Scott Foresman Reading Street

Genre Editorial
Writer’s Craft Strong Adjectives
Writing Trait Focus/Ideas

Identify the characteristics of an editorial.
Write an editorial using strong adjectives.
Focus on focus/ideas.
Use a rubric.

Focus/Ideas Talk with English learners about what they plan to write. Record ideas and help them generate language for support. Help them tighten their focus by eliminating unrelated details. See more writing support in the ELL and Transition Handbook.

FOCUS/IDEAS The editorial

focuses on a specific
viewpoint about clothing
styles.

ORGANIZATION/PARAGRAPHS

The editorial begins with a topic sentence that states an opinion. Supporting sentences and a conclusion provide additional structure.

VOICE The writer has a

knowledgeable, engaged voice.

WORD CHOICE The writer uses

strong adjectives (united, disorganized) to help express
a viewpoint.

SENTENCES Different sentence

lengths and kinds are used to express opinions.

CONVENTIONS Grammar and

mechanics are excellent, including use of adjectives and articles.

Model the Trait

Improve Writing

Prewrite and Draft

Draft and Revise

Connect to Unit Writing

READING-WRITING CONNECTION

Suki's Kimono is realistic fiction about a girl who is not afraid to be different.
In the story, Suki's Kimono, the characters express strong opinions about clothing.
Students will write an editorial that uses strong adjectives to express a viewpoint.

MODEL FOCUS/IDEAS Discuss Writing Transparency 21A. Then discuss the model and the writing trait of focus/ideas.

The author has written an editorial with an introduction that clearly states the author's opinion. The writer follows with facts and examples using strong adjectives which compare and contrast two different dress codes. The conclusion again has strong facts and examples that support the writer's opinion.

Writing Transparency 21A

with | without Answers

WRITER'S CRAFT

Strong Adjectives

Display Writing Transparency 21B. Read the directions and work together to choose the vivid words.

USE STRONG ADJECTIVES Students will write an editorial expressing their opinion about an issue. Their editorial should clearly state their opinion and provide details described with strong adjectives that support their opinion.

GUIDED WRITING Some students
may need more help recognizing
strong adjectives. Point out two or
three paragraphs with several strong
adjectives. Have students identify
them and discuss how they improve
the writing.

Writing Transparency 21B

with | without Answers

READ THE WRITING PROMPT

on page 165 in the Student Edition.

Suki's Kimono tells about a gir
l who dresses the way she wants
instead of like everyone else.

Think about why it is important to be yourself.

Now write an editorial on this issue.

Writing Test Tips

List current clothing styles and add
details about each one.
Use an example, a description, or a comparison/contrast to get readers' attention at the beginning.
State your opinion clearly in the first paragraph.
Add strong adjectives to your examples and descriptions.

GETTING STARTED Students can do any of the following:

Discuss newspaper and magazine articles about clothing styles.
Work in a group setting to discussing current clothing styles and issues about those styles.
Write a journal entry expressing an opinion about a clothing issue.

EDITING/REVISING
CHECKLIST

Does the editorial focus on a personal opinion about a clothing style issue?
Does the editorial use strong adjectives in its supporting details?
Are adjectives and articles used correctly?
Are words with the syllable patterns CVVC and CVV spelled correctly?

See The Grammar and Writing Book, pp. 174–179.

Revising Tips

Focus/Ideas

Focus on a specific issue involving clothing styles.
Strongly state your opinion about the issue.
Support your opinion with details and examples that persuade readers to agree with it.

PUBLISHING Students can publish a class newsletter titled Style that includes their editorials. Some students may wish to revise their work later.

ASSESSMENT Use the scoring rubric to evaluate students' work.

Week 1

Editorial 169g–169h

Week 2

Write Your Opinion 193g–193h

Week 3

Ad 219g–219h

Week 4

Answer a Question 243g–243h

Week 5

Story Review
275g–275h

Persuasive Letter

PREVIEW THE UNIT PROMPT

Write a letter asking a parent to let
you travel to another country, dress
in a special way, or eat a particular
food. Think of reasons why you
should be allowed to do what you
ask.

APPLY

A persuasive letter tries to
convince a reader to think
or act a certain way. It
uses facts, reasons, and
examples to make a point.
Like a persuasive letter, an
editorial's purpose is to
persuade others to agree
with the writer's opinion.

Writing Workshop Editorial

Focus/Ideas