ACT Writing Development and Support Development and Support

ACT Writing! Development and Support

Development and Support: The Rubric • Three separate focuses: • Support for Claims • Clear Reasoning • Qualifications/Complications*

Support for Claims • The difference between a 3 and a 4: • Ideas and support are mostly relevant, but are overly general or simplistic • Ideas and support for claims clarify meaning and purpose • During your preparations: • Be sure to come up with many different points • Each must both work with your main point and be self explanatory • During the test: • In your body paragraphs, be sure to have multiple pieces of support for each claim related to your main perspective • Make sure that your support is fully explained – Specific, Specific!

Clear Reasoning • The difference between a 3 and a 4: • Reasoning and illustration largely clarify the argument…may be repetitious/imprecise • Lines of clear reasoning and illustration adequately convey the significance • During your preparations: • Map your connections • Where do these thoughts and pieces of information connect and how do they interact? • During the test: • If you feel your point is unclear, explain the support’s relation to the claim • Why is the argument important to the reader? …society? …the world?

Qualifications/Complications* • The difference between a 3 and a 4: • Non-existent • Qualifications and complications extend ideas and analysis. • During your preparations: • Make sure that you are truly considering the other perspectives • Track the connections and understand that you can use them to • During the test: • Use your qualifications to extend your main argument • Be sure to prove yourself right through the use of these qualifications • Only mentioning the other perspectives is not the same as using them to your advantage

Practice 1. Trade your previous practice ACT writing test with a neighbor 2. Use a black pen to mark 5 different places where the development of ideas and/or support for claims could be strengthened 3. After getting your paper back: • On a separate sheet of paper, revise and rewrite these portions of your previous practice test