Supplemental Material

Comma Rules Chart

Grad
e

612

Comma Rule
CR1
Use a comma to
separate items in a
list.

612

612

The three most influential people in my life are my mother my

father and my sister.

Place your pencil highlighter and paper on your desk.

(Simple Sentence)

CR2
612

Examples

Use a comma to
separate
coordinate
adjectives.
CR3
Use a comma to
set off quoted
material
CR4
Use a comma with
a coordinating
conjunction
to separate
independent
clauses.

You could think of this as "That tall, distinguished, good looking

fellow" rule as opposed to "the little old lady" rule. If you can put an
and or a but between the adjectives, a comma will probably belong
there. For instance, you could say, "He is a tall and distinguished
fellow" or "I live in a very old and run-down house." So you would
write, "He is a tall, distinguished man" and "I live in a very old, rundown house." But you would probably not say, "She is a little and
old lady," or "I live in a little and purple house," so commas would
not appear between little and old or between little and purple.
The purpose is, Dr. Smith asserts, to create an argument.

The protagonist exclaimed Dont touch that switch!

My birthday was last week

, and I received over $50 in cash.

The class enjoyed reading the novel

have time to finish
Monday.

, but some students didnt

, and they must finish the entire book by

(Compound Sentences)

712

CR5
Use a comma after
introductory
elements,
such as dependent
clauses
or adverbial
phrase.
(Complex Sentences)
(Periodic Sentence)

Because of the difficult exam she studied all night.

Running toward third base he suddenly realized how stupid he

looked.

After the sun came out the rain water evaporated.

Supplemental Material

812

CR6
Use a comma to set
of parenthetical
elements, such as
appositives.

Martins dream to become a professional soccer player is within

his reach.

Megan the new student from upstate outscored everyone in class.

Chart adapted from http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm

Process Essay Organization Chart

6th Grade

7th Grade

Overall
Design

1 inch margins.
MLA format
Proper 4 line heading
Title Centered
5 paragraphs
1st or 3rd person
Last name & page number at top right of each page.
Uses both simple and compound sentences.

1 inch margins.
MLA format
Proper 4 line heading
Title Centered
5 paragraphs
1st or 3rd person
Last name & page number at top right of each page.
Uses simple, compound, and complex sentences.

Intro

2-3 Sentences.
Uses one of the 3 techniques of writing an intro.
Thesis statement is the last sentence.

3-4 Sentences.
Uses one of the 4 techniques of writing an intro.
Thesis statement is the last sentence.

Thesis
Statement

Uses part of the prompt and includes 3 reasons.

Example: The dress code at school is unfair because
it limits how I express myself, is uncomfortable, and
costs too much.

Uses part of the prompt and includes 3 reasons.

Example: The two most influential people in my life
are my mother, my sister, and my brother.

Uses part of th
Example: Edg
readers attent
situations, and

Topic
Sentence

The first sentence of the three body paragraphs.

Begins with a transitional device.
Contains one of the reasons found in the thesis.

The first sentence of the three body paragraphs.

Begins with a transitional device.
Contains one of the reasons found in the thesis.

The first sente

Begins with a
Contains one

Each Body
Paragraph

3-4 Sentences.
First sentence is the topic sentence.
Only discusses the topic sentence.
Uses at least 2 out of the three types of support.
All quotes are embedded, not stand alone sentences.

3-4 Sentences.
First sentence is the topic sentence.
Only discusses the topic sentence.
Uses at least 3 out of the four types of support.
All quotes are embedded, not stand alone sentences.

Conclusion

2-3 Sentences.
Restates the two main points found in the thesis.
Uses one of the 4 concluding techniques.

2-3 Sentences.
Restates the two main points found in the thesis.
Uses one of the 5 concluding techniques.

4-5 Sentences
First sentence
Only discusse
Uses at least 3
All quotes are
If using resea
citation.
3-4 sentences.
Restates the th
Uses one of th

Essay Piece

Works
Cited Page
(when used)

This chart is the minimum organizational skills required for expository, persuasive, or analytical process essays. Timed, in-class
essays, 6th & 7th grade personal narratives, and 8th & 9th grade literary pieces need not follow this model.

Process Essay Organization Chart

1 inch margin
Proper 4 line h
5 paragraphs
Last name & p
Uses simple, c
Has at least on
4-5 Sentences
Uses one of th
Thesis statem

Follows MLA
Contains at le
website or per
type, and date
The titles of p
The titles of a
All titles begin

Supplemental Material

Essay Piece

th

9 Grade

10 Grade

1 inch margins.
MLA format
Proper 4 line heading
Title Centered
5 paragraphs
3rd person
Last name & page number at top right of each page.
Uses simple, compound, and complex sentences.
Has at least three compound-complex sentence.
4-5 Sentences.
Uses one of the 7 techniques of writing an intro.
Thesis statement is the last sentence.

1 inch margins.
MLA format
Proper 4 line heading
Title Centered
5 paragraphs
3rd person
Last name & page number at top right of each page.
Uses deliberate, varying sentence structure,
including loose and period sentences.
4-5 Sentences.
Uses one of the 7 techniques of writing an intro.
Thesis statement is the last sentence.

1 inch margins.
Proper 4 line hea
5-8 paragraphs
Last name & pag
Uses deliberate, v
including loose a
4-5 Sentences.
Uses one of the 7
Thesis statement

Thesis
Statement

1st Semester
Uses part of the prompt and includes 3 reasons.
2nd Semester
Starts to move away from including the 3 reasons
but still uses the three topic sentences.

1st Quarter Begin with the 1st semester 9th Grade.

2nd Quarter If ready, move to 2nd semester 9th.

The thesis should

assertion, analysi
For example, an
the topic, the ass
do what.

Topic
Sentence

The first sentence of the three body paragraphs.

Begins with a transitional device.
Contains one of the reasons found in the thesis.

The first sentence of the three body paragraphs.

Contains a transitional device close to the beginning
of the sentence. It is one reason/claim/proof that the
thesis statement is true.
5-6 Sentences.
First sentence is the topic sentence.
Only discusses the topic sentence; no digressions.
Uses at least 3 out of the 8 types of support.
All quotes are embedded, not stand alone sentences.
(If researched, contains at least one embedded,
in-test citation in MLA format.)

Overall
Design

Intro

Each Body
Paragraph

Conclusion

4-5 Sentences.
First sentence is the topic sentence.
Only discusses the topic sentence.
Uses at least 3 out of the 7 types of support.
All quotes are embedded, not stand alone sentences.
(If researched, contains at least one embedded,
in-test citation in MLA format.)
3-4 sentences.
Restates the three main points found in the thesis.
Uses one of the 9 concluding techniques.

2nd Semester If ready, start the move to 11th & 12th

grade.

3-4 Sentences.
Restates the main points found in the topic
sentences in a new way without merely copying.
Uses one of the 9 concluding techniques.

The first sentenc

Contains a transi
of the sentence. I
thesis statement i
5-8 Sentences.
First sentence is
Only discusses th
Uses at least 3 ou
All quotes are em
(If researched, c
in-test citation i
Body Para. can b
3-4 Sentences.
Restates the main
in a new way wit
Uses one of the 9

Follows MLA style guide (including 2009 updates). Follows MLA style guide (including 2009 updates). Follows MLA sty
All capitalization and punctuation rules are
All capitalization and punctuation rules are
All capitalization
followed.
followed.
followed.
(when used)
All entries are alphabetized according to first word
All entries are alphabetized according to first word
All entries are alp
of entry.
of entry.
of entry.
Every entry is reversed indented.
Every entry is reversed indented.
Every entry is rev
This chart is the minimum organizational skills required for expository, persuasive, or analytical process essays. Timed, in-class
essays, 6th & 7th grade personal narratives, and 8th & 9th grade literary pieces need not follow this model.

Works
Cited Page

Supplemental Material

Process Essays: SAMPLES

6th Grade Samples

7 th Grade Samples

8 th Gr

How do you know when someone has a great

impact on you? How can you narrow all the people
into your life down to only three? For me, it was
easy because of how much impact they have had on
my. The three most influential people in my life are
my mother, my father, and my sister Juana.

You are my heart, my mother told me one

evening. I cant imagine my life without you.
Even though my mother was the one who said that
to me, there are two others who I know feel the
same way about me. The three people who have
had the greatest impact on my life are my mother,
my grandmother Rosa, and my uncle Jay.

Edgar Allan P
relatively unknow
incredible loss by
according to one
41 different thing
audience reads h
suffering comes t
influenced Poes
wife, his parents
to alcohol and dr

Topic
Sentence 1

First, my mother has influenced me the most.

To begin with, my mother influenced me the most

because she supports me.

To start with, the

incredible influen

Topic
Sentence 2

Second, my father influenced me as well.

Second, my father influenced me because he gives

me discipline.

Additionally, wh
effected how Poe

Topic
Sentence 3

Third, my sister Juana influenced me by helping me

with my homework.

Finally, my uncle Jay influenced me by showing me

how to work hard.

Lastly, Poes add

impacted his liter

Basic
Outline

Thesis
Topic Sentence 1
Topic Sentence 2
Topic Sentence 3

Thesis
Topic Sentence 1
Topic Sentence 2
Topic Sentence 3

Thesis
Topic Sentence 1
Topic Sentence 2
Topic Sentence 3

Advanced
Outline

Thesis
Topic Sentence 1
Two details
Topic Sentence 2
Two details
Topic Sentence 3
Two details

Thesis
Topic Sentence 1
Three details
Topic Sentence 2
Three details
Topic Sentence 3
Three details

Thesis
Topic Sentence 1
4-5 details
Topic Sentence 2
4-5 details
Topic Sentence 3
4-5 details

Intro w/
thesis

Supplemental Material

Process Essays: SAMPLES

9th Grade Samples

10 th Grade Samples

11 th

S
Intro w/
thesis

Edgar Allan Poe, while a famous author now, was

relatively unknown while he was alive. He suffered
incredible loss by the death of his wife and
according to one source, he could have died of up to
41 different things (Smith 2011). When the
audience reads his work, it is obvious his pain and
suffering comes through. The three things that
influenced Poes work the most was the death of his
wife, his parents abandoning him, and his addiction
to alcohol and drugs.

10th Grade introductions, at a minimum, should

begin like 9th grades the first semester and work
towards the 11/12th grades the second semester.
Note the big difference is the 11/12th grade thesis
statement no longer lists the three things that is
going to be discussed in the essay.

10th Grade Semester 1

Nearly half a mil

since the ethnic c
Peaceful governm
let these murders
negotiated with t
Uganda; while th
by the thousands
Ugandan regime
the United States
to arrest the leade

Topic
Sentence 1

To start with, the death of Poes wife impacted his

writing through the subjects of death and loss.

The first reason t

to protect the bas
civilians.

Topic
Sentence 2

Additionally, when Poes parents gave him away, it

later manifested itself in his literature in the form of
abandonment.

Topic
Sentence 3

Lastly, Poes addiction to alcohol and drugs is seen

through his use of alcohol in several of his works.

Last but not least

the idea of justice
government offic

Basic
Outline

Thesis
Topic Sentence 1
Topic Sentence 2
Topic Sentence 3

Thesis (with or w
Topic Sentence 1
Topic Sentence 2
Topic Sentence 3

Advanced
Outline

Thesis
Topic Sentence 1
4-5 details
Topic Sentence 2
4-5 details
Topic Sentence 3
4-5 details

Thesis (with or w
Topic Sentence 1
4-5 details
Topic Sentence 2
4-5 details
Topic Sentence 3
4-5 details

Additionally, it is
soldiers in to Uga
world that the U.

10th Grade Semester 2

Process Essays: Writing an Introductory Paragraph

Minimum
Grade
Level
Usage

Technique

6-12

Question

Example
Do you think that unidentified flying objects
(UFOs) are something new? When
newspapers report stories of unknown
shapes and lights in the sky, do you think it
is some miracle of the modern age?

Source
The Case of
the Ancient
Astronauts
by
I.J. Gallagher

Supplemental Material

6-12

Describe the
Setting

6-12

I remember the yellow cement with green

trim. All the classrooms had been painted
these colors to identify them as government
property. This was true all over the island.

Onomatopoei They are sitting at the table for dinner when

they first heard the distinctive put-put-pow!
a
Rackety-put-pow. They dash to see a
motorcar coming.

7-12

7-12

Dialogue

Primary
Lessons
by
Judith Ortiz
Cofer
Mama and
Me and the
Model T
by
Faye Gibbons

Mom.I love youplease dont leave me

here, I was able to whisper as my mother
drove away. I wont be long, was her cold
reply. She didnt look back and I never saw
her again.

Startling or Over 150,000 people were killed or injured

Unusual Fact in the Haiti earthquake. Many of them were

The Dallas
Morning
News

the parents of children who are now orphans

and have no place to live or no one to take
care of them.

8-12

Describe a
Character

Doodle was just about the craziest brother

anyone could have. Not a crazy crazy, but a
nice crazy. He had a large, red head with a
small shriveled up body, like an old mans.

The Scarlet
Ibis
by
James Hurst

8-12

Use a Quote

Could I crush that beloved skull with a

rock? pondered the father in regards to his
only child whom he was protecting. The
future Cormac McCarthy paints in The Road
is one where it is preferable for fathers to
kill their sons rather than have them live in a
world of sadness and death.

The Road
by
Cormac
McCarthy

*the minimum grade level usage is the beginning point for emerging writers. Once a student is proficient with each technique, they
are ready to try the next grade levels technique.

Process Essays: Writing a Concluding Paragraph

Supplemental Material

Minimu
m
Grade
Level
Usage

6-12

Technique

Effective Example

Review of
Main Points

Through it all, my mother, my father,

and my sister have taught me what it
means to truly love.

Ineffective
Those people were
the three most
influential people to
me.

I realize now how to do

6-12

Insightful
Observations People better understand how to

My paper was
about

6-12

Response to When the end of the school year

the Situation arrived, I decided to start planning

I am glad/sorry this
happened.

Summing up
How Things
have
Changed

My life is better now.

The End.

for the next year to be a better year.

6-12

Although it started as a difficult task,

by the end of the day we were able to
do the work with little effort.
Through it all, I learned that

7-12

8-12

8-12

9-12

9-12

I think I learned
something.

Summing up
the lesson
learned

At the end of the process, the

protagonist learned that

Suggesting
the Existence
of a Sequel

Although the dance was over, the

chance to dance with the most
beautiful girl at school would come
again soon.

The dance ended and

everyone went home.

Now that the truth has been

revealed, how can everyday citizens
use this information to make a
difference?

Did you like my

story? I hope you
liked it. What you
gonna do about it?

While the antagonist was focused on

the protagonists destruction, the
bad guy, by pausing at the end,
showed that he really did have a
heart and didnt want it to end in
violence.

The bad guy could

have been a good guy
if his parents would
have taught him love.

The evidence is clear; neglecting to

take action will result in more
suffering in the future. With a little
change now, countless lives can be

I hope people do
what the composition
says.

Challenging
Questions
Pointing Out
Something
the Reader
May Have
Missed
Suggesting
What Might
Happen if
Points in the

Supplemental Material

saved later.

Composition
are Ignored

or
Do this.

*the minimum grade level usage is the beginning point for emerging writers. Once a student is proficient with each technique, they
are ready to try the next grade levels technique.

Types of Support
How to write supporting sentences
Grade
Level

Type

6-12

Fact

6-12

Example

6-12

Quote

7-12

It might look like

Example

Statistics, surveys,
numbers, percentages,
information

According to Newsweek the

average family in the United
States watches over 2 hours of
television per day.

Analogy, Comparison, brief

story, specific event,
Illustrative Example

The story of The Tell-Tale Heart

by Edgar Allan Poe is one
example of how authors use
suspense effectively.

Embedded quote from a

credible source

The protagonist showed his evil

side when he punched, hit, and
kicked everyone he could before
he was arrested.

Authority

Information from an
authority such as a doctor,
college professor, expert
testimony.

Dr. Meadows from UTPA recently

wrote that over 25 different
languages are spoken across the
IDEA Public Schools entire
district.

8-12

Predict
the
Outcome

What will or will not

happen if the points of
their essay are not
followed.
Causal Relationships

If the United States government

does not slow down its spending,
then the entire worlds economy
might collapse under that
pressure.

8-12

Negation

Helping to define by
saying what something is
NOT

A hero does not act for personal

gain or fame and fortune.

Prediction of a counterargument and presenting

an answer before the

While some might say that

humans produce greenhouse
gasses, the truth is that humans

9-12

Answer
the

Supplemental Material

Oppositio
n
10-12

Hypothet
ical
Case

counter can be made.

account for only a very small

fraction of Carbon Dioxide.

A what if example or it
requires the audience to
think of a situation that is
unlikely to happen.

In the future, the new

experimental drug could even
save the life of the grandchild of
the doctors who were against the
medicine.

*the minimum grade level usage is the beginning point for emerging writers. Once a student is proficient with each technique, they
are ready to try the next grade levels technique.

Supplemental Material

MLA In-Text Citations

The average family of four watches up to ten hours a week of television which cuts down on physical
activity (Smith 3).
According to Don Smith in Newsweek magazine, the average family of 4 watches up to ten hours a week
of television which cuts down on physical activity.
In 2011 Don Smith of People magazine stated that the average family of 4 watches up to ten hours a
week of television which cuts down on physical activity (34)
The average family of four watches up to ten hours a week of television which cuts down on physical
activity (Smith, Television Incident)

Type 1
(Print: last name, pg#)
Type 2
(Web: no parenthesis)
Type 3
(Print: pg#)
Type 4
(Web: last name, article)

MLA Works Cited Entries

*use italics instead of underlining

*including the 2009 changes

*do not include web address

Website with article and author

Smith, Don. The Television Incident. Newsweek. June 2011. Web. 21 June 2011.
Last
Name

First
Name

Title of Article

Name of Magazine
(italicized)

Date
Published

Media
Type

Date Retrieved
from the web

Website with article but NO author listed

The Television Incident. Newsweek. June 2011. Web. 21 June 2011.
Title of Article
(Italicized)

Name of Newspaper

Date
Published

Media
Type

Date Retrieved
from the web

Website with no article or no author

Newsweek. June 2011. Web. 21 June 2011.
Name of Newspaper
(Italicized)

Date
Published

Media
Type

Date
from the web

Song Lyrics from a CD or Album

Lady Gaga. Alejandro. The Fame Monster. Sony, 2009. CD.
Artists Name

Song
Title

Title of Album

Production
Company

Year

Media
Type

DVD
Star War Episode IV: A New Hope. Dir. George Lucas. Paramount Studios. 1977. DVD
Title of Movie

Name of Director

Distributors

Year

A Printed Magazine
Smith, Don. The First Time. People. 20 May 2010: 34-36. Print.
Authors
Name

Title of
Article

Title of
Publication

Date

Pages of
Article

Media
Type

A Book
Smith, Don. The Great Spamburger. New York. Manhattan Publishers. 2009. Print
Authors
Name

Title of Book

Location of
Publishers

Publishers

Date

Media
Type

Media Type

Supplemental Material

Logical Fallacies
Errors many make in their expository or persuasive essays.
Grade
Level

6-12

6-12
7-12
7-12

8-12

8-12

Type
Bandwago
n
(ad
populum)
Slanting
Ad
Hominem
Avantgarde
Hasty
Generaliza
tion
Red
Herring

Summary
Appeal to Popularity
Authority of the Many

Since most people text while driving, it

shouldnt be illegal.

One-sided Assessment
Ignoring
Counterevidence
Against the man
(Latin)
Personal Attack

While watching tigers in the zoo, only orange

and black tigers were viewed; therefore, all
tigers must be black and orange.
Candidate Xs ideas about taxes cant be
trusted; he hasnt had a real job since 2009.

this is the newest

thing, so you must have
it.

Gizmo 3000 is the latest technology; cutting

edge technology at your fingertips.

Underrepresentation

Distraction

(Etymology on
website)

8-12

Past Belief
(Tradition)

9-12

Slippery
Slope

9-12
10-12

10-12

Appeal to
Pity
Circular
Reasoning
Straw Man
(Etymology on
website)

What it might look like in an

essay

When surveying three people in the mall, two

of them voted for President Obama, therefore
it can be said that 66% of people supported
Obama in 2008.
School uniforms infringe on students rights
to free speech. Dress codes often limit
students abilities to stand out. Also, grading
policies are unfair, too. Schools should allow
students to dress as they want.

Its always been this

way.

Classical composers, such as Bach or

Beethoven, have always been taught in music
classes, therefore, they should be the
foundation of future classes as well.

Exaggerating the
consequences to far,
often illogical extremes.

If recycling education in science classrooms is

not improved, it will lead to the melting of the
polar ice caps.

Using emotions

If people do not donate money, many innocent

animals will be put down.

Supporting your
argument with your
argument

President Reagan was the most successful

president the country has ever known
because he was the best president in history.

Setting up a group or
person only to knock
them down.

Many in a certain political party disagree with

increasing taxes on those who make more
than 200k a year. That entire political party
wants poor people to stay poor by paying

Supplemental Material

more taxes.

10-12

11-12

11-12

Post Hoc,
ergo
propter
hoc
Ad
Baculum

After this, therefore

because of this (Latin)
Event X happened
before event Y,
therefore X caused Y.

When 31 states passed right-to-carry laws in

the mid-1980s, the number of violent crimes
dropped dramatically.

Force, coercion, or
threat of force

Students should follow the rules and

expectations of the classroom or else they will
be sent to detention.

Argument from
Outrage

Substituting anger as a
reason

The senator kept interrupting the speaker of

the house and was down-right rude so
therefore the senator is horrible.
-Adapted from www.fallacyfiles.org.

Supplemental Material

Seven Writing Activites

ACTIVITY

When?

QuickWrite
(QW)

Daily, Weekly

WriteAbout
(WA)

Daily, Weekly

W
R
I
T
E
A
B
O
U
T
S

Text
Annotation

OpenEnded
Response
(OER)
Timed
In-Class
Essays
WriteLike
(WL)

Process Essays

What does it look like?

for Romeo and Juliet
Write about a time you had love at first sight.
Yesterday we discussed what it means to be Star-Crossed. In your
life, where are you Star-Crossed? (9th Grade)

Before Reading

During Reading

Activates prior knowledge

Can help hook the student

The journal article said that in the next 500 years, the gene that
makes people naturally blond would be bred out of the human race.
Why is the weakest point the author makes also the most logical?
(11th Grade)

During Reading

Daily, Weekly

Why?

Effective note taking, highlighting key points, important details,

diction, and syntax.

Analytical/Expository Skills

Strategies for comprehending,

questioning, and analyzing text.
Can also be a test-taking strategy

Weekly

After Reading

Weekly, Bi-Monthly
After Reading

Which character was the most round character? Use a piece of

evidence to support your assertion. (7th Grade)

A quick and easy way to test writing,

inferencing, textual evidence, and
concision.

You have 35 minutes to write an essay about whether or not

Antigone truly followed Aristotles Rules of Tragedy. (10th Grade)

Operating under a time constraint

tests several key cognitive skills.
ACT/SAT, STAAR are all timed.

Weekly, Bi-Monthly
After Reading

Edgar Alan Poes story The Tell-Tale Heart uses suspense and a
mentally unstable characters internal conflict to keep the reader
engaged. Write a short story of at least 300 words that uses
suspense and internal conflict to also engage the reader. (8th Grade)

Bi-Monthly, Monthly MLA Format. Articulated according to grade level.

After Reading
Outside of Reading

Criteria based. Objective Rubric for organization.

Prompts vary according to objective/goal.

that every IDEA English class incorporates

Students increase their own skill

when they immolate authors
styles.

This skill is a true measure of

college readiness.