Writing for Success:

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Writing for Success Preparing Our Students for
the North Carolina Fourth Grade Writing Test
Kathy Bumgardner ELA Educational
Consultant www.kbumreading.com
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Welcome!!!

• We are SO glad you are here!

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NC Fourth Grade Writing Test March 4, 2008
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The students will be focusing on writing a
NARRATIVE Personal or Imaginative
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NC Writing Test Assesses the NARRATIVE Narrativ
es are StoriesStories are Narratives PERSONAL
NARRATIVE IMAGINATIVE NARRATIVE
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Personal Narrative A story about a small moment
in time that could be about something they had
experienced, heard about, or read about
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Examples of a Personal
Narrative Prompt

• Tell about a time that you had fun with a friend
  or relative.
• Think of a time that you tried something new.
• Tell about a time that you helped someone.
• Think of a time when you were happy.
• Tell about a time when you were excited.

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Imaginative Narrative A story about a small
moment in time that the prompt sets up for the
writer to tell a story about..
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Examples of a Imaginative
Narrative Prompt

• As you are walking through the yard, you see a
  door in the side of a tree. As you walk toward
  the tree, the door begins to open. Tell what
  happens.
• You wake up one morning and discover that are
  invisible. Tell what happens.

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The NC Writing Test

• Students are given 2 pencils, blank planning
  sheet, and a writing test packet with a prompt
  and pages to write their response on.
• The teacher reads the prompt aloud to the
  students including the bulleted items.
• Students have 75 minutes total to plan, write,
  revise and edit, and complete their story.

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How can we all help our children to be successful
writers and communicators?
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Tips for Parents

• READ to your childrenshow them examples of good
  beginnings and endings.things good authors do.
• Point out the word choice in the storyIsnt
  this a great way that this author lets us know
  what the character looks like? Have you ever used
  that word before in your writing before? Can you
  see that in your mind?

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Tips for Parents

• Tell your children small moment STORIES
• Give them ideas by telling them about a moment in
  your life
• Remind them about things that you have done
  together
• Remember to focus on ONE snapshot story at a time

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Tips for Parents

• Let your child read their stories aloud to you.
  You revise with your earshelp them do that.
• Respond first with a positive comment.
• Remember that they can only work on one thing at
  a time.
• Be patient and positive.

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Who scores my childs writing?

• Professional Testing/Scoring Company
• Highly trained scorers/readers (NC specific
  training with rubrics)
• 4 year degree minimum in English, Communications,
  etc.
• Constantly monitored readers

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How are the points decided?

• Every paper has at least 2 separate readers
• A reader gives each paper a CONTENT SCORE (
  1,2,3, or 4 points) (doubled)
• A reader gives each paper a CONVENTION SCORE (2,
  1, or 0 points)
• The two readers points are added together to come
  up with the total score (4 to 20 points)

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Two Rubrics Two Readers Total Score CONTENT
(counts double possible total 4-16
pts) CONVENTIONS (possible 0-4 total
points) Scored Using Points Total Point Range
4-20 pts.
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Writing Achievement Levels (Possible 4-20 points
total) Level I 4-7 points Level II 8-11
points Level III 12-16 points Level IV 17-20
points
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The NC Writing Rubric

• Based on Five Features of Effective Writing

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(No Transcript)
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FOCUS Clearly established topic that is
sustained throughout the writing
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Organization Logical progression and
completeness of ideas
Beginning Middle End
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Support Elaboration Specific, relevant, well
developed details that are supportive of the
topic
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STYLE Use of language that is appropriate to the
topic with effective sentence fluency
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• Conventions
• Control of grammar.
• (.2 pts Reasonable, 1 pt Minimal,
  0-Lack of control.)
• Sentence formation
• Standard Usage
• Mechanics

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What does good narrative writing look like?

• What are some common mistakes that students make
  when writing?

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Many students think they must include a weather
report.?
It was a dark, cloudy, sunny day when I was going
to help my mom bake a cake for my dad.
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Some students use the same beginning every
timewhether it fits or not! ?
Bam! The snow fell all over the city and covered
everything with snow.
Ding! Dong! I ran down to breakfast.
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Many students include words that do not fit their
story. ?
The bright sun warmed my pale shoulders and I
skipped happily to answer the doorbell. My
friends yelled SURPRISE when I opened the door.
They had come for a surprise party. We jogged
merrily and swiftly to the kitchen where I saw a
big package from Mom and Dad.
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He was as happy as a car with spinach.
I heard a jubilant crying baby.
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Some use TOO many adjectives.
The red car and the giant truck ran into each
other beside the gray post at the square corner
of the black paved parking lot behind the brown
brick building in the breezy city. My uncle with
red hair and my very calm cousin were not hurt.
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Some make a list with dialogue.
I said can I go then Charles said please let him
go. Mom said I will think about it. I said when
will you tell me? She said I dont know, maybe
tonight when Dad comes home. I said ok. She said
ok. Than I said ok. Then I said can Charles stay
for dinner? Mom said ok. I said ok. Charles said
ok. Charles mom said ok
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I was surprised. I got a present. It was a ball.
It was a green ball. It was a yellow and red
ball. I liked it so so so so so so so so so so so
so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so
so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so
so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so
so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so
so so so so so so much.
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Some try to use too many BIG words
I zoomed to my house to find Dad as the
boisterous monster rattled and loomed behind me.
I got to the front door and stomped inside. I
heard the monster dismaling down the door. I
instantiously found a place to hide behind the
sofa. I tried to be subdued so the monster would
not find me. But it was assimiliated. The monster
soon found me crotching behind the sofa.
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Stretching out a MAIN EVENTa WOW Moment

• What did I see?
• What did I hear?
• What did I think?
• What did I feel?
• What is my body doing?
• What was I saying to others?

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Stretching It Out
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A STORY MAP
MAIN EVENT

• Introduction
• Rising Actions
• MAIN EVENT
• Closing Actions
• Conclusions

Rising Actions
Closing Actions
Introduction
Conclusion
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What does a passing paper sound like?

• Check out the following story taken from a
  previous student sample of a writing response
  from a little girl who passed the NC Writing Test

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Tell about a time that you had fun with a
friend or a relative. Write a story about a fun
time with a friend or a relative.
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A time I had fun with a friend was when I went
to Minneapolis. I went to visit one of my best
friends Lauren. Lauren had moved away last year
to Minnesota. While I was there, we decided to go
to the huge Mall of America. I couldnt believe
that place!
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When we arrived, we jumped out of the car and
headed for the door. We went in and ran straight
to a giant amusement park that was right there in
the mall. It was a huge place, with lots of
rides! There was a ferris wheel, a roller
coaster, a log flume, giant swings and much, much
more! Of course I pulled my friend straight over
to the roller coaster. It was a gigantic roller
coaster with shiny silver tracks, and the coaster
went around the whole amusement park. We
nervously jumped in line to wait for our turn.
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At last it was our turn to get on and Lauren and
I hopped into the very first seat. My mom and
Laurens mom crawled in behind us. Then, all of a
sudden the ride jerked us forward and away we
went! We were zooming across those tracks with
our arms in the air and screaming our heads off!
My heart was almost pumping out of my chest.
Suddenly, we zoomed into in a dark tunnel and
instantly a mist of cool air hit our faces.
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At once the roller coaster began going up a
hill-like thing and then BAMit began speeding
downward. I felt like I would fall off because
the roller coaster was tipping us toward the
ground. I was terrified that my body would be
ejected from the seat. My hands were clenching
the slippery bar with excitement and fear all at
the same time. This is SO MUCH FUN! I screamed.
No one else answered. I think they were all
frozen with fear.
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In the blink of an eye we were thrown back into
the light on the other side of the amusement
park. At that moment the lights from the stores
blinded me like a strobe light. Suddenly it was
as bright as the afternoon sun. We were high
above everything there in the mall. I felt
stunned with excitement.
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In the very next instance the coaster came to a
jerking stop as we pulled back into the place
where we had gotten on. Immediately we all hopped
out. Lauren and I both fell over with weak knees
that wobbled like a new born deers.
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Now that was awesome! we both screamed as we
high-fived each other. Then we raced over to try
out the next ride. That was a time I had fun with
a friend.
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• Was the story focused?
• Did you hear a beginning, middle, and end?
• Did you hear relevant details that moved the
  story along and made a picture?
• Did you hear sentence fluency and did the student
  choose words wisely?
• How about conventions?

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Remember

• Let your child tell you what he/she is writing
  about in class.
• Praise their ideas and encourage them to improve
  their writing daily.
• Be positive and have them come in feeling
  empowered and ready on the morning of March 4th!!!

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Consistently providing your child with positive
support is KEY to building their confidence level
and their ability to do their best on the writing
test.
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Above all.

• Please help your child to STAY
• FOCUSED on their Success on the NC Writing Test!
• Thank you for caring!