Unit 1: Foundational Writing Skills

Question 1

Summary

Answer 1

What should be included in a summary?

A summary should include the who, what, when, where, and why, AND only the main points from a text. It should be in your own words and straight to the point

Question 2

Reading comprehension skills

Answer 2

What are the best strategies?
- Skim a text
- Review the questions BEFORE reading to make sure you understand what is being asked
- Pay attention to headers/titles/images
- Topic sentence and concluding sentence of a paragraph
- INFER meaning - reading between the lines
Decipher unknown words by reading around the words.

Question 3

Parts of Speach

Answer 3

Noun: A person, place, thing or idea: rock, dog, John, democracy, birthday gravity

Verb: An action like run, jump or read or a state of being like is or was

Adverb: Tells how an action occurs quickly, slowly, carefully

Adjective: Tells about a noun: Big, Red, stinky

Pronoun: Use to replace a noun: It, I, Them, we, us

Preposition: Describe Relationship - on, over, for besides

Conjunction: Joins words or Phrases: and, or, Because, but

Interjection: A word of surprise. Wow! Oh my god! Whoa!

Question 4

Independent clause

Answer 4

Expresses a complete thought and can stand by itself as a sentence
EXAMPLE: The teacher taught me how to read.

Question 5

Dependent Clause

Answer 5

Does not express as a complete thought

EXAMPLE: Because he fell.

Question 6

Comma Splice

Answer 6

A comma splice is a particular kind of common mistake that happens when you use a comma to join two independent clauses

Question 7

Run-On Sentence

Answer 7

A sentence that goes on excessively.

Question 8

Challenging words to spell

Answer 8

Conservative
Accessory
Acceptance
Committee
Conscious
Explicit
Sufficient
Scornful
Satisfactory
Neighborhood

Question 9

PEEL

Answer 9

Point - start your paragraph with a clear topic sentence that establishes what your paragraph is going to be about
Evidence - here you should use a piece of or an example that helps to reaffirm your initial point and develop the argument
Explain -write how it connects to the point.
Evidence- another example/different piece [proof]
Explain - repeat above
Link - concluding sentence joining back to the point.

transition words - In conclusion, overall, however, in addition, firstly, secondly, next, finally