Radical Revisions Writing Tools
Adding Sentence Variety with Ratiocination[Ratiocination is a revision strategy that enables students to manipulate sentences, avoid repetition, and clarify ideas through a process of finding and coding grammatical clues.]
Conclusions[If some experts agree that the most important aspect of any written work is the lead, then an equal number of experts agree that the conclusion is the most important element of any written work. If you develop both a strong intro AND a strong conclusion, you will please ALL the experts!}
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Smiley Face Tricks (Credit: Mary Ledbetter)[Smiley Face Tricks are titled such because when English teachers see good writing they smile. These methods are some tried and true tricks authors use to create voice in their writing.]
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Methods of Elaboration (Credit: Mary Ledbetter)[Methods of elaboration are just that...useful techniques an author uses to enhance his/her writer's voice.]
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Leads[Many experts agree that the most important aspect of any written work is the intro, or the lead. The lead is what sets the tone, the pace, the feeling in the story. Now that you have a first draft of your piece and have revised it some, what is your next step? How will you draw your reader in? How will you make you someone want to read your piece?]
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Writing and Research
Persuasive Essay Information[Mastering the art of the persuasive essay is certainly no easy task, especially when writing for the ACT. This information provides a road map for writers as they navigate the turbulent path to complete a sound, sophisticated persuasive essay.]
Here is another link to a sample ACT Persuasive Essay. Here is another fantastic link from The New York Times to debatable topics in education that can be used to practice argumentative essay writing. |
MLA Research Information[Accurate documentation of sources is integral to the research process. This information provides several examples of proper integration of quotations and works cited information.]
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MLA Works Cited Information[A works cited page lists in an organized, specially formatted way, the sources used to write a research paper.]
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MLA Videos |
Argumentative Writing Information[Argumentative Writing is one of the four major modes of written discourse. Persuasive essay writing is an offshoot of argumentative writing. Here is a PDF explaining the differences between the two.]
And HERE is another fantastic site for learning about the rules of rhetoric in argumentation. |
Commonly Misused Expressions and Words[William Strunk, Jr.'s "The Elements of Style," first published in 1918, is often deemed THE authority for authors and students of writing. The attached link displays several commonly misused expressions and words as they appeared in the original edition of the style manual. These words and expressions are still misused today.]
Video #1: Who vs Whom, That vs Which and More... More Commonly Misused Words and Phrases |
MLA Paper Format Information[The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University (OWL) has done it again! This paper sample is an excellent source for formatting essays according to the rules of the Modern Language Association.]
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Michigan Electronic Library[I CANNOT think of a more useful site for students to research current events, historical events, controversial topics, literary analysis, scientific topics, etc., etc. etc. A student who knows how to use MEL effectively is a student with a good grade on his/her research assignment. Students can access MEL through the school server while on campus. When students are off-campus, they can still access MEL, but they will need to enter a valid Michigan driver's license number. This number need not belong to the student. Any valid MI license will do. MEL folks want to ensure this resource is used by Michigan residents only.]
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Grammar
NoRedInk.com[This site will be used frequently. Create an on-line profile and complete grammar assignments and quizzes tailored JUST FOR YOU!]
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Comma Information[This page from ccc.grammar.net will give you the low-down on everything comma related you ever wanted to know. Follow the links at the end of the page to take practice quizzes.]
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Semi-colons, Colons, and Dashes[This page offers information about how and when to use varied punctuation. More information can be found by clinking on HERE.]
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Phrases[This page offers examples and information about a variety of phrases. What I enjoy most about this page is the SIMPLE diagram structure - very visual!! ]
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Fragments[This page offers examples and information about what constitutes a fragment and one might go about fixing fragments with punctuation and independent/dependent clauses.]
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Conjunctive Adverbs[This handout offers information about how to correctly use and punctuate conjunctive adverbs within sentences. This is also good review for semi-colon usage, as semi-colons are often used tangentially with conjunctive adverbs.]
[Knowing how to effectively use an absolute phrase at the beginning of a sentence is a Radical Revisions Sentence Variety Technique and it is a skill young writers need to practice. Trust me; the result of that practice is powerful! An absolute phrase combines a noun and a participle and all other modifiers and objects of that noun and participle.]
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Fixing Comma Splices and Fused Sentences[What are comma splices and fused sentences? They are problem sentences that contain two or more main clauses incorrectly joined together. Every main clause contains an independent
subject and verb, so it can stand alone as a complete sentence.] Participle Phrases[A participle phrase begins with a present or past participle (think "ing" or "ed" verb forms). When writers can effectively use a participle phrase at the beginning of a sentence, the effecti is a sentence with movement and direction.]
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AWESOME GRAMMAR SITE[What more can I say? This site is AWESOME. It includes grammar handouts, interactive activities, and information for a variety of grammar components.]
Noun Phrases[A noun phrase includes a noun and all the modifiers which distinguish it. All absolute phrases are forms of noun phrases, but not all noun phrases are absolutes. Need more help? Check out the site!]
Appositives[An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it. The appositive can be a short or long combination of words.]
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Irregular Verbs[This handout offers information about irregular verbs.The difference between a regular and an irregular verb is the formation of the simple past and past participle. Learn about those differences here.]
Prepositional Phrases[A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause. When thinking of a prepositional phrase, you should think first of what constitutes a preposition - picture a squirrel and a chair. Anywhere the squirrel can be in relationship to that chair is likely a preposition.]
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Parallelism[Everything in life requires balance - even your sentences! Applying the rules of parallelism may be the ONE grammatical element in your writing standing between a "B" or an "A." ]
Adverb Clauses[An adverb clause is a group of words that function as an adverb. The clause can modify verbs, adverbs and adjectives by telling when, where, why, how, how much and under what condition. They begin with a subordinating conjunction (such as after, if, because and although) and they contain a subject and a predicate.]
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Poetry
Poetry Pairings[The New York Times has a section under Education in which authors pair poetry with timely news articles. Thought provoking questions are provided for analysis and connection.]
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Poetry Foundation[This comprehensive site puts great poetry at your fingertips. Old and new poems find their homes at Poetry Foundation.org.]
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Poetry Everywhere[Poetry spans cultures, generations, and experiences. Poetry makes language fluid, malleable, impressionable and poetry defines the human experience. Poetry Everywhere offers audio, video, and text from poetry across the globe.]
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Poetry PPT Presentation[Hello English Teachers!
My name is Taylor Wickman, I am a senior about to graduate and I have completed a Genius Hour Project for Mrs. Sutton's English 12 class. Genius Hour is a movement that allows students to explore their own passions and encourages creativity in the classroom. It provides students a choice in what they learn during a set period of time during school. For my project, I came up with the idea of Poetry Basics. When I was learning about poetry throughout my days at Kingsford, I had an interest in it, but couldn't seem to understand all of the elements. I created a powerpoint (Attached to this Email) that is a simple way of understanding some elements, as well as examples, to help students read and write poetry. Expressing feelings and thoughts in a creative, easy way will improve morale and, collectively, create a better atmosphere during the Poetry Unit. ] |
Super Summary for Poetry[One of the most wonderful aspects of the World Wide Web is the open sharing of information that occurs between people across the globe. This site was recommended to me by a stranger who saw my page and sent me a kind message about how helpful she found the information. She suggested I visit the above site and consider linking it to my page. This site is an excellent resource for poets, students, and educators for all things poetry. Please check it out.]
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SAT TEST PREP
The Bridge - This is an excellent article about keeping costs for SAT prep in check while making the most of your study time and resources.