Lexington Public Schools

Lexington Public Schools

8th Grade Writing Guide

2015-2016

Clarke & Diamond Middle Schools

English Department

8th GRADE ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING GUIDE

In argumentative writing, we always include the following:

❏  12 point font, Times New Roman, Double-spaced

❏  Name, instructor’s name, class color, date in top left corner

❏  Title of writing centered at top of page

❏  Proper Capitalization

❏  Present tense

❏  Quotations introduced (do not stand alone)

❏  Quotations cited (page number)

❏  Quotations analyzed

❏  Varied language

❏  Formal language

❏  Proofread language (spelling, grammar)

In argumentative writing, we avoid the following:

❏  Personal pronouns (I, you, we, us)

❏  Contractions (don’t, won’t, can’t, he’d, it’s)

❏  “thing”

❏  Rhetorical questions (“Why else would the character do this?”)

In argumentative writing, we limit the following:

❏  Talking language (“This shows…” or “This quote proves”)

❏  Clichés (particularly in the conclusion statement)

Writing Rubric Checklist

1.  Paragraph contains a strong claim statement that:

·  Introduces the central idea of paragraph ____

·  Contains a central idea that is true to the text (accurate!) ____

·  Is clear and concise ____

·  Includes title and author, perhaps using an appositive phrase ____

2.  Paragraph contains well-chosen evidence to support claims:

·  2-3 relevant supporting quotes provided ____

·  Quotes used require inferential analysis ____

·  Context (explanation) provided prior to quotes ____

·  Quotations are concise, perhaps using ellipses (...) to condense ____

·  Transitions between evidence ____

·  Quotes are properly embedded ____

·  Properly formatted citation included ____

3.  Developed analysis of selected evidence:

·  Analysis connects back to claim statement/central idea ____

·  Writer explains quote in support of central idea ____

·  Analysis is roughly twice as long as evidence ____

4.  Strong closing statement/clincher that summarizes the claims made in the paragraph:

·  Summarizes main ideas of paragraph in a new and interesting way ____

·  Ties back to claim statement ____

5.  Attention to grammar and mechanics ____

·  Proper punctuation, spelling, and capitalization

·  Maintain present tense

·  No personal pronouns (I, you, we, us)

6.  Typed (size 12 font) and double-spaced ____

Writing Rubric Scoring Guide Checklist

1.  Paragraph contains a strong claim statement that:

(__/10 pts)

·  Introduces central idea of paragraph ____

·  Contains a central idea that is true to the text (accurate!) ____

·  Is clear and concise ____

·  Includes title and author ____

2.  Paragraph contains well-chosen evidence to support claims:

(__/30 pts)

·  2-3 relevant supporting quotes provided ____

·  Quotes used require inferential analysis ____

·  Context (explanation) provided prior to quotes ____

·  Transitions between evidence ____

·  Quotes are properly embedded ____

·  Properly formatted citation included ____

3.  Developed analysis of selected evidence:

(__/40 pts)

·  Analysis connects back to claim statement/central idea ____

·  Writer explains quote in support of central idea ____

·  Analysis is roughly twice as long as evidence ____

4.  Strong closing statement/clincher that summarizes the claims made in the paragraph: (__/10 pts)

·  Summarizes main ideas of paragraph in a new and interesting way ____

·  Ties back to claim statement ____

5.  Attention to grammar and mechanics ____

(__/8 pts)

·  Proper punctuation, spelling, and capitalization

·  Maintain present tense

·  No personal pronouns (I, you, we, us)

6.  Typed (size 12 font) and double-spaced ____

(__/2 pts)

Total: ___/100

COMMENTS:

From: englishemporium.wordpress.com

Writing Rubric – Key Words Defined

·  Argumentation: the act of making a speech, piece of writing, or oral debate that intends to validate an idea or opinion, which is then supported with logical evidence and analysis.

·  Claim Statement: a short statement (usually one sentence) that expresses the central idea of a short argument. NOTE: In writing, a short argument that is one paragraph in length.

·  Central Idea: the overall position expressed throughout an argument; the main idea in a piece of writing that is revealed over the course of your essay/writing assignment. NOTE: The central idea is the “concept” of your writing assignments; the claim statement is the central idea expressed in a single statement.

·  Claim: an arguable statement that supports the central idea; must be supported by evidence and analysis.

·  How or why?: in a claim statement, a preview of your evidence and analysis.

o  Developing: A bleak mood is developed in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace."

o  Proficient: A bleak mood is developed in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace” because of the word choice.

o  Exemplary: The uninviting word choice and hopeless imagery in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace” creates a bleak mood.

·  Useful Context: in your explanation of supporting evidence, details with a purpose with your claim in mind; necessary background information from the text.

·  Sufficiently: varied, specific, and relevant.to your claim. (Sufficient = “being of enough quantity and quality to fully and convincingly defend a claim”)

·  Inference: a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning.

·  Examine: explaining your inferences in detail (“For example, the fact that George takes his hat off reveals….”)

·  Logical: a thoughtful and intentional order to the presentation of your claims; often chronological.

·  Sophisticated: shows close reading and awareness of interaction of subtleties. (subtle details/aspects of the text)

·  Embedded: taking the quotation and gracefully incorporating into the context allowing for analysis to be emphasized.

· 

ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING RUBRIC

Exemplary (4) (Voice, Initiative and Ownership) / Proficient (3) / Developing (2) / Beginning (1)
C
E
N
T
R
A
L
IDEA / Proficient +
*is original or sophisticated. / * an accurate argument that can be defended by evidence. / * an argument, but may be inaccurate.
* may be contradicted by the text / * not an argument or lacks the need to be argued.
T
H
E
S
I
S / Proficient +
* is articulate and fully maps the argument’s organization. / * clearly expresses a full argument (a claim + HOW or WHY?). / * expresses an incomplete argument / * does not express an argument
*may simply quote or summarize the text or plot.
E
V
I
D
E
N
C
E / Proficient +
* often embedded into writer’s sentences, with no excess, allowing for analysis to be emphasized. / * introduced with useful context.
* sufficiently supports the claim.
* requires inference. / * introduced, but without useful context.
* is insufficient to support claim or does not require inference.
* Citation Missing / Format / * not introduced
* irrelevant to specific claims.
* excessive
A
N
A
L
Y
S
I
S / Proficient +
*sophisticated examination.
* may use additional details or information to further develop argument.
* concisely and articulately phrased / * examines evidence in support of claim and overall argument. / * hints at the connection between evidence and claim or argument.
*The reader must infer the author’s reasoning. / * only summarizes evidence and/or does not connect evidence to claim or argument.
O
R
G
A
N
I
Z
A
T
I
O
N / Proficient +
* Claims are distinct, not overlapping.
* Transitions address previous claims to create a cohesive structure. / * Claims logically prove the thesis.
* Claims have a logical order.
*Transitions between claims are present. / * Claims are mostly relevant to the thesis.
* Claims are not yet in a logical order.
*Transitions are unsuccessful. / * Claims are not related to thesis.
*Transitions not clearly present.
C
O
N
C
L
U
S
I
O
N / * reinforces or broadens the main idea of the thesis. / * a simple restatement of thesis or veers off-topic.

Levels of Achievement

Beginning: Writing demonstrates an effort to meet all of the standards. However, the writing reflects lack of understanding of the text, standards, or expectations.

Developing: Writing demonstrates a partial achievement of the standards. However, there are issues with either: consistency, accuracy, or in the ideas/writing.

Proficient: Writing demonstrates an achievement of the standards.

Exemplary: Writing demonstrates intellectual engagement in the assignment. Deliberation and precision is evident in the achievement of standards.

Models of Proficiency

Student Name

Teacher Name - Class Color

Date

Madame Loisel: A Selfish Wife

In the short story “The Necklace,” the protagonist, Mathilde Loisel, is a selfish woman who feels she deserves a better life. With the exception of one night, she is never satisfied with her situation in life and is desperate for something better. The narration states, “She suffered endlessly, feeling herself born for every delicacy and luxury” (1). She desires to live a more grand experience, rather than her dull existence with her husband. She wants these things so badly that she chooses her own wants over those of others without hesitation or gratitude. When her husband offers her money for a ballgown that he had been saving for a gun, she takes the money without asking what he had been saving it for, which illustrates her selfishness. Later in the story she loses the borrowed necklace and spends the next ten years paying for its replacement. Her loss of the necklace causes her husband to take out many loans for a huge sum of money. The narrator states, “He mortgaged the whole remaining years of his existence, risked his signature without even knowing if he could honour it” (4). By taking out these loans, M. Loisel is guaranteeing a difficult future for the couple. Despite the obvious consequences of her selfish desires, she only remembers the night when she was the center of attention as a positive memory. Mathilde’s dreams for luxury at all costs create a selfish and unlikeable character.

Pencil Visage

Mrs. Monaco - Blue

September 8, 2014

Mood in “The Necklace”

The word choice in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace” creates a bleak mood. At the start of the story, the Loisel house is described negatively, with “mean walls, worn chairs, and ugly curtains” (1). The adjectives used to describe the setting create an univiting atmosphere in the Loisel household. This bleakness is also detailed when Madame Loisel and her husband make the fateful decision to lie about the necklace and Loisel is described as being “appalled at the agonising face of the future, at the black misery about to fall upon him” (4). The description of the misery as “black” emphasizes the lack of hope for the protagonist’s situation. Maupassant uses individual words or phrases to maintain a bleak mood throughout the story, even the the twist ending leaves the reader feeling hopeless about the Loisel’s fate.

Fozzy Bear

Mrs. Carothers - Purple

October 5, 2014

An Ironic Twist

In Maupassant’s “The Necklace,” there is irony in Mathilde’s realization that the necklace is fake at the story’s end. The necklace first appears to be quite valuable. When she first saw the necklace, she reacts: “her heart beat covetously” (2). Her excited reaction suggests the great value of the necklace. After she loses it, she works hard for ten long years to pay back the 36,000 francs necessary to replace the diamond necklace. This hard work has made her look much older -- she has focused her life so much on repaying this debt. She never suspected that the necklace she wore was an imitation. Because of her dedication to this hard work, her hands became red, her voice became coarse, and she still is regretful for her huge loss. These details further emphasize the assumed value of the necklace. Madame Forestier explains that the necklace she loaned Mathilde “was worth at the most five hundred francs” (5). Just after Madame Forestier reveals this information, the story ends and she and we are left with this surprise. It’s ironic that she has slaved away for ten years and now realizes she needn’t have worked so hard.

Clark Kent

Mr. Feeney - Yellow

November 15, 2014

Not a Diamond in the Rough

In “The Necklace,” Guy de Maupassant uses the necklace to represent Mathilde’s flawed character. The first time that the necklace appears in the story, the narrator describes it as beautiful by saying, “in a black satin case, a superb diamond necklace” (3). At the end of the story, the necklace is shown to be fake and is only worth 500 francs. The necklace looks beautiful, but it is actually worthless. This is just like Mathilde. She is beautiful, but she doesn’t have much, if any, true value on the inside. Her beauty is shown at the beginning of the story: “She was one of those pretty and charming girls born, as though fate had blundered over her, into a family of artisans” (1). Her beauty covers her ungrateful and selfish personality, which is proven by her demand for a new dress for the party, at the expense of her husband’s gun savings. She never once says thank you to him, despite his sacrifice. On top of this, she is also constantly dissatisfied by anything less than the best: “She suffered endlessly, feeling herself born for every delicacy and luxury. She suffered from the poorness of her house, from its mean walls, worn chairs, and ugly curtains. All these things, of which other women of her class would not even have been aware, tormented and insulted her” (1). She should have been content with these aspects of her life, but she feels frustrated by the mediocrity that surrounds her. Other than her beauty, she adds nothing of value to the world, just like the necklace.

Across the Levels:

Indirect Characterization

BEGINNING

“The Necklace” indirectly shows Mme. Loisel’s character. She’s angry with her life and tries to get more than what she should get. One example is when she takes the necklace to the party. She really likes it because she hates her life with her husband. In the end of the story, she’s still mad because she has to work so hard for ten years to pay for the new, real necklace. She is clearly angry at her life. She’ll probably never find happiness because of her indirect characterization.

DEVELOPING

Throughout “The Necklace,” Mme. Loisel is a proud character. In the beginning of the story, she is described: “she was as unhappy as though she had married beneath her.” Mme. Loisel thinks she is above the husband and life that she gets, but she actually isn’t. She’s poor, too. It also says at the beginning, “She suffered endlessly, feeling herself born for every luxury and delicacy.” This is really shown when she dances at the party: “She danced madly, ecstatically, drunk with pleasure, with no thought for anything, in the triumph of her beauty, in the pride of her success, in a cloud of happiness made up of this universal homage and admiration, of the desires she had aroused, of the completeness of a victory so dear to her feminine heart.” This quote actually says “pride.” Mme. Loisel’s really proud of herself, but she doesn’t do anything at all to earn it. As you can see, Mme. Loisel is a really proud character!