Take out your Turning 16 assignment and assignment

Take out your “Turning 16” assignment and assignment notebooks!!!

MEL-Con: How to write for the WKCE and beyond!

Introduction n What is MEL-Con? n Why should I care about MEL-Con? How will it help me?

2 Types of MEL-Con n Mini (Short Answer) – Used mainly on short answer tests and on the WKCE! n Monstrous (Essays) – Used as the body paragraphs of essays!

The Building Blocks of MEL-Con n. M = Main Idea (Topic Sentence) n. E = Evidence (Support/Examples/Proof) n. L = Link (Explains how support proves main idea) n Con = Concluding sentence (summarizes main idea and evidence)

Writing Main Ideas n What is a main idea? – First sentence of paragraph (topic sentence) – Answer the question or respond to the prompt. § Prompt: Should high school students have to write MEL-Con paragraphs? § Main Idea: – High school students should have to write MEL-Con paragraphs. …. OR – High school students should not have to write MEL-Con paragraphs.

Writing Transitions and Evidence n Transitions: – Each piece of evidence should begin with a transition § Something that connects one piece of information to another § Introduces new information NOTE: The transitions “First, Second, Third”, are WAAAAAYYYY overused. Be more creative, PLEASE!

Evidence n Evidence: – Something to support main idea § Evidence (Support/Examples/Proof/Direct Quote) § Mini – 1 – 2 pieces of evidence § Monstrous – 3 pieces (unless otherwise specified)

High school students should have to write MELCon paragraphs. To begin, writing MEL-Con paragraphs helps students organize and focus their ideas.

Writing Links You must have a link for each piece of evidence n Links must fully explain how evidence proves the main idea n – One link Can be anywhere from a few words (mini) to a full sentence (monstrous). – They should explain how the evidence supports or proves the main idea. – How many links will you have in one paragraph if you must have 3 pieces of evidence?

The Missing Link (and I’m not talking about Big Foot!) n The link is what often separates great writing from mediocre writing. n Challenging to write, but ABSOLTELY needed for well structured paragraphs.

High school students should have to write MEL -Con paragraphs. To begin, writing MEL-Con paragraphs helps students organize and focus their ideas, which is an important component of all writing.

Writing Concluding Sentences n The final part of your perfect body paragraph n Should restate the main idea in a different way and include a summary of the evidence. n One sentence long Because writing MEL-Con paragraphs helps students maintain focus, …it is necessary for all students to use this writing format.

How many sentences should be in the two types of MEL-Con Paragraphs?

n. Mini –Should have anywhere from 4 – 5 sentences n. Monstrous –Should have anywhere from 6 – 8 sentences

“Turning 16” Revisions Your task: n Revise your “Turning 16” paragraphs into 1 – 2 Mini MEL -Con paragraphs. Requirements: n Label ANY MEL-Con parts in existing paragraph(s). Use key on the whiteboard. n Outline your revised paragraphs. n Rewrite (or type) your paragraphs. n Label all MEL-Con parts in your revised paragraph(s) n Must turn in ALL parts on Thursday for FULL Credit.