t look at the card before you put it down. Ifit is a Jack then you try to slap it before the other person gets a chance to. If itisn’t thqn don’t slap it. If you do slap the cards when there is a Jack then youget the cards. You keep putting down cards until their isn’t any left. Thenyou count all your cards. To win Slap Jack you have to end up with the mostcards.Some other troubles my Grandfather helped me with, is to be nice toeveryone. If you had trouble being nice to people than going to myGrandfather was a smart idea. It was a smart idea because my Grandfatherwas the nicest guy you ever met. He was incredibly smart. He always said theright things at the right time. I learned from him that If you don’t haveanything nice to say then don’t say anything at all. My Grandfather was alsovery nice to the ladies. (My mom, sister and me.) He made nice comments onhow we looked and he opened doors for us. He sometimes even let us walk infront of him. He never cussed. He believed cussing was just plain wrong. MyGrandfather hardly ever yelled and treated everyone like one big happyfamily. He always was very polite. He didn’t talk with his mouth full or puthis elbows on the table. I think he was a perfect role model. I used to talkwith my mouth full and be a little rude. But now I know better. MyGrandfather knew I liked Princesses, so he told me that Princesses don’t talkwith their mouth’s full, so I immediately closed my mouth.My Grandfather would always make life fun. He would watch cartoonswith my sister and I and watch us play crocket with our uncle _____. Hecheered the most for me would walk across the street to the store, and hewould buy each of us a bag of _____ potato chips. We were always very grateful.We love potato chips. Every time we went over to his house he would give useach a dollar I don’t know why he did. It could have been because we weregood I guess I’ll never know.My Grandfather made a tremendous difference in my life. He taught meright from wrong and good from bad. He also taught me to be myself and tobe kind to people. I love my Grandfather very much.When I found out he died I couldn’t stop crying. He was my favoriterelative. Then I pictured him playing cards in heaven smiling at me. Then Ifelt much better.Wachusett Regional School District Fall 200240

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALWhenever I have troubles I always remembered what my Grandfather saidwhen I had that same problem. When these answers came from memories ofhim, they were more special than anything in the whole world.Scored on Topic Development 4 PointsOne person I know that has made a big difference in my life is my mom.She has taught me to be respectful and helpful. She has also taught me how todo math, she taught me how to read, and taught me not to talk back.My mom taught me to have respect for her and to elders. A way to berespectful to her and to elders is to be polite. Another way is to wait my turnto talk.A way to be helpful around the house is to do my chores before playing orwatching movies. The first chore I have to do is walk the dogs and do thedishes usually if my mom does not want to do them. My last two chores are tofold my clothes and vacuum.Not talking back is hard for some people because other people are usuallybugging or picking on them. It is hard for me but I just ignore them if theydon’t have anything good to say.Math is my favorite lesson out of all the lessons. But I did not know howto multiply, add, subtract, or divide. I wanted to learn all of those so mymom taught me how to do math. The multiplacation was easy but thedivision was a little hard so my mom did not teach me how to divide.Reading books was easy for me. My mom started reading with meeveryday then I was starting to read all books then I was reading chapterbooks.She taught me how to read, taught me math, taught me not to talk back,helpful, and respect are all reasons why mom made a difference in my life.Scored on Topic Development 2 PointsMy best friend was Joe. Joe was a nice forgiving friend. Ive remember onthe first day of school I was sad I had no friends. Then Joe came. It did notmatter if he was whit and I was black. Joe was really smart. Joe introducedme to the class, and his friends. They were great people. Soon the whole classknew me. I became one of the best math students in the class. It was fun. Meand Joe and his and my friends were together for 3 years until we graduatedfrom third grade and left. It was not the same. My family decided to move.Everyone would miss me and Joe. It was not the sam. But when I found a newschool it was OK but I still miss Joe.Wachusett Regional School District Fall 200241

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALScored on Topic Development 1 PointMy dad made a big difference in my life. he thaugt me how to knock thelights out of people. Not to manchen he thaugt me how to drive his truck justback and force. He taut me how to fix toys and alot more things. He alsothoaht me how to fix toys and alot more tings he also thoaht me how to maketoys our of just wood. When I was only 4 years old he thoaight me how to talkin tow hole days.Scored on Standard English Conventions 4 PointsIn my life I have lots of people that helped me learn new things. Theperson that tought me the most new things was my mom. My mom has toughtme how to read, write, talk, spell, told me stories, and not to make or dodrugs. She also tought me to listen to people, and have more manners. Suchas please and thank you. In the next few paragraphs I will tell you what shetought me.I said that my mom has tought me how to write and read. I told youthis because when I was three my mom took my sister, brother and me to thelibrary. I got a librarycard. I got to write my own name on it. I will have ittoday. You are probably wondering why I got the books. I got the booksbecause my mom would read them to me. She read them until I could start tosound ou the words and read them to her. I still do that today.My mom also tought me how to walk. I learned my ABC’s and 123’s.After that I learned how to spell. My first word that I could spell was pig.Everynight at dinner my mom would test my sister with her spelling wordsthen she would ask me to spell pig. I would say, “P-I-G.”My mom also tought me not to do drugs or smoke. She would tell methat drugs and smoking will ruin my life. She also explained that if I smokeor do drugs I will not get a good education. I listen to her and take heradvice.My mom also told me stories about her childhood. All the stories wereabout how they did not treat people evenly. That tought me that I shouldtreat people evenly. She also was tought to use manners and listen to people.I do use manners and listen to people. I also don’t care what color the otherpeople are.Wachusett Regional School District Fall 200242

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALThere is much that my mom has tought that I can’t name it all. I amglad my mom has tought me so many things or else I would not be where I amtoday. In advanced 4 th grade work class.In conclusion, I believe that my mom has tought me so much that Ithank her. My mom had took time to teach me so much. Usually other momsare working, or are to busy with younger children or babies I am glad mymom did that for me. I predict I will grow up to be just like her and teach allmy children the wrongs from the rights. I thank my mom.Scored on Standard English Conventions 3 PointsHi, I would like to tell you about someone who change a big part of mylife Betty. Things I will tell you about her are why she is pretty, what she likes,who her friends are, and why she is so nice. First I will tell you about what shelikes. She likes cats, girls club, and books. First I will tell you about whatkind of books she likes. She likes chapter books, picture books, and any bookthat is not boring. The second thing I will tell you about her is how much shelikes cats. If we ever play pets she will be a cat and I am a dog and I chaseher around the school yard. She even did her science project on cats. She isnuts about cats. She has three bennia baby cats named Nip but I forgot theirnames. But she just cannot get enough cats. The third thing I will tell youabout her is how much she likes the girls club She goes there almost every dayafter school. She walks there Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. She take thebus Tuesdays and Thursdays. I do know one time Vanessa, Nadine and bettywere walking they saw a dead bird and Vanessa told one of them to get hertwo sticks and Betty was toching it with a stick and they were saying thingslike there a dead jukebox, and that is what Betty likes.Now I will tell you about why I she is pretty. One reason why I think she ispretty is she smells like roses. She dresses really nice. But thing I am jeulous ofis her hair cut. I can only get mine trimmed, and that’s why I think she ispretty.Lets talk about hwy she is nice. She is so nice because she gives like theclay she gave me. She shares with everybody exspecialy with my littlel sisterJanie. Oh, yah and she is kind. I exspecialy like that about her because someof my friends I have do not like her and sometimes do not let her play with us,and that is why I like her for being nice.The last but not least, paragraph. The last paragraph is going to beabout her three best friends Nadine, Monica, and Me, First I will tell youabout Nadine. Nadine is funny, pretty and nice. Monica is understanding,Wachusett Regional School District Fall 200243

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALresable, and good. And me I am good, helpful, and trusting, and those areher friends.Whoever reads this this is about who changed my life alot and that wasBetty!Scored on Standard English Conventions 2 PointsLet me tell you about my friend Sally. She is helpful person, gives mestrength. Sally tells about stuff in life. My Mom does the same thing, but Sallytells most 20 year older. Sally made me feel better about myself. Sally givesme more info. Thas about my friend Sally.Sally made me feel stronger and more. When my dog deid, Sally wasthere, she made me feel stronger about it. She helps onderstain that me Daddoes care about me. I don’t care any more. Sallly really help me.Let me tell you why Sally is speshly to me. I new Sally all my life even herhusbin. My sister doesn’t now Sally as good. I wish she could be my Aunt.Sally is like a siste r to me. Sally is speshel friends to me.Scored on Standard English Conventions 1 PointMy GramaI miss my Grama sow much she she past away she is in hevin all heranlimowise past awway whenI herld the bad news I started to kriy my holefamily started tokriyto and my frens and hers to and my falder started to kriytoery botx started to kriy to andI love to go to the store with her she bot me myclose to and stuff for school and a play Stashane II. finally I wanted to sayhow much I love you sow much.Wachusett Regional School District Fall 200244

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALVI. SCORING RUBRIC FOR LONG COMPOSITIONTERMS USED IN THIS RUBRICTopic development: the overall effect of the paper.Organization: the degree to which the paper is focused, clearly and logically ordered, and clarified byparagraph.Details: the degree to which the paper includes examples that develop the main point.Language/Style: the degree to which manipulation of language, including vocabulary, word choice, wordcombinations, and sentence variety is effectively achieved.CONTENT (TOPIC DEVELOPMENT): Six is the highest score and one is the lowest score.1 2 3 4 5 6Limited or Beginning level Good control of Full topic /ideaweak topic/ idea topic/ idea topic/ idea developmentdevelopment, development developmentorganization, and/ orandand/ or details organization organizationLittle topic/ideadevelopment,organization,and/ or detailsRich topic/ ideadevelopment•Little or noawareness ofaudience and/ ortask•Limited awarenessof audience and/ ortask•Basic supportingdetails•Some variety inlanguage•Adequate, relevantdetails•Some variety inlanguage•Logicalorganization•Strong detail•Appropriate use oflanguage•Careful and cleverorganization•Effective /rich useof languageGRAMMAR AND USAGE (CONVENTIONS): Four is the highest score and one is the lowest score.1 2 3 4•Errors seriouslyinterfere withcommunication•Little control ofsentence structure,grammar and usage,and mechanics•Errors interferesomewhat withcommunication•Too many errorsrelative to the length ofthe essay or complexityof sentence structure,grammar and usage,and mechanics•Errors do not interferewith communication•Few errors relative tolength of essay orcomplexity of sentencestructure, grammar andusage, and mechanics•Control of sentencestructure, grammar andusage, and mechanics(length and complexityof essay providesopportunity for studentto show control ofstandard Englishconventions.)Wachusett Regional School District Fall 200245

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALVII. SAMPLE MCAS OPEN RESPONSE QUESTIONS 2001Grade 3 English Language ArtsName TWO important reasons Sally Ride was asuccessful astronaut. Explain why each reason wasimportant using details from the story in youranswer.4 PointsSally Ride was a successful astronut because she believed in herselfand had the will of a winner. Sally Ride was also a successfulastronut because she had the will of a winner in school and insports. I knew she was a winner in school and in sports becauseshe was just as good as the boys in baseball and football. Theneighborhood boys knew they’d have a stiff compition. Sally Ridehad the will of a winner because she believed in herself and knewshe could do anything she wanted to when she was growing up.3 PointsOne was that Sally believed in herself. The second was that shebecame strong by playing sports with the boys. I know that shebelieved in herself because she played sports with the boys andmade sure she winned so she could become strong and do one ofher wildest dreams someday.Response names two important reasons whySally Ride was a successful astronaut andexplains why each reason was important. Theexplanation includes strong, supportive detailsfrom the story.Response names two important reasons whySally Ride was a successful astronaut andexplains why each reason was important. Theexplanation includes relevant, general supportfrom the story or one explanation lacksdevelopment or specificity.2 PointsSally Ride bileved in herself and if you Bilevin your self you cando enething you whant or dream.1 PointSally Ride was successful because she was good at games.Response names two important reasons whySally Ride was a successful astronaut. Theexplanation includes limited or partially correctinformation from the story.ORResponse names one important reason why SallyRide was a successful astronaut and provides anappropriate explanation.Response gives a brief or vague statement aboutreasons why Sally Ride was successful.Grade 4 English Language ArtsWachusett Regional School District Fall 200246

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALThe selection ends with the statement, "It looked likea long weekend of worry." Explain this statement,using specific information from the selection in youranswer.4 PointsThe statement “It looked like a longweekend of worry” was used because of a guiltyconchense. Miata was worried her mom wouldfind out and get mad. On Sunday she wouldnot have a forklorico to wear. Mitata felt giltybecause it was her mom’s skirt and it was veryold.Miata kept worrying about it and itwouldn’t leave her mind. She was scared thather parents would wear sunglasses because ofembarrassement and Miata didn’t want that.Miata was going to be the only one without acostume. That is why Miata was going to havea long weekend of worry.3 PointsWhen it said “It looked like a long weekend ofworry” ment that if her friend didn’t find theskirt she would have to worry about it allweekend. And she would have to dance in aregular skirt on Sunday. She would be the onlyone without a costume. And her troop for 3months and she woulden’t have a costume.Response demonstrates full comprehensionof the selection and the ability to use the textto predict future events. Specific, relevantinformation from the selection is included inthe response.Response demonstrates a generalunderstanding of the selection and the abilityto use the text to predict some possible futureevents. Relevant general information fromthe selection is included.2 PointsBecause she is depending on Ana to see it andshe is worried “What id Ana doesn’t see it?” likewhen it saids “she prayed. Ana would find theskirt on the bus.” She really really wants her tofind it.1 PointShe would spend her week worrying about theskirt.Response demonstrates a limitedunderstanding of the selection with aminimal ability to use the text to makepredictions about future events. Support fromthe selection in minimal, vague, or partiallyincorrect.Response demonstrates a minimalunderstanding of the selection. No supportfrom the selection is included.Grade Four MathematicsWachusett Regional School District Fall 200247

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZa. In your Student Answer Book, copy THREEletters above that have ONLY ONE line ofsymmetry. Draw a dotted line to show theline of symmetry for each letter.b. Copy THREE letters that are NOTsymmetrical.c. Copy ONE letter that has at least TWO linesof symmetry. Draw dotted lines to show thelines of symmetry.4 Points2 Points3 Points1 PointWachusett Regional School District Fall 200248

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALVIII. OPEN-ENDED RESPONSE SCORING RUBRICNote: All question-specific scoring guides are based on the General Scoring Guide.SCORE POINT 4You respond effectively and accurately to all-important components of the question.You demonstrate in-depth understanding of the relevant concepts and/or processes.Where appropriate, you offer insightful interpretations or extensions(generalizations, application, analogies).SCORE POINT 3You respond effectively and accurately to most important components of the question.You demonstrate an understanding of major concepts even though you overlook ormisunderstand some less important ideas or details.SCORE POINT 2You respond effectively and accurately to some important components of the question.You demonstrate that there are gaps in your conceptual understanding.SCORE POINT 1You show minimal understanding of the question.You address only a small portion of the question.SCORE POINT 0Your answer is totally incorrect or irrelevant.BLANKYou did not give any answer at all.Wachusett Regional School District Fall 200249

WRSD LANGUAGE ARTS MANUALIX. METROPOLITAN ACHIEVEMENT TEST (MAT 8)Mission Statement: The Metropolitan Achievement Test is a test used in the elementaryand middle schools as a measure of the academic competency of its students as well as aprognosticator of possible achievement at the high school level.THE FOLLOWING AREAS ARE COVERED BY THE MAT 8 IN LANGUAGE:1. Knowledge of the following resources and their components: newspaper, dictionary,thesaurus, atlas, telephone book, encyclopedia, and almanac.2. Identification of fragments, run-on sentences, and unnecessary information in paragraphwriting, as well as adding information to a paragraph for fluency.3. Capitalization4. Verb tense5. Combining sentences6. Punctuation7. Syllabication8. Skills in letter writing9. Spelling10. Vocabulary: definitions, homographs, homophones, and multiple meanings11. Semantic webs, topics and subtopicsWachusett Regional School District Fall 200250