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FSA ELA Argumentative Prompt--Some Additional Advice

The following opinions are mine, not necessarily those of the DOE. Unfortunately, there has not been the best communication about this new assessment and there is a lack of clarity on some issues. My recommendations are as follows:
  • The rubric for the Argumentative Essay on the DOE website does not address the issue of whether students are allowed to include their own original examples to support their thesis. The rubric does state that students must reference all of the sources, however. I suggest that you refer only to the accompanying texts included with the prompt for your examples/support. Be sure to elaborate sufficiently with at least three sentences, demonstrating your thinking/logic. The test is timed; including original examples, while creative and insightful on your part, may take too much time. In addition, it is not clear at this point if your own examples will detract from your final grade, even if you include references to all the accompanying texts.
  • Avoid "I think," "I believe" in your sentences. Since you are writing the essay, we know that you think and believe the thoughts you have included. Those words are redundant. Eliminating them will make your essay stronger and also save time. Similarly, for your last paragraph, do not begin the first sentence with "In conclusion." We know it's your conclusion because it is your last paragraph. Again, this is a waste of time and redundant.
  • Make your counterclaims obvious! The rubric requires counterclaims, which is plural, so include two (do not waste time by including additional counterclaims). For this essay, find claims/arguments to counter in the accompanying texts. Present the opposing argument, then write why you disagree. You want to win your argument. Be sure to attribute/cite the article where you found the counterclaim. State your opinion with confidence and support it.
  • Avoid unnecessary and "chatty" wording. For example, "Continuing with my discussion" or "As I said before" or "I am going to explain." Just do all the above. Again, this wording is redundant and a waste of time. Timing is of essence during this assessment.
  • Do not refer to the texts as "stories." Be safe by referring to them as "texts," "passages," or "selections." Many of the texts will be nonfiction. "Stories" refers to fiction. The terms that I suggest can be applied to any text. You don't want the reader/evaluator of your assessment to think that you don't know the difference between fiction and nonfiction.
  • Avoid summary at all costs. Summarizing the texts is not what the prompt requires. You need to selectively choose only those parts of the text that support your argument.
  • You should include a "clincher" sentence at the end of each paragraph that clearly and definitively relates what you have just argued (with elaboration) back to your thesis statement. Use key words from the prompt (or synonyms for key words to avoid redundancy) throughout your essay.
  • Avoid digressing or getting "off point." Stick to your task--your argument/thesis and your support. Do not include extraneous information.
  • I suggest that you include parenthetical citations with the examples you are citing from your text. In your parenthetical citation, you should abridge/shorten the title. For example, instead of writing out ("Lost Cities, Lost Treasure") simply write ("Lost Cities"). You may also refer to the text within your sentence. For example, "In the article 'Lost Cities,' Schliemann . . ." I do believe that citing the text in parentheses should be a preferred method because the parentheses are more easily seen, and I'm sure one of the first things the evaluator/scorer of your test is going to look for is whether or not you include a citation from all sources, as that is part of the rubric.
  • Do not waste time citing every example if you are continuing to discuss one article. Cite that article only once. The reader/evaluator will know that you are continuing to refer to this article by your content. By doing so, you will save time and avoid unnecessary work. Be sure, however, to add a new citation once you begin referring to a different text.
  • Make your opening paragraph no longer than 4 or 5 sentences. Be sure you include a strong, clear, definitive thesis. Do not elaborate on examples in the introductory paragraph; save elaboration for your body paragraphs, which are the most important parts of your essay.
  • Likewise, your concluding paragraph need not be long. And do not introduce new ideas or leave the reader/evaluator hanging or confused. Your essay should seem complete.

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