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Tackling Timed Writing Situations

Writing clearly in an organized manner using standard acceptable writing conventions is a vital skill for teachers. Nothing sets the hackles up on the backs of parents more than a note sent home from a teacher that includes spelling or grammar errors. Because teachers serve as models for their students, it is imperative that their writing and speaking be impeccable. We require several different admission criteria in communication for that very reason.

It is important for you to know that the timed writing sample that will be taken at the admissions meeting will be scored at a college sophomore level while the PPST writing subtest is scored at an 11th grade level. Knowing this helps some people to realize how they can "pass" the PPST writing exam but not the teacher education writing exam. If you feel you need to prepare for the writing exam, read on.

The writing sample you will be asked to provide at the admissions meeting creates anxiety in some students. It is an example of high stakes testing -- you cannot be admitted to teacher education until you pass the writing exam. Good writers realize that in these situations, the normal writing process (invent, plan, draft, revise, edit) cannot be abandoned, but must be condensed. In response to student questions about how to prepare for the writing exam, the Education Department has prepared this document, which lists some particular strategies for tackling timed writing situations. A list of scoring criteria is included at the end to help understand how your sample will be evaluated.

Assessing the Prompt
When you enter the situation, you'll need to be calm and analytical. it can be easy to become flustered, to lose concentration, to go blank--especially if your immediate impulse is to cast about for answers indiscriminately. But if you first look closely at what you're being asked to do and try to understand what kind of writing is required, you can being to recognize the structureyour response will need to take. That tentative structure will help focus your attention on the particular information pertinent to your response.

Look first at the words that give you directions: are you asked to "recount" and experience, to "summarize and analyze" a subject, to "examine" or "evaluate" a concept, or to "explain" the significance of something?

Note carefully what you're being asked to do, then set about the task of developing a strategy for your response.

Planning and Organizing your Response
In a timed situation, you need to develop a definite strategy of organization. You have time for only one draft, which makes the need for careful planning all the more imperative. Allow for as much as a quarter of the time for making notes, determining a thesis, and developing an outline.

For writing prompts that have several parts, make a list of the parts and include each in your outline. For prompts posed as questions, rephrase each question as a topic sentence. You may want to try two or three outlines before you hit on a workable plan. But be realistic. You want a plan you can develop within the time allotted (60 minutes). Therefore, your outline should be selective: not everything you know about the subject, but what you know that you can clearly develop within the time allotted.

For instance, assume you were asked to write an essay in an hour. Take a look at the prompts given below; take 15 minutes each to develop an outline from which you could write a good essay in the 45 minutes that would remain.

Prompt 1: Summarize a movie and analyze it for its effectiveness or for reasons you liked or disliked it.
Prompt 2: Examine the concept of individual diversity and evaluate it as it applies to your life.
Prompt 3: Recall a happy childhood memory in detail and explain its significance.

Remember that you want to write an essay from the outline in about 45 minutes, so take care not to include too many levels.

Writing your Essay
Your writing in a timed situation need not be perfect. But it should be clear, concise, well organized and developed. It should also show a command of standard written English. When you write, practice the following strategies:

1. Begin by stating your forecasting statement (your position, or thesis, which addresses the prompt). State it clearly and explicitly. This is not an occasion for indirectness; you want to strive for focus, simplicity, and clarity. You may want to rephrase the question by restating its key terms.
2. You should probably use shorter sentences and paragraphs than you usually do. You want to finish in the time allowed and you want the essay to be clear, concise, and readable.
3. Use brief transitions from paragraph to paragraph. Use only one or two sentences for each outline point. Then elaborate with clear, supporting sentences.
4. Be careful not to pad the essay with irrelevant material and repetitions just to fill up space.CHECK YOUR ESSAY
5. Watch the clock to ensure that you do not spend too much time on your response. Save a few minutes toward the end of time for proofreading and editing, making neat corrections when necessary. You can strike out words or phrases as long as you do so neatly and sparingly. Try not to be too messy. Your evaluators do not expect flawless writing, but they will be put off by unnecessary messiness.
6. If you run out of time, simply jot down an additional sentence that say so, then list the remaining important points from your outline.
7. If you can keep calm and focused during the session, you'll be able to follow the advice above, and with practice, craft writing responses that demonstrate your very best work.

Some Typical Writing Prompts:

• Describe an experience you've had with children or youth.
     How did the experience affect you?
• Describe a television should you watched regularly.
     What do you think it teaches, and how does it affect you?
• Write a narrative describing a confusing event from your childhood.