ENG 2 STAAR Essay Review

ENG EOC STAAR Essay Review

By Dr. Cantrell

​Example: Preparing for what's next is most favoarable over focusing on the present because without it it would be impossible to set goals and progress out of old habits.

Multiple Choice

Is this a strong thesis? It's important to balance living in the present and preparing for the future.

• Yes

• No

No!

Your thesis statement states your position. This is an argument- you have to take a side. You cannot say both sides are good.​

Multiple Select

Check all of the strong thesis statements.

• It's necessary to prepare for the future so you can achieve your goals such as your dream job.

• You have to prepare for your future or you risk ending up in a bad place.

• It's better to focus on the present because you can't foresee life changing future events such as a pandemic or war.

• It's better to live in the present so you don't miss out on important things.

It's better to focus on the present because you can't foresee life changing future events such as a pandemic or war.

It's necessary to prepare for the future so you can achieve your goals such as your dream job.

Both of these choices are specific and clearly narrow down what their paper will focus on.​ Score: 3 or 4 depending on the rest of the essay.

Strong thesis statements:

Some text here about the topic of discussion

It's better to live in the present so you don't miss out on important things.

You have to prepare for your future or you risk ending up in a bad place.

These choices do state a position. However, it doesn't make it clear what the paper will focus on. Score: 2

Weak thesis statements:

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Poll

Do you feel like you write good hooks? Some teachers call it an attention getter.

• I write great hooks!

• I struggle with it.

• I don't know how to write a hook.

Multiple Choice

Which of these is the BEST hook for this prompt?

• Life is like a roller coaster: it has it's ups and downs.

• Do you dream of a better life?

• Carlos Wallace once said "Don't spend so much time chasing your future that you run over your present." He means that if you focus too much on the future you can miss out on great things happening around you.

• Focus is defined as to pay particular attention to.

Focus is defined as to pay particular attention to.

It works but it's not a strong hook.

Life is like a roller coaster: it has it's ups and downs.

It is not clearly connected to the topic.

Replace this with a header

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Carlos Wallace once said "Don't spend so much time chasing your future that you run over your present." He means that if you focus too much on the future you can miss out on great things happening around you.

This hook clearly relates to the topic. It has a sentence after the quote explaining what it means. This would be a good lead into your thesis (position).

The best hook:

Remember: The hook has to introduce the topic.

Do not use a question as a hook! It will not score well on the high school STAAR test.

Do you dream of a better life?

Multiple Choice

Which of these sentences would be the point of a body paragraph? A point is a topic sentence that states your claim.

• Furthermore, failing to prepare for the future could leave you stuck in an emergency.

• If Heather had prepared earlier, she could have been accepted into a good college. Now she will have wait a whole year before she can apply again.

• Failing to prepare for the future could cost you dearly.

• Heather didn't think about what she wanted to do after high school. She decided a month before graduation that she wanted to go to college. She had miss the application date, the SAT date, etc.

Multiple Choice

Which of these sentences would be evidence that proves the point from the previous question?

• Furthermore, failing to prepare for the future could leave you stuck in an emergency.

• If Heather had prepared earlier, she could have been accepted into a good college. Now she will have wait a whole year before she can apply again.

• Heather didn't think about what she wanted to do after high school. She decided a month before graduation that she wanted to go to college. She had miss the application date, the SAT date, etc.

Multiple Choice

Which of these sentences explains how the evidence from the previous question proves the point of this body paragraph?

• Furthermore, failing to prepare for the future could leave you stuck in an emergency.

• If Heather had prepared earlier, she could have been accepted into a good college. Now she will have wait a whole year before she can apply again.

Put it all together:

The last sentence is the link. It uses a linking word and makes it clear that the next body paragraph will focus on how not being prepared can leave you stuck in an emergency.​

Failing to prepare for the future could you cost dearly. Heather didn't think about what she wanted to do after high school. She decided a month before graduation that she wanted to go to college. She had miss the application date, the SAT date, etc. If Heather had prepared earlier, she could have been accepted into a good college. Now she will have wait a whole year before she can apply again. Furthermore, failing to prepare for the future could leave you stuck in an emergency.

Multiple Choice

Which of these examples is a personal anecdote? Hint: a personal anecdote is a personal story.

• The creators of the Titanic did not think about a future where the ship would sink. They did not put enough lifeboats on the ship.

• Schools were not prepared for a pandemic when Covid first hit. Schools had to close and scramble to create remote learning plans.

• Heather didn't think about what she wanted to do after high school. She decided a month before graduation that she wanted to go to college. She had miss the application date, the SAT date, etc.

• The actors of the new Star Wars trilogy were planned ahead for how the franchise would launch their career.

Multiple Choice

Which of these examples is a historical example?

• The creators of the Titanic did not think about a future where the ship would sink. They did not put enough lifeboats on the ship.

• Schools were not prepared for a pandemic when Covid first hit. Schools had to close and scramble to create remote learning plans.

• The actors of the new Star Wars trilogy were planned ahead for how the franchise would launch their career.

Multiple Choice

Which of these examples is a pop culture example? Hint: Pop culture would be a movie, book, TV show, music, celebrity, etc.

• Schools were not prepared for a pandemic when Covid first hit. Schools had to close and scramble to create remote learning plans.

• The actors of the new Star Wars trilogy were planned ahead for how the franchise would launch their career.

Multiple Choice

Which of these examples is a current event?

• The creators of the Titanic did not think about a future where the ship would sink. They did not put enough lifeboats on the ship.

• Schools were not prepared for a pandemic when Covid first hit. Schools had to close and scramble to create remote learning plans.

• During WWII groceries and supplies were rationed so people had to plant gardens for their future food needs.

All of these choices would be great examples in this essay!

Raters on the STAAR test like to see you use two different types of examples. So if you use a personal anecdote in one body paragraph, try using a different type of example in the second body paragraph (such as an example from history). To score a 4 you have to connect these examples together and relate them back to your thesis.

Multiple Choice

Sally argued that it's better to focus on the present. Which counter argument would be the strongest counter argument for her essay?

• Some would argue that if you don't focus on the present, you could miss out once in a life time experiences with loved ones. While this is true, failing to prepare for the future could land you in a bad career or not prepared for retirement.

• Some would argue that if you don't focus on the present, you could miss out on once in a life time experiences with loved ones. However, preparing for the future doesn't mean you don't live your present.

This counter arguments admits that both sides are correct which ruins her argument that it's better to prepare for the future.

Some would argue that if you don't focus on the present, you could miss out once in a life time experiences with loved ones. While this is true, failing to prepare for the future could land you in a bad career or not prepared for retirement.

Multiple Choice

True or false: this is a strong conclusion. It's important to prepare the future to help you achieve your dream career and other life goals. If you don't prepare the future, you could find yourself in an emergency with no clear way out. Take steps to prepare for your future today!

• True

• False