Preparing For the N'J' GEPA

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Preparing For the N.J. GEPA

• What Skills Do Students Need?

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Tasks on the GEPA

• Reading Narrative text (40 min.)
• Reading Persuasive text (35 min.)
• Writing Persuasive essay (45 min.)
• Writing Picture Prompt/Narrative (25 min.)

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Who Passes the GEPA
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Types of Reading Questions

• Literal questions
• Vocabulary/Context Clues
• Predicting Outcomes
• Analyzing Theme
• Story elements and plot
• Drawing conclusions
• Fact vs. opinion
• Extending meaning

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Open-Ended Questions

• Students must be able to read, think
  synthesize, and apply understanding

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Sample Open-Ended Question

• Kens older brother and younger sister are able
  to accept the familys move to Boston, but Ken is
  distressed with the idea.
• Give TWO or more reasons WHY a Middle School
  student might not want to move.
• Describe HOW Ken is able to resolve the problem.
• Use information from the story to support your
  response.

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How to Answer An Open-Ended Question

• Read the question carefully
• Each bullet-point indicates a new paragraph
• Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence
• Use details, facts, direct quotes from the text
  to support your answer
• Think critically
• Use strong vocabulary

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Open-Ended Question Rubric

• Points Criteria Open Ended Questions
• 4 A 4-point response clearly demonstrates
  understanding of the task, completes all
  requirements, and provides an insightful
  explanation/opinion that links to or extends
  aspects of the text.   
• 3 A 3-point response demonstrates an
  understanding of the task, completes all
  requirements, and provides some
  explanation/opinion using situations or ideas
  from the text as support.   
• 2 A 2-point response may address all of the
  requirements, but demonstrates a partial
  understanding of the task, and uses text
  incorrectly or with limited success resulting in
  an inconsistent or flawed explanation.   
• 1 A I-point response demonstrates minimal
  understanding of the task, does not complete the
  requirements, and provides only a vague reference
  to or no use of the text.   
• 0 A 0-point response is irrelevant or off-topic.

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Persuasive Writing

• A Prompt will create a scenario
• Students will have to take a stance either
  for/against the issue
• They then write an essay defending the position
  they have chosen

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Persuasive Prompt

• Writing Situation
• Because of the recent emphasis on career
  education, your school board is considering
  removing electives from the schedule and using
  that time for a full-year course on career
  training. This proposal has created a
  controversy in your school district.
• You decide to write a letter to your school
  board expressing your views on this controversial
  issue.
• Writing Task
• Write a letter to your school board either
  supporting or opposing its proposal to replace
  electives with career training. Use examples,
  facts, and other evidence to support your point
  of view.
• This prompt was a previous years Persuasive
  topic on the GEPA

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Skills for Writing a Persuasive Essay

• Organization
• Divide the essay logically
• Introduction
• Three Body Paragraphs
• Conclusion
• Thesis statement in the Introduction states the
  writers stance on the issue and the three
  reasons
• Topic Sentences for body paragraphs state the
  reason or argument to be discussed
• Details in each paragraph elaborate on the reason
  or argument

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Paragraph Elaboration

• Use specific details
• Use personal examples or anecdotes
• Dont exaggerate
• Use facts and statistics
• Use transitions to move from one idea to the next
  
• Take compositional risks (scenarios, rhetorical
  questions, quotes, etc.)

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Writing Style

• Fluency
• Sentence Structure
• Transition
• Varied sentence beginnings
• Sophisticated Vocabulary
• Use of figurative language
• Compositional Risk

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Mechanics

• Spelling
• Capitalization
• Punctuation
• Subject/Verb Agreement
• Pronoun Usage
• General usage
• Essays are scored holistically
• however, errors in mechanics
• will lower the overall score

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Picture Prompt

• Students are asked to view a picture and
  speculate as to what is happening.
• They may choose to write a story or describe what
  is happening in picture.
• We encourage students to write a story

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Skills for Writing a Picture Prompt

• Narrative Writing
• Use people in the picture as characters
• Use details from the picture for setting
• Think of a simple plot for your storydont make
  it too complicated
• Add dialogue
• Try to have a themeso the character learns a
  lesson or comes to some realization.

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Writing Style for Picture Prompt

• Logical progression of events
• Suspense
• Realistic dialogue
• Descriptive writing
• Sensory details
• Showing, not telling

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Scoring

• New Jersey State Holistic Scoring Rubric
• Two readers score the essay
• Each reader gives a score of 1-6 (six is highest)
• Two scores are added together for persuasive
  essay
• Two scores are averaged for Picture Prompt

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How Did Our Students Score?
Sussex Middle School Sussex, NJ2004 scores
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What Do the Scores Mean?
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Web Sites

• http//www.amscopub.com/frameset.htm
• This is GEPA guide that can be downloaded
• Click on Free Downloads and then scroll to find
  the Preparing for the GEPA in Language Arts
• http//www.nj.gov/njded/assessment/ms/sample/
• Sample tests from the state
• You can click on which subject you want

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More Web Sites

• http//www.ccts-ettc.org/top/project20TOP/prepari
  ng_students_for_gepa.htm
• This site has many links for Math preparation
• http//www.readwritethink.org/materials/persuasion
  _map/
• Students can use the computer to create a
  persuasion map graphic organizer for an essay

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Software Programs to Teach Writing

• Inspiration Software graphic organizer tool
  download a 30 day free trial
• http//www.inspiration.com/freetrial/index.cfm
• Draft-Builder an organizational writing tool
  check out the home page
• http//www.synapseadaptive.com/donjohnston/draft_b
  uilder.htm

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Credits

• This Power Point Presentation was created by
  Dorothy Caufield,
• Language Arts Teacher at
• Sussex Middle School
• Sussex, NJ
• The End