Nonfiction essays for middle school students

An essay has been defined in a variety of ways. One definition is a "prose composition with a focused subject of discussion" or a "long, systematic discourse". Aldous Huxleya leading essayist, gives guidance on the subject.

Quantitative[ edit ] Middle and Upper Level: These sections are called the quantitative sections. The words used in SSAT problems refer to basic mathematical operations. Many of the questions that appear in the quantitative sections of the Middle Level SSAT are structured in mathematical terms that directly state the operation needed to determine the best answer choice.

Other questions are structured as word problems. A word problem often does not specifically state the mathematical operation or operations to perform in order to determine the answer. These items are a mixture of concepts that are considered to be the basis of the third and fourth grade mathematics curricula and a few that will challenge the third- or fourth-grade student.

These include questions on number sense, properties, and operations; algebra and functions; geometry and spatial sense; measurement; and probability. In general, the SSAT uses two types of writing: By presenting passages and questions about the passages, the reading comprehension section measures a test taker's ability to understand what he or she read.

The passages are chosen from a variety of categories, including, but not limited to: The reading section of the EL SSAT consists of seven short, grade-level—appropriate passages, each with four multiple-choice questions.

These passages may include prose and poetry, fiction and nonfiction, from diverse cultures. Students are asked to locate information and find meaning by skimming and close reading. They are also asked to demonstrate literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension of a variety of printed materials.

Questions ask the reader to show understanding of key ideas and details to determine the main idea of the text.

Additionally, they ask the reader to determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from non-literal language. It asks students to identify synonyms and to interpret analogies.

The synonym questions test the strength of the students' vocabulary, while the analogy questions measure their ability to relate ideas to each other logically. Analogies are a comparison between two things that are usually seen as different from each other but have some similarities.

They act as an aid to understanding things by making connections and seeing relationships between them based on knowledge already possessed. Comparisons like these play an important role in improving problem-solving and decision-making skills, in perception and memory, in communication and reasoning skills, and in reading and building vocabulary.

Analogies help students to process information actively, make important decisions, and improve understanding and long-term memory. Considering the relationships stimulates critical and creative thinking.

The first is a vocabulary section and the second is an analogies section. These sections test understanding of language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings by relating them to words with similar but not identical meanings synonyms.

Middle Level test takers receive a choice of two creative prompts, and Upper Level test takers receive one essay and one creative prompt from which to choose. The writing sample section is 25 minutes long and is not scored. However, the writing sample is sent to admission officers at the school to which the test taker is applying, along with the scores of the other sections of the test.

The writing sample gives students an opportunity to express themselves through written response to a picture prompt. Students are asked to look at the picture and tell a story about what happened, each being sure their story includes a beginning, a middle, and an end.

This writing sample is not graded, but a copy is provided to the school to which the student is applying. Scoring[ edit ] For the Upper and Middle Level SSATs, formula scoring is used, with students receiving 1 point for each question answered correctly, losing one-quarter point for each question answered incorrectly, and zero points awarded or deducted for questions left unanswered.

The SSAT is designed so that students should be able to reach all questions on the test. A total score a sum of the three sections is also reported.

For the Middle Level SSAT sections, the lowest number on the scale is the lowest possible score a student can earn and the highest number the highest score. For the Upper Level SSAT sections, the lowest number on the scale is the lowest possible score a student can earn and the highest number is the highest score."Non-fiction essay rubric middle school This rubric delineates specific expectations about an essay assignment to students and provides a means of assessing completed student essays." "Education Grants provides a collection of resources on the importance of education to .

Writing interesting nonfiction is a valuable student skill. Why is most of it so boring?

Education Next is a journal of opinion and research about education policy.

Model those strategies in front of students in your own writing – be flawed and purposeful. Write with your students!

Avoid formulaic writing – five paragraphs doesn’t provide structure; it limits student voice. ). A middle and high school. In the new book Reading Reconsidered: A Practical Guide to Rigorous Literacy Instruction, Doug Lemov, Colleen Driggs, and Erica Woolway offer clear guidance on how to teach students to be better initiativeblog.com this excerpt, they illuminate why background knowledge is so important to reading comprehension.

Lemov, Driggs, and Woolway are leaders of the Teach Like a Champion team at Uncommon Schools. Books shelved as middle-school-nonfiction: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Phineas Gage: A Gruesome b. Introductory Paragraphs. The introductory paragraph is the first-paragraph in the persuasive essay.

I teach my students that their introductory paragraphs should have three parts: an attention-catcher, a thesis, and a initiativeblog.com introductory paragraph is perhaps the most important paragraph in the essay because it is the first and possibly last chance to make an impact on the reader.

Grad's Guide to Graduate Admissions Essays: Examples from Real Students Who Got into Top Schools [Colleen Reding] on initiativeblog.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Grad's Guide to Graduate Admissions Essays provides more than 50 successful admission essays straight from the source--recent college graduates making the transition to earning advanced degrees at highly .