Addressing the Prompt

1. Exercise: Prompt Analysis (https://edtechbooks.org/-xSC) 

   1. Writing Practice Set 1 (Integrated): The prompt states that the writer should "Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on specific points made in the reading passage." The focus here should be on the lecture, with connections drawn to opposite opinions/facts/details in the reading passage. Success is characterized by "the quality of the writing and on how well it presents the points in the lecture and their relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective response will be 150 to 225 words." The scoring rubric is not included in this document, but may be worth reviewing with students here: TOEFL Writing Rubrics.
   2. Writing Practice Set 2 (Independent): The prompt asks for the writer to agree or disagree with the statement "Television advertising directed toward young children (aged two to five) should not be allowed." The prompt requires an either/or response, the writer should not express a "middle ground" opinion. The prompt also requests the use of "specific reasons and examples to support your answer." It would be good to explain that "specific" here does not necessarily mean personal. Personal reasons and examples don't require the advanced grammar structures or vocabulary students are capable of at this level. Push the students to think of specific in terms of consequences and benefits that are generalizable but more abstract. A successful prompt here is only defined in the document as having a minimum of 300 words (average 2-3 paragraphs). Again, reviewing the scoring rubric may shed more light on the definition of success here: TOEFL Writing Rubrics.
   3. Writing Practice Set 3 (Integrated): The prompt is the same as with practice set 1: "Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on specific points made in the reading passage." The content and constraints remain the same as well. Only the topic has changed. This is a good opportunity to discuss the idea of genre with your students. Specific contexts and audiences require adherence to form and structure that may not be appropriate in a different context.
   4. Writing Practice Set 4 (Independent): The prompt again asks the writer to agree or disagree with a statement using specific reasons and examples: "A teacher’s ability to relate well with students is more important than excellent knowledge of the subject being taught." The prompt is still dichotomous and should aim for more abstract implications rather than personal impact. Expectations for this type of essay are the same as #2.

2. Exercise: Writing Prompts

   • Although answers will vary for this task, some examples of prompts are provided here as examples to analyze with students if the need models. 
   • Read the first paragraph of this story. Predict what will happen in the rest of the book.
   • Watch this silent video of a conversation. Infer from the gestures and body language what the conversation is about and write an explanation.
   • Your friend is interested in visiting your hometown. In a paragraph, illustrate to your friend what to expect in that visit.
   • Your listening and speaking teacher has assigned a debate on the topic of student loan forgiveness. You have been asked to present the pro position. Outline your argument points.

Prewriting

1. Exercise: Researching a Prompt

   1. Although student answers for this chapter will vary, you can model the prewriting process along with the students. At this stage, you can follow the general researching steps outlined in the exercise. What you see will most likely be the same as what your students see, so they can mirror your actions or you can work independently and compare thoughts about this process. The examples here will all use birdwatching as the topic.

2. Exercise: Brainstorming a Prompt

   1. Here is an example of what this brainstorm may look like in case you don't have the time to go through these steps live in class or on your own before class. LIST: birds, variety, binoculars, outside, nature, focusing on something small and simple and really seeing it, uncommon hobby?, see a different aspect when traveling, people you meet in groups, quiet alone time, surprisingly interesting, can do anywhere, does not require expensive equipment, does not require a lot of skill, can be enjoyed at any age, people might think it's boring or weird, understand environmental impact better, see beauty everywhere, learning hobby, physically active
   2. Went back to wikipedia page on hobbies: the casual leisure definition makes the most sense for this level of birdwatching interest, It's maybe an outdated hobby because it doesn't really fit with any trends in society that I know of, it's in the category of activity participation in the outdoor pursuits subset. Clicked on the birdwatching specific page, honestly most of it wasn't interesting to me. Although I was surprised that it can be a competition!
   3. It would be interesting to describe/narrate an experience of birdwatching in the introduction to get the reader's attention. I think the idea that it makes you stop and observe is one of the more interesting parts of this hobby for me. Also the fact that you can do this anywhere (outside), at any age, and without having to invest much in the hobby to start (unlike skiing for example). 
   4. Here is an example drawing -- remember that this task does not require students to be really talented artists.
   5. Expanding: present observation (almost like meditation, appreciation for nature, I wonder if there is research on the benefits of hobbies like this?, slows you down, uses multiple senses), anywhere (vacation activity, in your neighborhood, can be accessible for people with disabilities, gets you outside, can make it a specific event or just casually notice while doing daily activities), anyone/any age (not a hobby that is hard on your body, can be done alone or with a diverse group of people, is this a more common hobby for older generations?, not an expensive hobby so it's not limited to people with a lot of money, it's an activity that gives space for conversations), commitment (it is not something you have to practice for years, don't have to buy a lot of expensive equipment, can be very casual, can combine this activity with other hobbies such as hiking or canoeing, if you take a break you don't really lose skill, you don't have to join a team and have a rigid schedule for practice), beauty (even common city birds like pigeons can be interesting to observe, this hobby can push you to explore new places slowly, sometimes you get surprised with really beautiful birds and birdsongs, birdwatching when you travel takes you to unique areas of the place you wouldn't typically visit, the more time you spend observing and understanding birds, the more incredible they become to you).
   6. This discussion requires a conversation partner, so no example is provided in this answer key. You can demonstrate how this would be conducted by using the above example for a class disucssion. 

3. Exercise: Focusing on a Prompt

   1. The details in step 5 of the previous exercise are already narrowing things down. If you're continuing this activity with the same prompt, point this out to the students. Have them narrow down the 5 general points to the 3 most interesting. Then have them circle the 3 additional details about those general points that feel the most developed and clear. 
   2. present observation (almost like meditation, I wonder if there is research on the benefits of hobbies like this? uses multiple senses), anywhere (in your neighborhood, can be accessible for people with disabilities, can make it a specific event or just casually notice while doing daily activities), beauty (even common city birds like pigeons can be interesting to observe, this hobby can push you to explore new places slowly, sometimes you get surprised with really beautiful birds and birdsongs
   3. You may point out that points can be combined such as anywhere and anyone/any age. This can be combined into a general point of accessibility if the writer wants to talk about the fact that birdwatching is open to all. Narrowing it down to only talk about location can be a good decision as well if the writer wants to keep the main points more connected (present observation, anywhere, and beauty have a natural flow). 
   4. You can choose to talk about ordering the points. For example, does it make more sense to organize this as present observation, anywhere, beauty? Or anywhere, present observation, beauty? Or in a different way entirely?

4. Exercise: Outlining a Prompt Response

   1. Students can choose from the four different examples (soccer, makeup, hiking, video games) and will probably not have the same outline even though the topic and perspective is the same. The image below gives an example of an outline for hiking.

Writing

1. There are no exercises in this section. However, you could ask students to write a summary explaining how the video represents the writing process.

Revising

1. Exercise: Give Feedback (example provided, student responses will vary)

1. 1. There is not much general information here for the topic. However, it is sufficient for a timed essay. You would expect more in a drafted essay.
   2. The thesis is clear, but it isn't totally clear that the author is taking a position on the topic (arguing). It is an explict thesis statement that lists the main points.
   3. The topic sentences do not match the main points in the thesis statement as clearly as expected. Strong topic sentences would have done a lot for the organization of this essay.
   4. The order does not match the thesis statement. To me, it looks like the first body paragraph is about potential, the second on attention, and the third is maybe interest.
   5. Because the topic sentence isn't strong, the supporting sentences don't feel as connected. They are more of a description of teachers that relate to students, not so much an explanation of why that benefits the students.
   6. Similar to the answer for 5, the order is unclear because the ideas are weak.
   7. More firmly stated benefits would be the number one thing to develop. Some specific examples would be helpful as well. The details are so general that they don't really say anything.
   8. The last concluding sentence needs to be fixed.
   9. There is no conclusion paragraph to this essay.
   10. There is no conclusion paragraph to this essay.

2. Exercise: Revise (example provided, student responses will vary)

   1. Here is an example revised first body paragraph based on the feedback in this answer key. First, the second body paragraph would become the first body paragraph to match the order of the thesis statement. Then the following changes could be made:
   2. Even the most interesting topic in the world can be rendered uninteresting or more difficult if the teacher doesn't have the students' attention. Students often pay more attention to their friends or phones than their teachers, and that is a problem that should be solved. When a teacher takes the time to know the students individually, they can design activities and assignments that are more engaging. They will also find it easier to remind the students to do homework or participate in class in a positive way. By encouraging and inviting students to enagage in the class instead of becoming annoyed or indifferent, teachers can have a bigger impact on student learning because they are no longer fighting for attention. A teacher who is aware of their students will be more successful due to the students' attention to the topic.

Originality

1. Exercise: Plagiarism Discussion

   1. Student conversations on this topic will vary. Please remind your students to be kind about cultural differences. Explain the words attribution and intellectual property to explain the US perspective on plagiarism. The chapter The Papers Trail from the EdTech Book Rapid Academic Writing may provide some interesting addtional discussion topics for this exercise.