ONLINE OSSLT PREP GUIDE Helpful Preparation OSSLT Link: Look at previous OSSLT papers with scoring guides and examples over the years: http://www.eqao.com/en/assessments/OSSLT/Pages/example-assessment- materials-2016.aspx#paperbase When you’re asked to… Describe the way in which…? What is the meaning of…? Can you tell why…? What is…? What happened…? Which is true or false…? Knowledge questions ask you to recall information. They look for basic facts and information. Knowledge questions require you to memorize things or recite things. They answer Who, What, When, Where and Why. Can you write a brief outline of…? What is the main idea…? What differences are there between…? Can you provide an example of…? What is the main idea of…? Can you provide a definition of…? Who do you think…? Can you provide a definition of…? Comprehension questions check to see if you understand things. They ask you to interpret and describe things that you have learned. Comprehension questions will ask you to organize or select important facts or ideas. Do you know another instance when…? Can you group by characteristics such as…? What factors would you change if… Can you apply __________ to an experience of your own? From the information given, can you develop a set of instructions about…? Would this information be useful if you had a…? Application questions ask you to solve problems or use information to produce a new idea or object. They will ask you to use facts and explain why something may be important or useful. Application questions get you thinking about how you can use information. How is this similar to…? What do you see as other outcomes? How is _________ similar to ________? What are some of the problems of…? Can you distinguish between…? What is the problem with…? Can you explain the difference between…? Analysis questions will ask you to take facts and compare them to other ideas. They will also ask you to use ideas to describe the differences between ideas or concepts. They check to see of you can identify differences, or use information to identify problems or come up with solutions.
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ONLINE OSSLT PREP GUIDE
Helpful Preparation OSSLT Link:
Look at previous OSSLT papers with scoring guides and examples over the years:
Which is true or false…? Knowledge questions ask you to recall information. They look for basic facts and information. Knowledge questions require you to memorize things or recite things. They answer Who, What, When, Where and Why.
Can you write a brief outline of…?
What is the main idea…?
What differences are there between…?
Can you provide an example of…?
What is the main idea of…?
Can you provide a definition of…?
Who do you think…?
Can you provide a definition of…? Comprehension questions check to see if you understand things. They ask you to interpret and describe things that you have learned. Comprehension questions will ask you to organize or select important facts or ideas.
Do you know another instance when…?
Can you group by characteristics such as…?
What factors would you change if…
Can you apply __________ to an experience of your own?
From the information given, can you develop a set of instructions about…?
Would this information be useful if you had a…?
Application questions ask you to solve problems or use information to produce a new idea or object. They will ask you to use facts and explain why something may be important or useful. Application questions get you thinking about how you can use information.
How is this similar to…?
What do you see as other outcomes?
How is _________ similar to ________?
What are some of the problems of…?
Can you distinguish between…?
What is the problem with…?
Can you explain the difference between…?
Analysis questions will ask you to take facts and compare them to other ideas. They will also ask you to use ideas to describe the differences between ideas or concepts. They check to see of you can identify differences, or use information to identify problems or come up with solutions.
If you had access to all resources, how would you deal with…?
Devise your own way to deal with…
What would happen if…?
How many ways can you…?
Design a proposal to… Synthesis questions get you thinking about ways of combining ideas to get solutions. They challenge you to take information, see comparisons and differences between facts, and develop solutions using those comparisons.
Judge the value of…
Do you think_______ is a good or bad thing?
How would you have handled…?
What changes to ______ would you recommend?
How would you feel if…?
How effective are…?
What do you think about…?
Evaluation questions get you to use facts to develop opinions and make judgments. The encourage you to use information to develop opinions and ideas and persuade people to share your opinions or beliefs.
(Similar to an essay): It is testing these 3 skills:
Can you develop a main idea (opinion) with sufficient supporting details?
Can you organize information and ideas in a clear manner?
Can you use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation? What you need to know:
The topic will be current and familiar to teens. You must write an intro, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You must state a clear opinion. No fence sitting! You must support your opinion with clear facts, examples, or reasons. You can make these up.
Here’s what you will see: Task: Write a minimum of three paragraphs expressing an opinion on the topic below. Develop your main idea with supporting details (proof, facts, examples, etc.). Purpose and Audience: An adult who is interested in your opinion Length: The lined space provided for your written work indicates the approximate length of the writing expected. Topic: Should school be held all year long?
MS. VENTRESCA’S BURGALICIOUS 5 Paragraph ESSAY (SERIES OF PARAGRAPHS)
Checklist for ESSAY (SOP) – Did you cover it all?
Body Paragraph #2
i) 2nd Sub-point/ topic sentence: Provide your 2nd sub-
point that supports your main overall thesis argument.
ii) Proof: Provide an example (quote/evidence) in your
next sentence that proves your 2nd sub-point.
iii) Explain: Your last 2-3 sentences should be your
explanation connecting your example to your sub-point
and overall thesis.
+ Another proof & explain (you can include 2-3 in total
depending on time)
Body Paragraph #1
i) 1st Sub-point/ topic sentence: Provide your 1st sub-point that
supports your main overall thesis argument.
ii) Proof: Provide an example (quote/evidence) in your next
sentence that proves your 1st sub-point.
iii) Explain: Your last 2-3 sentences should be your explanation
connecting your example to your sub-point and overall thesis.
+ Another proof & explain (you can include 2-3 in total
depending on time)
Introduction Paragraph:
i) General Statement – Hook reader’s interest by including in your first
sentence an interesting statement about your topic.
ii) Provide the name of the author and text and give a brief synopsis of
the novel (provide context… 5w’s).
iii) THESIS Statement: (1 sentence long and is the last sentence of your
intro paragraph): Your thesis is your main argument (your whole essay is intended to prove
your thesis which argues something by putting forth a claim and
establishing its impact (and a road-map/hint of what is to come by briefly
introducing 3 sub-points that will be elaborated upon as each one leads its
own “body paragraph” in your essay).
Body Paragraph #3
i) 3rd Sub-point/ topic sentence: Provide your 3rd
sub-point that supports your main overall thesis
argument.
ii) Proof: Provide an example (quote/evidence) in
your next sentence that proves your 3rd sub-point.
iii) Explain: Your last 2-3 sentences should be your
explanation connecting your example to your sub-
point and overall thesis.
+ Another proof & explain (you can include 2-3 in
total depending on time)
Conclusion Paragraph:
i) Restate thesis (use different wording)
ii) Summarize arguments; one sentence per
argument
iii) Conclude by looking at the main issue
argued in the essay within a broader perspective
and include any of the following implications:
historical, social, political, psychological,
economic, environmental, and/or geographical
impacts).
HOW TO INTRODUCE A QUOTATION:
1. One way to introduce a critic's
words is to use a descriptive verb,
followed by a comma. Avoid using
says unless the words were originally
spoken aloud, for instance, during
an interview.
Examples: Smith (or the character, or the
narrator, or the author) states,
"this book is terrific" (Last
name of author, 102).
Smith remarks, " . . .
Smith writes, " . . .
Smith notes, " . . .
Smith comments, " . . .
Smith observes, " . . .
Smith concludes, " . . .
Smith reports, " . . .
Smith maintains, " . . .
Smith adds, " . . .
2. If your lead-in to the quotation ends in that
or as, don't follow it with a comma. The
first letter of the quotation should be lower
case.
Examples: Smith points out that "millions
of students would like to burn
this book" (Smith, 53).
Smith argues that " . . .
Smith emphasizes that " . . .
Smith interprets the hand
washing in MacBeth as "an
attempt at absolution" (106).
Smith describes the novel as "a
celebration of human
experience" (233).
3. Note that the particular verb you choose helps
orient your reader toward your opinion of the
statement. "Jones says" is neutral; "Jones
informs us" is positive, "Jones alleges" is
somewhat negative. Other verbs to choose
from include:
says
writes
observes
notes
remarks
adds
declares
informs us
alleges
claims
o states
o comments
o thinks
o affirms
o asserts
o explains
o argues
4. Sometimes you might want to use a
colon introduction.
For example:
Kumquat offers this explanation:
"Deep thinkers talk little."
Kumquat...
is more enlightening:
prefers a different argument:
discerns this point:
distinguishes between the two:
reminds us of his youth:
believes we should talk less:
5. An introductory phrase is best. For
example:
In the words of Fisher, "art is a mirror of
belief" (342).
As Ted Fisher has remarked, "life imitates
art."
As Fisher reminds us, "monkey see, monkey
do."
6. Discuss your quotations (EXPLAINATION OR SIGNIFICENCE OF PQE). Do not quote
someone and then leave the words hanging as if they were self-explanatory. What does the
quotation mean and how does it help establish the point you are making? What is your
interpretation or opinion of it? Quotations are like examples: discuss them to show how they fit in
with your thesis and with the ideas you are presenting. Remember: quotations support or
illustrate your own points. They are not substitutes for your ideas and they do not stand by
themselves.
It is often useful to apply some interpretive phrasing after a quotation, to show the reader that
you are explaining the quotation and that it supports your argument:
This statement shows
Clearly, then,
We can conclude from this that
This tells us that
From this we can understand that
THE NEWS REPORT
NEWSPAPER WRITING TIPS: • Always write in the third person (he, she, it, they). • Do not state your own opinion (don’t use the word “I” unless it’s a quote from a person being interviewed). • Do not refer to the news reporter in the event. This is not a TV report. Avoid phrases like “We are standing here with Mary Maloney . . .” • The headline is an important clue to what happened. Rephrase it in your opening paragraph. • News reports start with the end to reveal what happened (who/what/were/when/why are revealed at the very beginning), then normally jump to how the event started with details like quotes and further information from most important to least.
