Writing

Basic Strategies

Provided that you are applying strategies for close reading, you should have a good basis for developing ideas and supporting details about the text that you will then express in writing. Regardless of the form or genre your writing takes, you will always be asked to develop a specific idea about a topic related to a text. Brainstorm about both the topic itself and the topic as it occurs in text, and identify your most interesting or most compelling idea(s) and supporting details (concrete examples from the text or, for PRTs, personal experience or observations). Consider the Mind-Mapping approach that we used in our review activity and as described in the preamble of The English 10 Key (5 pages in).
For written response questions on exams, review the tips on page 46 of The Key, noting especially that you work at being concise while including as much information as possible that is relevant to the questions; that you answer every part of the question; and that you use appropriate vocabulary and terms. Also take note of how many points the question is worth and ensure that you include at least that many points of information in your response.
Read all feedback your teacher has provided on written work. Look for connections between the feedback, the quality indicators on the rubric. If there is anything you don’t understand and/or if you’re unable to make connections between the feedback, the rubric, and your mark, bring your concerns and questions to your teacher.

Matters of Correctness: Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation

Take note of the feedback provided on your paper and any areas checked on the rubric for PRT Presentation and CRT Matters of Correctness. Look up what the error or issue is, look up explanations of how to correct it, and then complete some practice exercises that specifically address correcting that error. Use the resources below to help you. Also, develop your own checklist for proofreading.

How to Identify and Fix Comma Splices

How to Identify and Fix Fragments

Practice:

Pages 31-39 of The Key
Grammarly Chrome Extension: Install this extension on your browser to check spelling, grammar, and style in your documents and those you read on the web.
Grammarly Handbook: This handbook provides more detailed explanations of grammatical errors or concepts you might run into in using Grammarly or other grammar checkers. It also provides guidance to improve your writing through all stages.
Common Writing Errors and Correction
Khan Academy Grammar Tutorials: Playlist of all things English grammar. Search within this channel for the issues specific to your writing.
Oxford Practice Grammar: Take a test to find out what grammar you need to practice, then complete a variety of interactive exercises. You can print your results and see the correct answers to the ones you got wrong.
British Council Grammar Exercises: Five pages worth of exercises plus explanations.
English Grammar 101: Tons of free lessons with practice exercises, very well-organized and easy to use.